Daily Republican

SECOND EDITION.

INTIMIDATING WORKMEN.

The Charge Made of Political Coercion Emphatically Denied from Jackson & Sharp's and Seidel, Hastings & Co.'s.

With its proverbial partisan blindness the Gazette of yesterday contained an article charging that Republican business firms in Wilmington were forcing their workmen by threats, etc., to take part with political organizations and to support Garfield and Arthur. Here is a paragraph:

"It is related to the Gazette, on credible authority, that Robert F. Wright, formerly messenger of the Water Department under Capt. Gallagher, but now employed at the Jackson & Sharp Company's works, announced to many of his fellow workmen on Saturday, that a Jackson and Garfield Club was to be organized, and that any workmen who refused to sign the roll should be summarily discharged."

Mr. Wright denies that he made the remark accredited to him in the above paragraph, but says he did jocularly say to John Pauley, in speaking to him of a club which was about to be formed in the shops, "all you Democrats will have to join it or take your walking papers." Pauley understood the remark to have been made in a joking way.

When the club was first talked of Mr. Job H. Jackson refused to allow the club to use the firm name, on the ground that a business firm should not meddle with politics.

SEIDEL & HASTINGS' DENIAL.

The following emphatic denial explains itself:

EDITORS REPUBLICAN:—Under the heading of "Intimidating Working men," the following appears in the Gazette of yesterday:

"From Seidel & Hastings' mill and other establishments this same charge of intimidation comes with such force and directness that its truth cannot be doubted. Democrats are not actually threatened with discharge, but they are told that in case Hancock is elected and work becomes slack they will go first."

In reply to this we have to say that, so far as our firm is concerned, the charge is utterly false in every particular. The following Democrats are now in our employ and most of them have been for years. They will doubtless all vote for Hancock at the coming election and we refer all fair-minded Democrats to them to ascertain whether at any time we, or any of us, or any one in authority in our establishment, has in any manner directly or indirectly attempted to intimidate them with reference to their political preferences or whether they do not now and have at all times felt perfectly free to vote as they choose without the slightest fear so far as their connection with our works is concerned.

The names are: George E. Cripper (clerk,) Samuel Brown, Samuel Hamilton, Thomas Hamilton, Thomas Ware, James Cannon, John S. Hill, and David B. Watson.

There may be other Democrats among our employees but the above are all we can recall at this moment.

Now, Messrs. Editors, we are perfectly well aware that this charge is made by the "Gazette" for political clap-trap and buncombe only, and as such we should ordinarily pass it by with the contempt it deserves, but under the circumstances we do not choose to rest under a false imputation, charging us with political methods, which we despise. We do not hesitate to say that we think these men are entirely wrong in their politics and that we believe the success of their party would be detrimental, if not disastrous, to our business, and we are glad to say that we have used this argument with many Democrats in our employ with success in the past and hope to be able to do the same thing in the future; but it has been by fair and convincing argument only, without the sign or shadow of intimidation, coercion or threat. and we do not believe this community—the respectable portion of it at least, whether Democratic or Republican, will credit a charge to the contrary.

Yours, etc.,

SEIDEL, HASTINGS & Co.