The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-01-24

To the Democratic Voters Of NORTH Car
Olina UhO, an the election last year, TO-
ted Jor prohtLition:
How shall ere vote in the coming cleo
ton? This is an inn or;ant question
thrust upon us by recent events. The
opposers of prohibition seeia to nave de
termined how fh4g vii. vote. Now, how
shall zoe vote?
Were we criminals for voting "a we did
lat year? Shall We, without any soft If
protest, allow ourselves to be ostraci..,t
for SO doing Shall our leaders in The
Legislature lie denied d reelection. lid,
even the privilege Ut "a ca,niidacy tas ~
the county 81 Wayne because. forsootn.
they voted as We did OH the question 81
prohibition? Shall so good a man A.
the late Senator from IiupIi be- denied
a denomination. ii he wished it, because
of the stand he took III this matter? Must
others already nominated Withdraw Cas- IN
The county OF Wilson, because they were
active on our side OF the great question ?
This seems to be the turn the It'd. ha4
taken. 1t is SO all over the State. From,
evrey quarter we hear of good men ami
true who, on account OF their prohibitions
record, have failed Of denomination. or.
being nominated, have had to w%ithdra..
or, continuing the canvass, are threatened
with defeat
No fifty thousand voters in any STATE
on any given question OF public. poiity
ever accepted defeat with more ready and
complete submission than we have done.
None ever bore themselves With more be-
coming dignity under defeat, nor Yielded
more cheerful acquiesceuce in the results
as determined at the polls. This, too,
when we feel that the question was not
fairly presented on account of the bill we
we're required to vote upon. acains,
which Thousands of honest voters in the
Stare had serious objections who would
otherwise have voted with US. None
have remained truer to their party than
the Democrats who voted for prohibition.
None have been more willing than they
to ''let bygones be byeopes.'' And yet
Common, the regularly nominated Dem
ocratic candidate for the Senate for
Wilson county recently published.
contains these words: Il am convinced
that many of u fellow-citizens are de-
termined not to vote for any mar who,
last year, voted for prohibition. 1t is
well known that 1 voted for. AM was an
earnest advocate of that measure. Like
all others who occupied The same posi-
ton, l accepted in good faith the result
and should have treated the question as
settled if in the Legislature, but this
does not satisfy tn Sc who have their
passions and preiudices aroused on this
question: Declaring further that his
record on prohibition alone made the
step advisable he withdraws as a .Se0a-
toridI candidate. In the county of
Wayne the member of the Senate. q
worthy and able man. who voted agains,
us is ren0minated without opposition.
and by reclamation. How MANY of orr
number were in that convention who
thus signified in a striking n their
desire for party harmony and party sue
cess? Yet when the denomination of
the member of the House. who is in ev-
cry respect the peer Of the candidate for
the Senate, comes up he does not per-
NIT his name to be voted on because
there is no Disgusting the matter, it is
an open secrct-because he, too. like
Mr.. Common, has found passionate and
ITejudlceI men inside his party who
have determined to prescribe and ostra-
else him for his vote on prohibition.
The good people of the State of North
Carolina thus lind themselves confront
ed by a grave question. Put none but
Americans on guard!' was the slogan
of the old k~now-nothing party. Elect
to Office none but liquor drinkers or
liquor dealers or those who favor
them!" is the war cry of the predomi- |
nant element in our party in the pres
ent campaign. Are the people of North !
Carolina prepared to accept this as a |
natural outcome and a final conclusion !
of the prohibition agitation? Must we
ourselves submit to it? Are we moral
lepers to be banished from the great |
congregation Of the chosen people and
to cry out continually "Unclean! In !
clean!' because of our vote on the pro-
hibition question? Must we, on ac-
count of that vote, PROSTATE ourselves
before the anti-prohibition element of
our party abjectly confessing to them
In sack-cloth and ashes I'VE have sin
ned, we have sinnedl" and earnestly
AnploFing: "Forgive, oh, forgive!'t