The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1892-09-01
MAJ. GUTHRlES CARD.
HE DECLINES THE SoMISA.
TION, But BELIEVES IN TuE
PEOPLES PARTY.

| l am informed that atty
State Convention in Rm &c
name wis prcsented for s1ss.
In the o.sice ufr AssocIata assvs 70
the Supreme Coart and scoA
ton waa conferred on N eon-
nation. / feel very gras sni
Convention for the Coz
the honor sought TO be- q - p-s s~ssis
me by my friends of assss.ss-
Party, But IL IL due tsoiSrN
a. myself. that l shou.
clare 20 you the reasons CcrLo
not accept your nomlni EkSeS
would not consent 10 serH..
elected: iA'waTs
LIST. Becaase | feel thatu
on your ticket woeid very ssI~
tend 10 embarrass your other
dates In advocating some OF thy
nents ofyour party. IL is well know,.
10 my Intimate personal friends that
/ am now, and have for some years
past, since the removal of my resi-
dence to Durham, been tho regular
iy employed local counsel for two
railrt AL corporations, and IL II "a fact
l could not deny, nor wish to deay.
that at the very time when your
delegates were assembling In l.al-
eigh, / Was engaged I'm "A distant
State drawing legal documents aud
contracts TO build al entirely new
railroad 10 deyelope the laten; re-
sources of large undevelopcd sec
tion and affecting at least two eaun-
ties In North Carolina.
You would hardly want 10 clog
end handicap your other candidates
TO defend an avowed railroad attor-
| ney. Please understand me, how
ever, as think my clients do, that
II my railroad clients would juka hint
10 me that because of INV relation
to them would be under any cir
cumstances expected to sacrifice my
liberty Of independent thought and
action in political affairs by surron
der of my manhood for money, they
would very soon see their mistake,
tor | would in that event sever the
relations of attorney and client quick
enough TO make their head swim, l
would. If know myself, rather live
and die In obscurity and gain my
livelihood by plowing a bull In
cornfield than sacrifice myself re.
sLect and liberty as q citizen TO cast
my vote according to the dictates of
my own Judgment and conscience
for the men of my choice and for the
measures / think best calculated to
promote the good OF my country.
I'd. do not want The office. When
| l haafAn hn e..
this same Office some six years ago,
l made up my mind TO turn my am
bltiOn In another direction entirely,
and have devoted whatever of en-
ergy and talent / may possess to
building up law practice In new
place. l think have gone for
enough already In being q candidate
for judicial honors and ofiice-seeking
generally. My ownself respect de
mands halt lest 1 acquire the repu-
tation Of becoming a chronic Office
seeker the most conte mptible Of nil
creatures In the estimation OF all
right-thinging people under free
government. would not bellttle
the office, however, though only "a
fragmentary term of IL In now at
stake tor political bidding. Though
place requiring much hard labor, If
the Office is faithfully filled, not very
large compensation given for 1t eth
er; the occupant subject TO very
much censure and criticism at times
land sometimes not deserved tool
ii can never become an Office of small
importance or destitute of high di4sS
nifty aud honor. The0ffice Il Worthy
Of the high.aspiration ocevery am
bilious lawyer much good men de-
plore the fact that Ender our eonsti-
tuition and the elydive judiciary sys.
tenn, 1t is beginning from year to
year more andgnore the lucky hit of
political se(amble rather than the
remard of Zierit. In this particular
campaign the nominee OF the Peo-
pie party will, / think, stand at least
an even chance with the nominee Of
any other party and believe q bet
tel one. He will at least have more
votes to begin his campaign with
than the Governors appointed has,
since only one vote may appoint,
but il requires many thousand votes
to elect before the people.
I'd In conclusion would not " ish
to be misunderstood In declining
your nomination. 1t Is very from
my purpose 10 slap I'm tie face any
body OF men who have done as you
did, in rendering your confluence I'm
naming the as your choice for so
high and ImI ortant an Office, and
one clothei with so much dignity,
honor asd power; but remember /
have na particular claim on that or
any other Office. The Offices belong
to the people and are the mere agen-
cies OF government establihcd to give
effect to the will Of the people AZ
embodied I'm the laws which the peo-
pie through their servants and repre-
scntativeS have made. The time
has come In this country when the
theory Of our system Of government
must realize that sovereignty resides
In the people; and no man who thinks
at all on the public affairs can see that
political power Is drifting out Of and
away from the hands of the people.
! and contracting In the hands Of a
iSWs "A ICioAuitsoH uiust DC nau, |,
in order to preserve liberty. II is
not false clamor we hear ON every
side coming up as q wall OF distress 8
from the great agricultural classes
of the South and West. It il a cry
too, that sooner or later will be heard
and the independent men Of all class
es. professiocs, trades and occupa.
! ti0us; will be sooner or later stand
together as a wall of adamant be-
: tween The oppress0rs Of the people
: who have used political demaRogues
ofiice-seekers. and Office -holdinQ
3 tiicksters to restrict and destroy the
liberties Of the people, and check
and retard the progress and prosper
lity Of the farming classes OF thu
ID South and the West. When thu
i -