The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1894-01-18
PIVOTAL POLITICS
- TNs FFT- CONGRESSIONAL plS
TRlSr Or soRTa CAROLINA.
INDICATIONS or a GREAT UPRISING
ANON. TMa PEOPLE
WILLIAMS CONTEST AGAINST SETTLE
SEVERELY CONDEMNED.
a Ringing Protect ax.Ia.t M.shia. rsi-
tties-
Special TO TaE CAvcAaAs

I EDITOR CAUCAsIAN - Guilford
county is political and industrial
center, and the Fifth Congressional
district is the pivotal point in State
politics The Guilford battle ground
testities 10 tae courage Of our people
and proves their devotion 10 the
cause Of personal liberty. The de-
scendauts of the heroes who fought
at Guilford court house, were the
first men south Of Mason and Dix
on's line TO agitate the abolition of
slavery in this country.
At Centre church, the year 1904.
the iiIst anti. slavery resolutions were
adopted. Holden, in the palmy days
of his Democratic supremacy in the
State, delighted TO call Guilford
county the Massachusetts 80 broad
was the spirit of personal liberty
among these people that a patriot 80
eminent as the elder John A. Gilmer
was denounced by Holden as an abo-
litionIst and in sympathy with the
spirit of llelpin's impending crisis
Our people believe in free speech,
honest elections, the widest liberty
of conscience, and the fullest eX-
preston of opinion. Some people
wonder why the Mecklenburg decla-
ration of independence was not born
in Guilford. The reason is found in
the simple faith Of an element Of our
population which has added 80 much
TO the wealth, the education, the
morality, and the political independ-
ence of the county. The Quakers
were the earliest settlers here and
their "ways are the way of peace"
THE COMING REACTION.
The year that has just begun pro-
misses to be a reactionary period In
political developments in the State,
and the signs of it here which are
too obvious to 6e misunderstood, 10
the excuse offered for this communi-
cation.
Unless the long accepted prophet
ic postulate that ''as goes the Fifth
District so goes the State" is all out
of the way, sweeping political rev.
olution is impending. The reaction
is due to the corrupt methods EN-
ployed by machine politicians in Sc
curing nominations to office and in
fraudently defeating the will of the
people at the polls. The pollution
of the ballot is question that goes
to the very bottom of all controversy.
The people are becoming aroused at
the peril which menaces free cleo
tions. 1t is an inestimable service
that your paper is doing in its potent
Efforts to reclaim the State from po-
litical despotism, and you may be
sure the spirit that animates you will
move the people to sustain the refor-
nation which you SO valiantly es-
pouse.
The days of pure politics have
passed away and left only memory.
The men who then controlled our
local and State organizations, we're
not the mere tools of political ma
chine; they were Democrats, or
Wings or Republicans. looking only
to the weab of the Staty and its
\ maintenance of political purity.
Political degradation must have
4 reached its bottom when a man like
the chairman of the Democratic
State committee is rev arded by a
Democratic administration and
Democratic Senator for the methods
= used by him in the last campaign to
b, elect the Democratic ticket in this
! State And political infamy knows
no parallel to the conduct of a high
judicial officer of the State who con-
spires to rob the ignorant elector out
of his right to vote. If the decision
of the highest court Of the State af-
fecting the great, constitutional right
of suffrage can be suppressed and
used as basis for secret political in
formation, with impunity, then all
} talk of virtue and decency, and mo-
rality in public affairs is but "s
sounding brass and tinkling Gym
bal." And exactly that very thing
has happened, buta partisan, {? un-
scrupulous press has suppressed the
, facts and the people who obtain
their information through that
: source, are ignorant of it. 1t has
been published and not denied that
under the ruling of the State Su-
; preme court in the case of Harris vs.
Scarborough, thousands of Republi-
can and Populist voters were not al
lowed to vote on account of insuffic-
= lent registration. What constituted
sufficient registration" was known
; only to Democrats, who got their in
formation from the chairman of tn
State Democratic committee, who 20
o his information from the Judge who
! delivered the opinion of the court
S This information was secret and was
f sent out as confidential" If polit
e cal debauchery like this is to go un
punished, and the men who perpe
trated 1t are to be rewarded, then
. |. God help the people. They must be
o lost to every consideration of man.
: hood.
= The history of political revolts in
e this district ought to be warning
s to the machine leaders. 1t ought te
! prove to them that the people will
: not be trifled with, and that the par.
! ty lash has no terrors for them.
s Since the retirement of General
Scales, pure, upright, conscientious
e man, but one Democrat has been
Il elected to congress from this district
After serving an unexpired term
CONTINUED On Fourth PAGE.