The gold leaf., 1894-07-19

from the punishment he SO Justly
deserved. But reason seems to be
resuming her sway, and the law was
finally permitted to take its course.
THE RALEIGH NEWS-OBSERNER,
AND CAPT. ASHE.
1t is next of kin to shame that the
non payment Of hundreds of petty
debts due to the Raleigh Nevs o.
seyUer by individuals able to pay
should have forced that excellent
journal into its present financial
difficulty; !; and it is next of kin to an
outrage that this delinquency by
individual Democrats should have
been supplemented by the act OF the
party as last year represented at
Raleigh. This was the withholding
from Capt. Ashe of the patronage of
the public printing, by every rule of
decency and right his due.
On account of the absence of cities
in North Carolina, coupled now with
facilities for placing at almost every
breakfast table the entcing trash of
the great cities of the preceding twenty
four hours, newspapers in our State
since the war have either brought their
proprietors in debt, or have returned
but the most mea9re compensation.
In the case of papers of the prevailing
faith, the dominant Democratic party
has it in its power to mitigate this
condition of affairs by bestowing upon
those most loyal to the party's law
such rewards of patronage as come in
its way. The public printing at the
capital has long been considered one
of these and while it is true that
Capt. Ashe had fairly won this one at
the hands OF the party, it is, shame to
say, no less true that it was beloved
upon the principle that those should
receive the party's favors whose loyalty
to its principles and organization is
weakest
The case of Capt. Ashe is not
singular. We have heard of instances
where both public and private patron
age was withheld from newspaper by
protesting Democrats because it re-
fused to condone the formal repudi-
alton of vital Democratic party princi-
Piles as laid down in the party law.
The people have an opportunity now
in their party conventions to rectify
these wrongs of their party servants
by repudiating the disloyal and re-
warding the loyal. For example, we
see suggestion that Capt. Ashe be
sent to Congress from the Raleigh
District. By all means. He would
make an admirable representative.
Certain it is that if he had been con-
fronted with the proposition to betray
his people by voting for unconditional
repeal in return for patronage be-
slowed upon his personal friends, he
would, like Vance, have sacrificed his
friends rather than the public interest.
His duties and training as an editor
especially fit him to represent the peo-
pile in these critical times. Vance
was once an editor, and no doubt his
natural straightforwardness and hon
esty were strengthened and confirmed
by that experience. When, for example,
the ordinary politician starts on mis-
canvass of couple of months, once in
two or four years, his whole case is
made up. Every debateable subject
of public concern has been threshed
out by the editors and the result
embodied in his party's platform. He
has little more to do than to interpret
this with such skill as his natural gifts
impart to him. With the editor, on
the other hand, he must take sides
every day, in every month OF all the
years, upon every important public
question, as it arises, and stand or fall
by the wisdom or unwisdom of his
utterances. During all that time, the
politician remained dumb and non
} committal, ducking his head until the
storm passes. AS a gentleman of this
city recently remarked, the editor OF
A>AoihS .'@S SSPat!Sl oIlOulu DS d
statesman. TO be that, ne must OF
course look ahead. He must not
consider whether his attitude on a
public question renders him personally
unpopular for the moment. He must
consider the peoples interest, trusting
for their appreciation when time shall
have revealed the tricks by which
demagogues obscured the truth. A
notable example of this occurred in
the attitude of sundry North Carolina
newspapers when the reputation of
the party law and rebellion against
party organization were attempted in
this State two years ago. Except for
the stand taken by those papers then,
resulting in the breaking up of that
attempt, our members of Congress
would not have leg to stand on in
: their present demand that the party
law be adhered to in legislation.
Captain .Ashe has never yielded to
: the temptation to desert the standard
OF his party or connive al reputation
OF its principles. In view of the shabby
) treatment to which he has been
subjected because Of his party loyalty,
We respectfully submit that the least
) the party Can DO is to seek to repair
the wrong it has done hin, at the first
!. opportunity. This it may do III some
slight degree by Offering him the Con
gressional nomination in his District
II ne will have it.-Fayettev!lle Ob-
Pain has no show with Dr. Miles Pain PIN.