Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1894-05-12
RICHMOND PEARSON TALK
SAID TO REPUI.ICANs As AN
INDEPENDENT.
irving To Make Political Capital
Ou, Of Re mark Senator Vance
Is Said To Have Made-Reg gis,ra.
tiOn-The Tarifi

time, but, 1t l understand 1t properly,
you have gone and done it. In spite of
the advice and disinterested counscls of
the Democratic party, am here to tell
you, have come before you for that
purpose. that am prepared to take the
part that is assigned to me by your ac.
ton today.
don't know whether it was accident
or design that you called this convention
to meet on the 10Th OF May. rs you
know the 10th of May is called Deco ra-
ton Day, the day when we decorate the
graves of the Confederate soldiers. 1t
docs seem to me when look over this
vast enthusiastic crowd, that the indica-
tions are that you have met here, il not
to decorate, least to dig the grave OF
William Tccumseh Crawford. | am Eere
to assure you that | am prepared and
ready to take my part III that interest
lug ceremony. have got so much to
say that know cannot get through
with it all without tiring you, and | pro-
pose to start in now in a running way
until wear your patience out.
Gentleman, know mighty well, and
all of you who have been around in this
district know very well that if you had
had in your possession a gift to bcstow
or an honor to confer, had no claim to
such gift or such honor. You know very
well, those Of you who have discussed
the present political situation and the
feelings, especially of the Republican
party, that YOU would have chosen, if
you preferred to make straight fight
on the old line, some OF those true and
trusty leaders who have battlcd with
YOU stcadiastly in the battles that have
gone by in the past. You might have
chosen that sagacious and practical
leader who comes from Madison, that
true and tried and trusty friend who has
fought your battles in the past. refer
to the Hon. {. Prtchard and | say
this now, before z Jing farther, that in
nv Judgment there are honors i'll store
tor him that neither Madison county nor
the Ninth Congre ssional District are able
to confer by themselves. Gentlemen, you
might have chosen, in making straight
political fight on old political lines, that
uncompromlslng representative OF Hay
wood who prefers to whip the Demo
cratic party without taking any man out
of their own ranks, who prefer to en-
dcavor to beat sixteen thousand Demo.
Gratis With 1i,OO0 Republicans. You
might have chosen that able and elo
qucnt gentleman from lIendersonville
You might have chosen this old war.
horse who sits here, or YOU might have
chosen that stalwart old son of Bum
combc, who has been willing to fight in
every position to which you have as
signed him, from the Supreme court
bench down to constable, it matters not
where, if only the Republican party call
him to the duty. refer to the Hon. Y.
5. Lusk.
am pleased to sec that every county
in this district is here represented in per
son. There is no county from which
you might not have hid a worthy
standard-bcarer in fight on the old
lines. But you have gone against the
advice OF the Democratic party and have
disgraced and lost yourselves in the
opinion OF the whole district by coming
up and saying, "Gentlemcn, this is not
the time for feeling. The time has come
when we must unite and oppose the ad
ministration at Washington. 1t is q
Il question OF victory, not OF men.
The great man who was buried here
the other dav by loving hands from al
parties has been quoted very dliitrentl,
of late in regard to the Democratic party
In fact we have read many eloquent anC
beautiful things which he has said in hi'
last day. Some of these things may
have been very authentic, some apocry
phal. He said these words Il wan
to pass through North Carolina in thu
night time" Remembering the prom
iscs that his party had made, the prom
iscs that he had made in the name of th'
Democratic party. remembering and wit
Messing what those men in Washington
were doing. feeling how scandalousl,
and cruelty they were treating him an(
every friend of his and every promise o
his made II. the Democratic party, tha
grand man said for the first time in hi
noble life, al don't want to look my pco
pie in the face"
He had done nothing to be ashamed OF
but his party had, He knew that ther
was nothing for him to be ashamed OF
and he was too bold to excuse what h
had done and too manly to deny wha
they had done. and he did 80 back to tn
National capital i'll the nighttime, ant
he only stayed there Il few weeks, Ion;
enough to see the members Of his ow,
committee on finance bcsmirched wit
the greedy sweetness OF that sugar trust
He stayed there long enough to see tn
head OF his party strike down one-halt G
| the metallic money of the country, an,
then came the end. He did come bac
in the nighttime and you laid him ava
in the windowlcss halls of eternal rest
1t is well enough to make empty an
eloquent speeches over his dead body
but the time to pay that man respec
Twas while he livcd the time to heed hi
teachings was while he stood there pre-
testing, in the name of the promise
which he had endorsed. that the Demo
Gratis should give the people the littl
that they had right to expect.
There is thing that he said tina
doesn't need anything to vouch for i
| 1t sounds exactly like him, 1t was this
in that letter which may be taken as til
last epistle to- the brethren of the Mecl
lenburg Alliance he used these words