The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-17
4 CLARION CALL TO ACTION.

a hugle call to action by the patriotic
voters of the State. 1t is in good taste,
nionted. direct and breathes the spirit
of the loftiest patriotism. 1t is mark
cd by candor and franlgness, as we'll as
bv confidence in the manhood and pa
triotism Of the people Of this old com
monweath
The political condition tcr'ay in
North Ourolina is so complicated and
50 distracted as to puzzle the wisest.
There is massed in support of the
Republican nominees the almost solid
peoro vote which viii be voted for Nc
Kinley, Russell and the gold standard.
For three or four years, in fact ever
since the money question became the
leading issue, hundreds of negroes liY-
ing in the country districts have been
voting with the Populists because they
said they believed their prosperity
was dependent upon the free coinage
If silver Many of them were very
indignant when Russell purchased the
nomination for Governor, and thou
sands of them vowed they would never
vote for the man who had called them
"savages,'' and their mothers
thieves" But as the campaign pro-
crossed, a campaign in which only the
money question has been discussed,
without any effort upon the part OF
the whites to dnaw the color line, the
Republican managers hayesilenced the
negro leaders who were talking for
silver and against Russell. To-day
eyery negro except very few is IN
line for the elevation of their basest
slanderer and a financial policy which
has borne most heavily upon them,
preventing their prosperity and pro-
gress. Those who six months age con-
ffdently predicted that the nomina-
ton of Russell would split the negro
vote half in two have cause to realize
that all their prophecies were false.
If the negro will vote for Russell, he
will do anything that Republican pol
ItlcIanS order MIN 10 90.
The solidity of the negro vote is
menace to progress and to good gov
eminent. If it cam be polled for a man
who has traduced them as Russell has
done. and for financial policy that
impoverishes their families, the negro
vote becomes now, as in 1868, the lad
der upon which corrupt men climb in
to the Treasury and rob the people: 1t
puts premium upon dishonesty and
immortality; and it is an influence that
/ threatens the highest interests of the
State.
The solid negro vote is the only hope
Russell has Of reaching the Governors
| office. His most ardent Supporters AID
| nit that he cannot come within 100,-
900 votes of election If the negro vote
should be denied him. The white vote
behind him is inconSiderable, and
wanting in patriotism. The best ele-
ment of the Republican party detests
him and his methods. The nominee
for Lieutenant-G charged that
Russell was fraudulently nominated,
and of the legal votes he received,
many were openly purchased. This
has never been seriously denied, be-
cause it cannot be truthfully denied.
w refer to it to-day, not to denounce
Russell's methods, but to show that
whenever any large compact body OF
voters can be relied upon to endorse
such a man and such mthods, the
honor and safety of the State is in
peril. IF, for no other reason than to
vote against the Democrats" these
100000 negro voters deliberately
chose to elect Russell to office they
must know that the logical
result of their drawing the color line
will be for all respectable white men
to do likewise, and meet solidity with
so1idity. Of course, now as in 1868,
there viii be white men who will af-
filialte with them for Office, but the
bulk of the white men will not long
divide when their division means the
undoing of all that twenty years of
labor and struggle have accomplished.
Division in the presence of the threat
ened bad rule would be SO criminal
that none but the base, the corrupt,
and the office-seekers would be found
fighting against their own race, the
solid negro vote standing as menace to
the best interests of the State.
The confident claim of the Repub-
lican managers that they will elect Rus
sell is based upon their faith that the
Populist registrars and poll-holders
will cooperate with them in their
fraudulent purpose of voting the more
than $1,000 negroes they have imported
into the State, chiefly from South Caro-
lima and Virginia. They may win if
the Populists help them in their ne
farious schemes. I'm some counties,
notably Craven and Cumberland, the
Popu1ist officials have appointed bad
men, negro Republican strikers, as
registrars and poll-holders to repre-
sent the Populist party. If such APP
pointments were knowingly made, and
If these strikers are numerous enough,
the corrupt plans will be carried out
n