Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1897-11-25
THE INFAMY OF THE AGES.
The vilest Slander Ever Uttered Against
The Democracy of the State: In Fact,
the viIest Ever Put Into Language.
Dailv Arpus Saturday Nov 90


the viIest Ever Put Into Language.
Daily Argus, Saturday, Nov. 90.
In recent speech at Rocky
Mount. Populist United States
Senator Marion Butler was re-
ported by the Rocky Mount Ar
gonaut to have said in the course
of his harrangue:
IF colored men commit ont
RACES the Democrats pretend to
be terribly shocked in public.
but when they get behind a wall
they laugh until they grow fat !,
and if the outl ages are not fre>
quent enough they hire worth
less negroes to commit them"
So vile was this utterance that
we could not bring ourselves to
believe that any white manor
negro even-in North Carolina,
or elsewhere in the round world
of civilization, could have given
it expression; and SO we wrote to
the editor of the Argonaut for a
verifcation of the language, and
in this weeks issue of that paper,
which came to US yesterday after
noon, we find the editorial com :
ment bearing on the subject
which we publish below. Marion
Butler in this weeks issue of his
paper-the Caucasian-makes
equivocal reference to the
charge, which he hopes the peo-
pie will accept as a truthful de-
NAL, but here is what the editor
of the Argonaut says this week:
ssSenator Butler dare not con-
tradict it; his shameful remark was
heard by too many for any denial
of his to hold water. If he should
happen to do SO, we have the af-
fidayits of some of our foremost
citizens that our charge was true.
One of the most prominent Popu-
list leader in this section acknowl-
edges that the man who is nov
at the head of that party in this
State made this damnable accusa-
ton against his fellow citizens.
We stood besides this gentleman
when Butler befoulded himself,
his State and his race by this ut
terance and noticed his look of
righteous Indignation.
brave gentleman and soldier
Of the ''lost cause" as he was, it
was plain to be seen that his
whole soul revolted at the vile
ness IF his chief. Can any one
wonder at it? Can any one Won
der that the true men who have
heretofore voted with the Popu.
lists are asking themselves where
they are drifting to, and seeing
the whirlpool of degradation be-
fore that party, are severing all
ties that bind themselves to it.
They cannot follow their leaders
any longer.
"The true men, the brave men,
the God fearing men, the honest
men of North Carolina must rally
under one flag during the next
campaign"
And it seems that others have
written to Rocky Mount about
this same thing. From the
Charlotte Observer of yesterday
we copy the following:
Mr.. Ii. S. Ledbetter. of Rock
ingham, wrote to a friend al
Rocky Mount, enclosing news
paper clipping embracing the
words attributed to Mr.. Butler,
and asked for a statement as t6
the truthfulness of the story. II
reply he has the following aft
/ davit:
Copy.]
| We, the undersigned do hereby
make affidavit that We heard the
|speech of Senator Butler ane
that the above extract in quota
Jion marks is in substance wha
he said.
/ (Rey.l B. S. MCKENZIE.
F. J. THORP, M. D.
j. J. DAUGHTRY.
| Nov. 2, 1897.
| Sworn to and subscribed be
fore me this the 13 b day of Nov.
1897.
| JOHN L. ARLINGTON,
| Notary Public.
"The extract in quotation