The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-08-20

in the price of agricultural products. Not
a salary in the whole State has been re-
duced. They urged a doing away with
any unnecessary Offices The men they
voted for have multiplied Offices. They
denounced extravaganza. The expenses
of the State and county governments
are greater than ever in the history of
the State since the carpet bag rule of
1869. For the first time since
1859 the State Treasury is bankrupt
and the State cannot pay its just claims.
They sought to make judiciary in
which no party should have the FREEDOM
nance They have given the negro party
control of our Supreme and Superior
courts. But, why go on? We might fill
columns to show how cruelty the honest
men who joined the Populist party have
been deceived and how all their wishes
have been trodden under foot. To crown
the whole, their votes were cast to elect
gold-bug to the United States Senate,
and they are in all the Eastern counties,
in common with their white neighbors of
all parties at the mercy of the ignorant
negroes and their base allies.
1t is sad to contemplate these things.
We do not review them to either de-
nounce any good man who was unwit-
tingly a party to the evils we all deplore,
or in any spirit Of Il told you So" On
the other hand, we recall them to record
it as our deliberate conviction that, if
the men whose votes have brought these
evils upon us, could have looked into
the future and seen the deplorable re-
suits, the best among them would
have cut off their right hands before
they would have entered into the ALI
ance with the negro party. Those who
remember the incidents that led up to
the organization of the Populist party
will recall that its membership came
almost altogether from the ranks Of
Farmers Alliance. Talking with
we'll read farmer in a negro county a.
bout the time he was thinking about
going into the Populist party, and tell
ing him that it would result in Republi-
can rule, he made this reply to the writ
er: .i5f
'"There is just where all you
Democrats make mistake. If you
were an Allianceman, you would I'M
derstand. Nearly all the country
negroes belong to the Alliance. Ev-
cry one of them win go into the Pop
ulist party. We will destroy the
Republican party, leaving them no.
body in the Eastern counties except
the town negroes"
This writer, who thought he saw in
the Populist party nothing except re-
vivifying of the negro party-toh the
gentleman that the negroes would vote
with them as long as it helped the Re
publican party, and would use them as
cats paws to pull the chestnuts out of the
fire for Republicans. He was an honest
man, unsophisticated certainly, and was
utterly wrong as he himself found out
to his regret When the truth came up
ON him in its terrible reality he made
haste to quit the whole thing and to tell
his neighbors that he had been deceived
and had deceived them. There were
not a few men who held
the same opinion, and who now repent
their mistake. We believe they would
welcome chance to fight with their old
neighbors under the shibboleth of "Anglo-
Saxons must control North Carolina" as
gladly as the miserable demagogues and
selfish place-holders would furiously OPP
pose it. They were never deceived. They
saw that they could not get high office
from white men. Their hope was in
using the Populists, in cooperation with
the negroes, to put them in power. We
do not say that all the men who were
put into office by this cooperation were
corrupt men. We have no doubt that
some of them will be found next year
fighting to restore the control of the
State to the Anglo-Saxon race. We
would like to see every one of them, ami
mated by State and race pride, join with
us in driving from power the men who
make and execute our laws, even if they
had to retire themselves. 1t is not, how
ever, to be expected that men who fat
ten off of the shame of the State, will
help to destroy their means of support.It
is the honest yeomanry of the Populist
party, who want nothing but good gov
eminent and fair chance for themselves
and their children, who will join with
their neighbors in Kidding the State of
negro rule and incompetent and shame
less officials. If they have erred in the
past, they will feel that for that very
reason they ought to do more to free the
State from the consequences of their mis-
take. When they show willingness to do
- L. L L. H.