The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-07-21

The Republican State Convention met
in Metropolitan Hall yesterday. The
time was noon, but long before that
hour the darkeys and office-hoders be-
gan to gather, and to transform the hall
into a variegated craZy-quilt from the
red beard of Chas. a. Cook and the red
face of Il. u Linney to the black face
of Abe Middleton, the ginger cake color
of John G.. Dancy and the whittier face
Of Colonel James III. Young, dressed out
"spic and SPAN in his full regimentals.
Social equality here met; African and
Caucasians kissed each other; octoroon
and mulatto Joined hands; revenue
doodles. and fertilizer inspectors hugged
each other: Russell. nanked by Gizzard
French of Fraud Commission notoriety
and DR.. Norment who voted to honor
Fred Douglass because he was half
white and half black. stood midway
down the central aisle bowling and
scraping and exchanging hurried CON
ferences with his henchmen who were
much in evidence: Spencer Blackburn,
with his immaculate shirt front and his
cornfield stride marched down the aisle
while Holton was speaking in order to
attract as much attention as possible;
negroes occupied all four of the boxes
overlooking the stage; the heat grew on
apace till the hall became anything else
than Il desirable place for comfort. When
this period had arrived. Chairman Hol-
ton, United States District Attorney
appeared upon the stage, and at exactly
1915 o'clock let the gavel fall on the
table and said THE house will come to
order" Pausing a moment, he began his
speech. which in full was as follows:
CHAIRMAN HOLTON'S SPEECH.
Il congratulate you upon the results
accomplished in the recent campaigns i'll
this State in making every ballot too
sacred to be touched by the hands of
ballot box stuffing and unscrupulous poll
ticians, who for years robbed you of
your political rights and then Knocked
when you demanded an investigation.
by your efforts every qualified elector
of our State can now cast one ballot with
the assurance that it will be counted as
cast and that. too. TO the great annoy
ance and discomfort of our Democratic
friends, who so recently met in this city
in solemn convention and declared in
one short sentence that they, too, We're
i'll favor of a fair election law Need
we make any comments upon this de-
mand for fair elections, when for twenty
years they iuggled with the ballot box
and allowed you to exercise the sacred
rights of an American citizen. as they
called it, with the full assurance that
your vote would be counted Democratic,
regardless of how you cast it?
mo sane man will rely for n moment
upon this Democratic promise for fair
elections, which reminds us of what has
hoo L.
contagious diseases swept over his king
dom. when the devil is sick the devil
saint would be. when the devil gets
well the devil of a saint is he The boys
are sick now.
mo greater issue has ever confronted
the people of our State than the ques-
ton involved in this campaign. upon ii
depends your political liberty for the
next twenty years. The sacredness of
the ballot box can never be too highly
appreciated by a people living under Il
Republican form of government. where
the will of the people must be supreme.
''The honor of the nation has been in
volved in the result of the war with
Spain, and our brave boys have been
shedding their blood upon the field of
battle to preserve the name of America
owes them debt of gratitude it can
never repay; to perpetuate the sacred
ness of the ballot and to maintain the
liberty guaranteed to us by the Consti-
tuition we have an equal if not Il SUI
perior duty to perform i'll guarding with
our ballots the prisoners OF war we
captured in '94 and '96 in our struggle
for Il free ballot and a fair count, we
cannot allow them even to be paroled
or transported without arms. but must
guard them with vigilance unknown
TO warfare, or they will recover and we I
will then realize what their demands for
a fair election law mean.
again ] congratulate you upon your !
having a Republican administration I'M
der which this war with Spain is being
conducted. The victories of the army
and navy are now conceded by all TO be
largely due to the wise and patriotic
action of President Mckinley in its !
early stages, when the whole nation
seemed to be wild with the demand to
avenge without delay the bloody victims
of the Maine. With strong hand arc.
patriotic heart he held back the war
clouds while rapidly Strengthening both
army and navy. thus making victory
the enemy i'm man
ner heretofore unknown to warfare, with
the highest regard for the comfort and