The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-10-04
Kl GUDGER's FALSE STATEMENT.

| News comes from the mountains that
one Hezekiah Gudger, who quit the
Democratic party and Joined the Reubli-
cans upon promise of a bigger piece OF
pie is cavorting over the country making
bitter speeches instead of staying in
| Central America and attending to the
business for which he is paid.
We do not recall an instance in the
State where a person appointed to the
diplomatic service left his field and came
home to engage in the heat of partizan
campaign 1t has not hitherto been re-
garded as the correct thing for repre-
sentative of this country abroad to get
kind of politics while holding position
of that character. But with North Caro-
lima Radicals no precedent or claim to
decency has weight. "IIi'' got his present
job by vilifying the white people of the
State and he has no doubt been ordered
by Pritchard to keep it up in this cam
paign as part payment on account.
The last heard from Gudger he was
telling the people of the mountains when
the Democrats were in power they APP
pointed scores of negro magistrates, more
in fact than the Republicans. Now he
knows better or he has lost his mem
DRY.
What are the facts? When the new
county government SYSTEM was first
adopted. the Democrats ont of gener-
osity that is now used against them, con-
scented to permit the Republican mem
bers of the Legislature to name some
of the magistrates in their counties,
in some instances as many as one-third.
When the Republicans, accepting this gen
erous offer, gave in the names of the
minority of magistrates, in some cases
they named negroes as magistrates and
they were elected. In at least enc cour
ty the Democratic member promised thu
people on the stump that he would have
appointed as magistrates the men chosen
by the votes of the several townships.
In one or two Republican townships, tn.
Republicans elected negroes, and they
were appointed. These are the only two
methods by which Democratic Legisla-
ture ever had anything to do with the
appointment of negro magistrates, and it
occurred only at the first session of the
General Assembly after the new plail
of appointing magistrates was adopted.
Before another session of the General
Assembly, seeing that the Republicans
had taken advantage of their generous
treatment and foisted negro magis-
trates on the people, the Democrats
thereafter selected the magistrates and
only white men were appointed.
1t is therefor clear that at no time has
the Democratic party elevated negroes
to this important position, and that the
few who were selected in 1877 were
chosen by Republicans. This fact was
established by Hon. Marmaduke $.
Robins, in recent letter, and is wen
known to all men of all parties whe
knew anything about the Legisa I'VE his
tory of that time.
To-day, under Republican rule, the
East is crowded with negro magistrates,
elected by the Legislature and by the
voters. The white people cry out to their
brethren of the East for protection, and
the only answer that such pie-eaters as
Gudger can make is, "When the Demo
Gratis were in power, they appointed ne
gro magistrates" We have shown that
the only negro magistrates we ever had
were foisted on the people by Republi-
cans. and now that they are in power
the East is again filed up with them.
In all the years of Democratic rule no
negro was named except by Republicans,
and when the Democrats surrendered the
reins of government in 1894 there was
not a single magistrate in office in the
State. That fact effectually answers
Hezekiah Gudger and all others who are
going about the State seeking to palliate
negro domination by statements which
every intelligent man in the State knows
is false.