The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-09-29
BOSS i|lI|p m
Norm C0I0ID1.
r publican and populist
Committees Name the
Candidates - The
People Be
ID"

ne foundation prlnclpie or our 1F6e
Institutions is that each voter IL .
sovereign. and the safety of the Re-
public rests on the idea that each man
in casting his ballot Will give expreE-
sion to his honest convictions; that
each voter will vote for the man Of hts
choice; and the will of the people ex-
pressed at the ballot box is said to be
the will of God. But here in North
Carolina We tnd a condition OF Affairs
SO far different from all this that one
cannot understand ii and realize It
without feeling shocked and amazed.
Thank Heaven the Democratic party
stIIl possesses the old method. still uses
such methods that the will of the voter
is registered at ever stage from the
township primary to the election. But
III the Hopulist party and in the Re
publican party under fusion, il is di1-
ferent. The voter does not select the
cand date. The voters do not make the
nominations. The leaders attend the
convention and invest committees with
the power To set up candidates The
Republicans held their State Conven-
ton in July and the Populist held theirs
in NJ y-four months ago; and the cleo
ton is app! oaching; and yet no Popu-
list and no Republican in the State
knows who he is to vote for And they
never viii know until the tickets are
distributed. Then for the first time
when it is too late for any one to OBJ
jet. the people viii learn the names
Of the men they are to vote for. Where
is the boosted freedom Of the American
Citizen who cannot select his Caua d.t,e
to vote for? How much freedom does
that man enjoy who has TO take a can
didate imposed on him by the will OF
some committee, And yet that is the
-xact way the Republican and the
POpuliSt parties are run in North Car
DINA. This state of things is the result
of the Rule of Political Bosses. The
Political Bosses say to the convention
do not nominate, let US manipulate,
and the conventions submit themselves
to these Bosses and the people do not
even at this late day know who have
been selected as candidates. You must
wait until the manipulation is complete
and then the tickets are distributed
and then when the tickets are distr1b-
uted YOU will know who you are to
vote for. And this is called freedom;
ard this sort of thing is practiced BY
the Populists who started a new party
in order to reform political methods,
and who used to cry out against Boes
Rule if they really meant it. And now
no Boss Rule anywhere comes up -
the Boss Rule Of the Populist and Re
publican Bosses right here in old North
Carolina whose people for generations
have boosted that although they were
poor they were free and Independent
and had splendid political manhood
And it should ever be remembered that
it was these very Bosses who put upon
the statute book an election law franz
Bosses 1t is the law now that the
chairRen OF the committees can get up
what they call an official ticket The
chairman adopts a device and that de-
vice is to go on the official ticket And
then he is to file in the designated oniea
Now mark. he 10 not to I'll the names
Of the nominees Of any convention: Oh
no; not the names Of the Peoples nom
inees: but the names or the persons TO
be voted for on the ticket
The chairman, being d political Boss
can take down or put up candida tes
ne can manipulate as he pleases That
tees, and the committee has the power
given it by the convention. And indeed
the chairman, under the law fixed I'D
by the Bosses has the legal right indie
pendently of the committee and inGe-
pendent OF the convention. to file any
names TO be voted for that he choses
here is no legal restraint on him. and
the device he selects and the names ne
files makes the official ticket Now
let us suppose that the device Of the
iopullst party is d plough or q silver
collar; and the chairman makes a deal
with lot OF Republicans and gives in
list OF gOldbLGs to go on the ticket
under the device OF the silver dollar
Any POpulist Who is found In the Dor
session OF ticket WITH q siiver 81
lar on it and with any other name
printed on II but those manipulated
meanor and shall be flned ana commit
ted To prison az long as the court risy
choose t. order. This - the Law which
the Republicans and fusion Populisrs
N the last legislature passed
II that isn't driving In the neil end
Ciinching II. what IL it?
1t is 10 this that the boosted political
manhood Of our North Carolina people
has descended. Step by step the rule
II the Bosses has been advanced.
here a little and there q little. The
cOnve ntions committing nominations -
committee. to be arranged The com
mittees trading taking down. setting
up at their pleasure. silver men trads5
Of for goitbUge. and ell sorts Of ON
binations made by f;o0s~S for tn, Er-b-
pie to vOt. for until ~ length rne
Bosses have put on the s'atur. t,nk
that the chairman Of q csrHftts@ sal
select his device and lie q list Of VANS
TO bs voted for. and that a.y oee WIT
has In his pos0sss1Sa . WALLET WfoA that
device on 1t all VITA . ssaDAe p-1s--ec
change IN any name f,sl by rse sosr
shsn be 1As1 a1A 0unf - pS1sna- la
-