The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1898-09-22
THOMPSON
And AYCOCK.
Another Report Of the First Joint
Debate Between These
Two Orators.

~
Debate Between These
Two Orators.
AYCOCK HELDUPTORIDICULE
Dr Thompson Meet. all Quest on. Put Ia
MIN and In Reply KNOCK. out the .-sii-
yer Tongued" Champion Of D~moe-
raey-Ast. Ayeoek Come Pertinent oue>-
ti"ns On Co-ap~Ia alton and Bryaa'. Let
ter on That Line which h. Dodge. The
Cry Of Negro Does not E.pisia Why
the Goidbuss got Control Of the Con
veation.
Special to Tax CAUCASIAN.
After DR.. Cyrus Thompson WAS
billed to speak at Concord, n. {, on
September 18th the county Populist
committee challenged the Democratic
committee to get the strongest Demo.
craticSpeaker in the State to meet
him in joint discussion. The Demo-
Gratis accepted aud telegraphed chair
man Simmons to send Hon. Charles b
AycOck. They then distributed 1900
posters announcing the great debate.
The day Of battle came, but it was
noticeable that but few Democrats
came in from the country, many Of
them declaring that they were mot
coming to hear Cy. Thompson abuse
Democrats" Although Col. Paul b.
Means declared that he would have
every Democrat 10 the county present
it must be conceded that. the POpu-
lists turned out to see the contest,
while the town crowd constituted the
bulk Of Democrats present. Aud the
result showed that they we're wise in
keeping away as many Democrats as
they could, because the rank and file
have not heard the truth. The news.
paper reporters came in full force to
try to save the day for AycOck, jar
Wis 4 Co. The Wilmington Star, Raj
eigh News and Observer, Raleigh
Post, Charlottee Observer, Charlotte
News and Lexington Dispatch, sent
representatives, and the editors of the
Concord Times, and Concord Stand
ard sat with the reporters that took
notes. Mr.. +. Il. Reed, editor of the
Salisbury Watchman, was the only
POpulist editor present.
When tue smoke of battle cleared
away it was a study to observe the
faces of local Democratic leaders.
Never since the people of Washington
rode down in their carriages to wit
ness the flight of the Confederates at
Bull Run, has there been anything ap-
preaching the spectacle presented BY
Cabarrus Democrats and the disting-
uished worthless from ad Joining towns
as they filed out of the court house.
Capt. John Beard, the old war horse
of Rowan, met Capt. Charles McDon-
aid, leading Democrat, who was a
member Of the legislature of '89 and
said: "Well Mac, what do you Dem
ocrats think of the speaking?" 70 this
Mcdonald replied: "Well they say it
was a dog fall" Said Beard, "Well
Mac you know what that means The
Democrats were as blue as they were
just after the election two years ago,
That they were "hacked" but family
conveys an idea as to their condition
of mind. 1t was great triumph for
DR.. Thompson and a great day for Ca
barrus Populism. Every Populist who
heard these twO champions of the
Democratic party and of the Peoples
Party is now armed with argument
against the appeals of Democrats to
prejudice. The failure of Mr.. Aycock
to attempt to deny a single material
statement of DR.. Thompson strength.
ened the course of reform.
Mr.. Aycock began by stating that i,
was a "grand spectacle" when those
5000 men walked out of the Demo.
cratic party in North Carolina in 1892
because they could not follow Grover
Cleveland. He appealed to POpulists
to return to the Democratic party be.
cause the Democrats had stated theil
stead o. Cleveland. He thea abused
ing that the fusi0nist administration
had spent for the three years 1885, ~
and '97 $500, 900 more than the Dero'
Gratis for the three years of Demo
cratic rule 1892, '93 and '94. He ther
charged that the POpulists and Re
publicans had made the charitable in
stitutlon of the State 1.-The football o.
politics." He then delivered pathet
ic little oration upon "blindness" and
talked about all kinds Of blindness ex
cept political blindness. OF course
this was merely for the purpose of in
Producing his Jim Young inspection
report which he shook at Cy Thomp
son and waved in the air to the grea
| delight of his Democratic friendi
But when DR.. Thompson arose ther
was something in his manner that mad
the Democrats realize that he mean
business and it didn't take them Ion
to discover that he knew how to un
CO, er the hypocrisy of the Democrats
He began by declaring that the Demo
Gratis had never had any issue in Mort
Carolina except the negro-the onl
Exception being in 1896, when fearin
that the rank and file would leave thei
party they stole the POpulist platform
But they refused to act with the Pol
ulists in 1896 on the State ticket.
In 1898 the Peoples party appointe
committee to make the Democrat
Convention proposition to cO-Ope
ate in the election of nine free silv'
} and anti-monopoiy congressman, 81
: judges Of high character and abilit
and free from partisan bias, twelve 81
, licit0rs, fearless and impartial. and q
, anti-mOnOpOly legislature pledged
favor of reduction of freight and pas
enger rates, in favor of legislation 1
prevent removal of cases to Feder
Courts, in favor of tree ballot and
fair count, in favor of making Ia
: against free passes apply to those r
ceiving them.
DR.. Thompson addressing himself
Democrat asked them why it was tn
the Democratic papers would not pri
Mr.. Bryan's letter advocating that Il
. Democrats cooperate with the Pop
1 lists in North Carolina this year.
), then said that he would read the Pc
J. pies Party proposition and ask a
s one who was opposed to q single thil
|. in that proposition to raise his haE
9 Not hand was raised. "Then" 81
. DR.. Thompson, "every Democrat be
= is in favor of these things, or else
J, will not dare to say that he IL not"
IL thunder Of applause followed this
% strike. He defied Aycock to expll
70 why his party had slapped Bryan
d the face and refused to fuse with
Populists. He then declared that
!, was the old Ransom-Cleveland ga