The news & observer., 1898-01-25

Mr.. FRlES'S CLAIM EXAMINED.

During the campaign of 1896 two of
the most conspicuous Democrats in Vir-
ginia and North Carolina who bolted
their party were Mr.. John w. Fries, of
Salem, and Mr.. Joseph Bryan, of Rich
mond. Gentlemen of wealth and edu-
cation, they made themselves felt in the
circle of their influence.
These two gentlemen were he chief
speakers on "The Currency Condition of
the South at banquet recently given
Fries told his Boston hearers the truth
when he said:
THE silver men in the South are
sure of their position and feel sure
that silver money, if once brought in
to existence. would be cure for all
their many ills"
The silver men of the South KNOW
that their 'many ills have been pro-
duced by the gold standard and robber
tariff, and they will fight without quarter
everything that stands in the way of
reversing and radically changing present
conditions. Mr.. Fries, after helping to
elect Mckinley, says he is strongly in
favor of an increase of the volume of
money. We do not doubt his sincerity.
but his associates, like Mr.. Eckles, say
the trouble now is that eve are suffer
ing from plethora of currency" How
can Mr. Fries hope to get any increase
from such associates?
Mr.. Fries also told his audience:
SIN the last election. the Repnbli-
can, or sound money vote of North
Carolina was .thrown in. the middle
and Western parts of the State,
where are located the cotton indus
tries. now considered to be the great
est competitors of Massachusetts
In this statement Mr.. Fries is wide of
the mark. He has evidently not exam
ined the election figures. The big ma
joHitiss afor Mckinley IN North Carolina
came, not from ''the middle and western
parts of the State where are located the
cotton Industries now considered to be
the greatest competitors of Massachu-
setts.' but from the .distinctively negro
counties of the State.
Alamance is the first county in the
State in the number of cotton mills. The
vote there stood Mckinley 2,314; Bryan,
2.302-a majority of twelve for McKin-
ley. If the negro vote should be de-
ducted-and as they have no connec-
tion with cotton mills, their vote ought
to be excluded to ascertain the strength
of "sound money''-Alamance gave Mr.
Bryan a very handsome majority. Ran
dolph. one of the first cotton manufactur-
ing counties in the State, gave McKin-
ley -2,743 votes to Bryan's 2,4S2, and
Richmond, where the negroes have a
vote almost, If not quite, as large as the
whites, gave Mckinley 2,529 votes to
Bryan's 2,1T2 votes. Almost without
exception, the cotton mill men voted for
Bryan in Richmond county, nine tenths
of McKinley's vote coming from negroes
who do not have any relation to the
cotton mill industry. Even in Randolph,
a county that is very close politically,
Bryan carried many more owners and
operatives in cotton factories than Nc
Kinley did.
OF the sixteen counties leading in the
cotton mill industry in North Carolina,
Alamance Randolph and Richmond are
the only three which cast majorities for
-,
came largely from negro voters How
was 1t i'll the other big cotton mill coun-
ties? Look at Cabarrus, where the man
ufacture of cotton has been most sue
cessful. There Bryan received $3.50
votes and Mckinley 996. Cleveland has
thousands and thousands of spindIes.
and it gave Bryan 1854 votes to Nc
kinley's 1915 Mecklenburg leads in
supplies for cotton mills and is per
meated with the cotton mill industry, and
in that county Bryan received 4,714
votes to McKinley's 1921. Rowan has
come to be leader in the production of
cotton goods, and it gave Bryan 1906
votes to McKinley's 1,468. Caldwell
has two or three fourishing cotton mills
and Mckinley received only 967 to Bry-
ans 1,42S From the mills of Catawha
the same story is tod-Bryan received
2,649 votes TO 1.004 for Mckinley
Rutherford county has the largest
cotton mill in tlhe State, is usually Re
publican county, and yet Bryan carried
it by 2,146 to 1858. Durham comes