The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-08-04
A DEMOCRATIC LOVE FEAST.
lockhart and Pou Appeal to The Manhood Of the
People. Rutherfordton will go Democratic.

Rutherfordton. n. c., Aug. 3.-(Spe-
1.-THE meeting here today was a
great success. The court house was
packed to its utmost capacity. Extra
seats were provided so as to accommo-
date the crowd. Hon. j. A. Lockhart, OF
Arson. spoke first. He contrasted the
present with past administration, de-
nounced the Russell-Ayer-Thomp
crowd and appealed to the manhood OF
the people. He vigorously denounced
the school law which takes from the
white people and colored people control
of their schools and satisfies neither. lie
denounced with fine effect and great
force white men organizing negroes Tor
the sake of office and strongly and tenn
perately drew the color line. lie called
on people to defeat English dude chess
player Pearson and elect Crawford, the
peoples man, for Congress.
Mr.. Pou spoke for about an hour ami
n half, and made fine impression upon
all. He began by calling attention
to the admitted evils Of our currency
system, its costly, unscientifc, dangerous
and oppressive features. tie then called
attention to the fact that we were now
testing the highest Of all high tariff laws.
one warranted to bring prosperity to the
people and high prices to the farmer AS
yet high prices are only seen III those ar
ticles of necessity which are controlled
by the trusts, and the prices of the pro-
ducts of the soil are lower than they
were when the Wilson bill was repealed
and the Dingley law enacted.
He denounced the pension list carrying
15O,OOO,Uu0 Il year and nearly mil
lion names as Il gigantic fraud, sectional
and exhausting in its effects.
The issue OF bonds, before they were
necessary and when in all probability
they would never have been needed to
carry on the war with Spain, and the
refusal to fight this war as the leaders
of the Republican party fought the civil
war. was touched upon. But, he said,
interesting as these subjects were to all
men. and plain as the Democratic posi-
tion on them all was, he would not dis
cuss them today. Upon them the cam
paicn of 1900 would be fought and the
people would pass judgment on them
\ then.
No matter if the vote of this State was
given this year solidy, it would effect no
national question because the President
and the Senate were surely against us
for two years more.
But while we could do nothing to re-
Ieye ourselves of national evils, it was
not SO in the State. True we could not
regain control Of the executive and jul
dicial departments of the State govern
ment this year. But we could regain
the Legislature, and the Legislature
would give us good or bad government,
according to its composition. If condi-
lions in the State are good, we should
continue the present state of affairs.
But he had yet to see II man who said
they were good. populists placed the
blame for bad government on the Re
publicans and the Republicans on them
They excuse themselves, but no man
said the government was good. lie then
briefly reviewed the Democratic admin
istration Of Vancc-the immortal dead
whom a merciful providence had called
away before his eyes. had seen the evil
which was to come on the land he loved
so well.
Jarvis. Scales Fowle, Holt and Carr
under these men, one and all, we had &
government of which all were proud
Those days are but lately past. Yet we
turn our thoughts back TO them. will
such wistful yearning as the Engllsl
Sax looked back to the days of Ed
ward the Confessor. or the patriotic Ger
man to the times Of the IIohenstauffen
How came we TO lose such n govern
ment?
In time Of great business depression
INSCRIPTIONS men sowed among the PEG
ple seeds Of discord and suspicion. They
whispered that the departments of gov