The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-09-24
ECHOES FROM
HOODS SWAMP
Snap Shots at the Meeting
in Wayne County.
WELLINGTON OF WAYNE
THE BRILLIANT AYC0CN, THE
YOUNG RING OF THE pO-
LIr.CAL ARENA.
HE WON A MOST COMPLETE VICTORY
DR.. Thompson 0utdone and Listens to the
Lashing Of the Waves of DiScord in
the Ranks Ct His Flu
sion Forces.
sion Forces.

GoldSboro, \. g., September %
Especial DIR. Cyrus Thompson, the
Napoleon of fusion, is no doubt to-day
hearing the flashing of the waves that
break on the shores of his political st.
Helena more forcibly than he has ever
heard them before.
The young Wellington, of Wayne, at
their meeting at Hoods Swamp won
victory as positive and as pronounced as
that of the Wellington of old at Water
loo.
If DIR. Thompson was not strong
man Aycock's victory would not be so
great For four years he has fought the
battles of the fusion forces and in many
fights he has conquered. He was using
weapons then that counted against the
Notifications of Democracy. He was
bowling hard times, low prices, gold
standard, high taxes, and big salaries at
the Democratic hosts and they counted,
but his weapons now are harmless; his
position is ndefensible. He has nothing
to protect him from the shells from the
strong battery of the rear admiral of
Democracy, and his defeat at Hoods
Swamp was crushing BY his own errors
and rash acts and statements, he made
his defeat even more humiliating. He
pretended to believe that none of his
army at Hoods Swamp had refused to
be carried into the black harbor of negro
ism at his bidding, and he made bluff,
the result of which almost destroyed him.
During his first Speech in an attempt to
refute the fact that many honest Popu-
lists were leaving the party and coming
back to the Democratic party rather
than be led into the negro party, he pro-
claimed that he would give five dollars
to the first Populist who would stand
up and say that he was going back to
the Democratic party. The result was
humiliating. Within two minutes a dozen
or more men were yelling for his five
dollars each declaring that he had been
a Populst but had returned to the Demo
cratic party; this and other unfortunate
salies added to the discontinue of the
willy Doctor.
y Mr. Aycock was forced to make the
first speech at Hoods Swamp, as well
as at Concord. 1t would perhaps have
been better for Thompson if he had con-
scented to that fairness that is customary
with joint debaters, and made the first
speech at every alternate meeting, for
Mr. Aycock noting his unfairness per-
haps made up his mind to give no quar-
ter. AIr. Aycock spoke for an hour
and half, and the oldest men in the
crowd declared that they had never heard
such an effort. A good portion Of his
time was spent in a terrible arraign-
ment Of the fusion Legislature and out
of the mouths of the fusionists he proved
that it was the most corrupt, the most
extravagant and the most incompetent
legislative body that ever assembled in
North Carolina. He read from the eau
casian and the Progressive Farmer the
two fusion organs, and from their col
umns convicted the Legislature of squan-
dering the peoples money, of open bri-
berry and debauchery, and of defiant and
degrading revolt against decency and
honesty.
He made DIR. Thompson admit that.
members of his own party had been
bought like cattle to do the bidding of
the gold-bug Pritchard, even to the ex
tent of defeating Thompson himself for
the United States Senate.
He called uponA. l.. Swinson, who was
i'll the crowd, to state why that same
Legislature had turned him out of the
Enrolling Clerks office to which he had
been elected. He stated with powerful
emphasis that Swinson was turned out
because he, Swinson, would not appoint
Quick and Young, two negroes, over
white women who held positions in the
office and he called on Mr.. Swinson to
say if that was not the cause.
THAT was the cause, and the only
cause" replied Mr.. Swinson. The re-
ply created a sensation and the crowd
yelled.
Ho +riod o0o;r 20 na- n, rrI,o,o,eoy,
to tell the people why he had not carried
out his pledges to reduce expenditures
and something about his, Thompsons', six
thousand dollar salary, but not word
did Thompson say.
He showed that the fusion State adj
ministration had spent $256,000 more
than its receipts, but this brought no de-
Tense from DIR. Thompson. | cannot
even attempt to give a synopsis of his
speech, nothing less than n complete
stenographic report would do it justice.
Such report was taken and will, per-
haps. be printed later. DR.. Thompson
in his hour and half drifted still fur
ther from his Clinton speech. lie knows
now that that Clinton speech as danger
Gus for him to handle. there has been Sc
many of AycOcks shells aimed at 1t that
it is completely riddled.
He made a vain and, / must say, a
feeble effort to reply to some of Aycock's
crushing argument, but it was no go. lie
tried several times to arouse his follow.
ers but they would not arouse He re-
ceived but feeble applause at any point in
his speech, and it was perfectly apparent
that he was outdone( long before his
time expired.
Mr.. Aycock's first speech was one hour
and half long. He was forced tC
make the first speech, both here and al
Concord, for DIR. Thompson at boil
places declined to arrange the debate on
any other basis.
In his braggadbcio way he had mad,