The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-09-30
ANOTHER HOLE MADE
In that "Great" Speech of DR..
Cy Thompson.
MlSREPRESENTED
Mr.. PEBBLES
AND CLAIMED THAT HE HEARD
WHAT WAS NEVER SAID.
THE "BACK DOOR " FAKE EXPLODED
And The FaIsehood Of POpuIist Circular tx
posed Manufacturing Statements and
Signing Mems Names Who Never
Heard of them Before.
Jackson, N. c. Sept. %

JACKSON, n. =. sept. 20.
To the Editor: / have been furnished
with a printed copy of DIR. Thompson's
speech mt Clinton in which occurs this
language: Il heard in the Democratic
State Convention the speech of Mr.. Pee
bles of Northampton, wherein he said,
1--WE have invited the Populists to re-
turn, and now if they will not return. |
know of no other way to treat them
when they come to our premises but to
invite them around to the back door"
have also been furnished with an un-
signed printed sheet headed Echoes
from the Democratic State Convention"
in which appears the following, to-Wit:
Bob Peebles.-We have all been tROu-
bled with the Populists long enough.
If we can't rule them one way we must
another. The aristocratic white people
must rule the country. The P0pulist
is not as good as Il negro We should
treat them as we do the negro. When
a Populist visits your homes have him
to come in at the back door and take off
his hat like a negro Sit him down TO
the kitchen table with the negroes and
Democratic parity or associate with the
negro"
Both Of said statements are absolute
ly false. | said nothing in my speech
at the State Convention that was calcu-
lated or intended to hurt the feelings of
any Populist 1t is well known in North
Carolina that since March. 1896. | have
been an open advocate of cooperation
with the Populist party. On my motion
our county convention instructed it's
delegates TO vote for such cooperation.
| expected from our committee on reso-
lutions a minority report favOring such
cooperation and intended to make a
speech in favor of such report. No minor
ity report wasmade and no opportunity
offered to make the speech. All of this
was well known and especially to those
who favor cooperation with the POpu-
lists as a party. Under such circum-
stances / could not have made the speech
attributed to me without thereby for
feting the good opinion of my friends
and associates in our convention.
In the Eastern counties where the ps-
groes greatly outnumher the whites
there are and have been since 1868
white people calling themselves Republi-
cans, who. knowing by experience that
negro rule means ruin and destruction to
the prosperity and welfare Of said coun-
ties, STILL for the sake of n few paltry
offices hold night meetings with the
negroes, fan the flames of race preju-
dice and assist in organizing the negroes
to vote as a race against anything and
everything that comes from the Demo
cratic party. The Hon. w H. Kitchen
had described this class of people aud
had denounced them in very severe
terms. / said that | endorsed every
word Capt. Kitchen had said about the
white Republicans of the Eastern cOtln-
ties where the negroes outnumber fine
white people, and that / would go fur
Their and say that appeals to the race
pride of such white Republicans would
avail nottingham in my opinion moth
ing would cure that evil but social oS-
tracism That if they persisted in thus
associating with negroes for political
purposes they ought to be made to seek
their company for social purposes. That
when they come to our houses they
should be required to enter the back
door and eat their meals in the kitchen.
All that | said about the PopuiSts was
that | was not in favor of accepting
the proposition made by them to us
without modification, but that / was in
favor of appointing a committee to
arrange cooperation with them on fair
and equitable terms, but that n ma
jority of the Democratic party had de-
cided otherwise and | would submit to
the majority always, and / hoped it
would turn out that they were right
| have never said privately or i'll a
public speech that THE aristocratic
white people must rule the country"
and the man who quotes me as saying
SO tells deliberate falsehood
II. 3. PEBBLES.