Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1898-09-22
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION.
1t Met Here To-day. 1t Was a
Molly Gathering, But the
White Bosses BOssed and
Fusion Was En-
dOrsed.
Abe Middleton's Speech

cans of Wayne county.
Messrs. Oscar J. Spears and youns
Oliver Dockery and Abe Middleton
were implored to come down ant
rule the roost and throttle the ne
groes and whoop them into line.
Well, Dockery and Spears came
and SO did the noted negro Abe Mid
dleton, the political dictator of Dup
lin county, as he claims to be, snc
all three of these addressed the col
ored caucus at noon, before the ses
sion of the convention. Spears coun
seled ''harmony'; but his heart was
sick and his voice was weak and his
eloquence ran off in perspiration
which was about the only effect il
had.
Rev.. G. billiard next spoke to the
caucus. His speech was in behalf O.
his people-the colored people as 6
political party, entitled to recognition
and to representation and demand
hight. His speech was not bitter
against the white people; he drew nc
color line-on the contrary he earn
estly and eloquently protested
against the drawing of the color line.
which the white minority of his own
party and their Populist allies are
doing for office-they getting all the
offices, while the colored man does
most of the voting. He referred to
imported white Republicans brought
here for a purpose and said vehe-
mently, that their services were not
needed and they could not boss or
dictate to the colored Republicans
of Wayne county in selecting their
county candidates. To this Dock
cry, fusion candidate for solicitor OF
this district, took mortal offense and
mounting the rostrum he claimed
the attention of the caucus and,
with very much the appearance and
with altogether the manner of the
Hon. David Sutton, Republican
member of the late Legislature from
New Hanover, proceeded to belabor
Parson billiard and even attempted
to intimidate him, but the parson
brought him down off his high
perch and young Dockery soon had
every appearance of the best little
Sunday school boy in the class.
Then Abe Middleton's burly, bald,
black shining pate appeared above
the heads of the assembled bolster
Gus and he proceeded to
speak. Well, Abe made the best
speech of the trio. He is a better
speaker than either of the other two
(Spears and Dockery), and has more
sense than both of them put togeth-
Ell, His v~ernacular may not be as
exact as theirs-as, for instance,
when he said, in beginning his speech,
that he was "proud to follow such
honorable and ExTINGUIsHED speak
ers as the two who had just PURoEED-
ED HIM; but Abe got there all the
same, and talked and talked till
chairman Dobson had to call him
down and he went down talking.
Among some of the things Abe said
were, that he had Sreclined" from
Governor Russell the appointment of
Adjutant-General of the Third
North Carolina (colored) Regiment,
because he had rather stay home
and fight Democrats than go to
Cuba and fight S~paniards. Now,
there is no such thing as Adiutant-
General of a regiment; the highest
regimental Office is Colonel. Abe
probably meant that he had de-
clined the appointment ofAdjutant-
without the General: but Abe don't
know everything, and consequently
didn't know the difference, and he
is such a big man in Duplin that he
would not change off for a
sure-enough Adjutant-G eneralship.
Why said Abe, 81 does the die
tating in my county, and when ]
does the debating we always wins
This is Abe's boast, openly made
and reiterated. What will Duplin
Populists say to it?
eve don't want any more negroes
in Office right now" saidAbe, "'cause
we want to stop this Democratic cry
of niger and get the white Popu-
lists to vote with us one more time
and carry the next Legislature; the1
we'll have all the niggers in office we
wants for all the time: just see if we
don't"
Then Mr.. Nathan A. Howell, ths
processing Republican fusion candi
date for the Legislature was pulled
up before the caucus of molly politi
clans and Intercepted as to his Re
publicanism. Did you vote for Con
gresham White it the last election
asked Prof. FL. e. Hagans. 81 voted
for Mr.. White" said Howell. "DiC
you vote for Bryan or Mckinley fol
President" asked Hagans. CT yotee
for Mr.. Mckinley said Howell
Twill you vote for Congressman
White in the coming election?n asked
Hagans. 81 was born a Republican
and was rockedin a Republican era
die, and I will vote for Mr.. White il
the coming election" said Howell