The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1898-06-02
THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION.
Notes of its Doings Submitted by a
Looker-On.
Submitted by Looker-On.

| Submitted by Looker-On.
| Taking it altogether, the Republic
| can Convention on last Saturda J
| stands without a parallel in the
| county.
To begin with it was without organ
| ization, starting out as a temporary
organization, merging from that into
| permanent organization without any
| change of front. Notwithstand
! ing committee on credentials
| was loudly called for, the
Chairman stiffiy refused to ap-
point one. Then, upon motion, the
convention was thrown into committee
of the whole for the purpose of acting
| upon the contests. Mid jeers the same
Chairman held his seat, and the
| scenes which followed were a farce
The committee never rose, and in this
hibernated state the convention pro.
ceeded, through it's Chairman, to &C
through the form of electing delegates.
The Chair appointed a committee, OF
which he was member, to bring a
list of delegates to be voted upon.
The Chair was vacated for nearly one
hour, but still the music went on, and
the Hon. Spencer Blackburn was
called to the floor in order to show to
the honest yeomenry of the county
that home talent was at discount.
He proceeded to read the negro out OF
the party, if he did not keep on voting
the Republican ticket in appreci alton
for its having given him the liberty
to vote.
But the most disgraceful part of the
meeting was the point at which one OF
the colored delegates was Kissed and
loud calls went up to ''put him out OF
the Wind ow" for asking that the negro
be considered favorably by the con-
ventiOn and that he also be given re-
cognition on the tickets this fall This
episode engendered a good deal of bad
feeling, and several have remarked
that it would result in loss of sever
al numbered votes to the Republican
ticket this fall.
The colored brother was not to be
downed by Intimidation, and he laid
it down as a certainty that if the negro
was not given something he would
meet his white friends at Philippi this
fall.
The Chairman, after putting his
brother Charley on the Congressional
deleg alton was so excited that he va
Gated the chair, and the Convention is
still in session, rather the committee,
SO far as the rules of procedure are
concerned, no motion to adjourn or
no notice of Adjournment having been
given.
Good men from the country were
loud in their disgust at the entire af-
fair, and argued that there was no
necessity for a convention at all, as
the delegates had no voice, and Mr.
Reynolds had as we'll have certified
down to the precincts who he wished
for delegates and called the matter
off.
Another man remarked: 81 am a
good Republican, but if today is a
sample of Republicanism, excuse me. If
the proceedings of this inquisition are
not contested then there is very little
manhood left among the people,"
Another farmer said: 81 think the
negro ought to stick out for his rights,
but just what he ought to have is a
hard question. I fear this matter will
give our party trouble"
One man went on and said he thought
it was hard row of stumps when the
federal officials lefttheir offices and went
out trying to hiss down public con-
vention. He thought the Chairman
ought to have had the law respected
which especially protects public polit-
ical meetings, and this very law he
brags about and helped to pass, and
any disturbance is made a misdemea-
nor. A cOlored man remarked: 81
did not expect much, but 1 did think
the white man knew as much as the
negro, and that they would have kept
silent if they did not care to do any
thing for the negro"
A white REM hlican said ssThe NO.
groes are getting too large, and they
will have to be taken down. 1 for one
will never submit to having negroes
in our county courthouse.
So little interest was taken in the
Holton and Reynolds convention that
some of the precincts in the county did
not even send up delegates.
A delegate who took quiet interest
in the proceedings tells us that he can
see no good reason why they did not
go ahead and appoint delegates to the
conventions which may be held in 1900.
They could have done that with as
much ease and they would have been
as legal as those appointed for con-
ventions not yet called this year. And
it is highly probable that the people
| will hold a mass convention after the
Congressional Convention is called
and send delegates directly from the
people, unbiased Dy DOSS ulcGdUlOn anu
| free from the official collar. The APP
parent walk-over of the bosses was
only a submarine mine set to explode
their egotism and presumption. The
people, both white and colored, have
made up their minds to have a voice
in the conduct of public affairs, but
they are going about it quietly and
orderly. And the 9TH ward entered a
vigorous protest in open meeting which
stands as matter of record. No re-
| gard was paid to the plan of organi
cation as laid down by the Republi.
can State Convention, hence the liber.
| ty for the above conclusions.
The emptiest of all hollow pretenses
was the resolution passed by the chair
man endorsing Linney's appointments
but not instructing for his renomina
ton. This of course means Brother
Charley for Congress, SO far as the
chairman was concerned, as he was
| the convention.
A great many of the more intelli
gent delegates were SO chagrined tina
! they left for. their respective homes al
i dumb as a set of oysters.