The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-09-30
Ii shows the Lie on It's Fa &c.

- VI @ld4 HAL SAIllIilOES, mat some
OF the republicans are saying that If
the democrats carry the legislature.
they will disfranchise the poor and
voters of the state.
Chairman Simmons said: Il have
heard the republicans were again
circulating this thread-bare and ridic-
ulous old story. Seeing tina they are
beaten on the issues which the have
raised by negroizing the east. and by
their corrupt and incompetent govern
ment Of the last two years, they have
become desperate.
1T is just like the republican party
to try to run from the issues their
misdeeds have raised, and il is natural
they should attempt to divert atten-
ton from their ~rascalities by following
thief at honest men. But it is as
tonishing that wen in their despera-
ton and panic, republican leaders
should have no better sense than to
suppose they can brighten the white
men of North Carolina with an old
bugabOO that has long since ceased to
scare even the ignorant and ~redulou
negro.
For the past twenty years or more,
just before every election. the republi-
can speakers, at their midnight meet
ings have been in the habit of telling
the negros if the democrats came into
power their right to vote would be TAX
en- away from them. After the demo-
Gratis came into power in this state
they always a some reason to give
these beings why the demo-
Gratis had not diSfranchised them as
they had before predicted.
First, they told them if the demo-
Gratis got the state government. they
would disfranchise them. The demo-
Gratis got the state government and did
Mt Ii-F-a - n go +I~-a VTl-~-
them if the democrats elected a presi-
dent, they would disfranchise them.
The democrats elected a president and
lie not disfranchise them. Then they
told them if the democrats got control
CT congress-, they would ~disfranchise
them. The democrats got control of
congress and did not ~disfranchise
them. All along the honest white men
of the state laughed at these lies, and
marveled hat the negro did not have
n enough to see that he was being
duDed.
Finally, the negro himself began to
see through the trick. He had seen
the democrats in full power in the
state for twenty-Odd years, and had
learned through experience that hat
party did not propose to d~isfranchise
him, and he, too, began to laugh at
these liars, and finally refused to be
AiS W hClI ~ LII llSt Do
the old republican scare-crOw had to
be pulled down and put away.
Now these same old demagogues,
aided by a few pie-eating and pie
hunting populists who used to laugha at
their frauds Upon the negro, have
again brought out the old republican
scare-crow of disfranchisement; but.
strange to say, they are now using it
in an attempt to try and brighten, not
rho Cnnrn nj nnrn h,+
uneducated white men of the state.
But these willy schemers will be disap-
pointed. They will find that the uned-
ucated white men of this state are not
SO easily fooled. They will find thai
while they may not have any book
learning, they have the quick inteTi-
gence and hard sense of the white
race, n they will find that they are
not to be fooled, as the negro was 50
long fooled, by a b~ugaboo. There is
not a white man in North Carolina who
Will be frightened by this old republi-
can negro bugabOO, and they will by
their votes teach these fellows who
are preSumlng upon ignorance that
their intelligence is not to be thus
trlfted with and insulted with impuni-
~. They know the democratic party
was the party that removed the prop
erty and educational disu~ualifcatiOns
III Wi III SdIO1l1d. 0eN
Know h the democratic party has
always stood for manhood suffrage
ana they know the democratic party
Will never under any circumstance
under the sun, consent to the passage
OF any law which will lake from them
however poor and ignorant they MAY
De, the right to vote, or which will in
any way diminish or lessen that srea,
privilege. They know that the demo
cYr9 Ia - &c
poor and uneducated men, and thai il
looks to his honorable class of our
citizenship for its support, and that il
VIII IN turn respect them in all their
rights to citizenship, and guard them,
their wives and children in their homes
their reputation and their virtue.
1T must be remembered it is the re-
pubIlcans who are circulating this silly
story about the democrats. Even the
pOpulist wing of that party denounced
the story as absurd. AS barren of truth
o most things as is the Handbook
recently issued by DR.. Thompson and
Hal Aver it is frank enough to admit
that there is no truth in the republican
clamor about the democrat disfran-
chlslng the negro, much less any white
man, and that the history of the past
tWenty-Odd years Of democratic rule
in North Carolina proves the utter fall
sIty and absudfty of the republican
rant on this subject. Nor do RESPONSE
bic republicans openely and publicly
make this charge. AS reckless as they
are, they have too much respect to Wis
1t upon themselves the scorn and con-
tempt which an open avow-al of such
an absurd and ridiculous charge would
invite. But while these republican
leaders are silent themselves upon this
subject. they send out secret circulars
n put out sneak speakers and bush
W~hackers 10 try to brighten and de-
ceive the people by ciandestineIv cir.
culating this falsehood concerning the
purpose of the democratic party.
These leaders and their c~laouers
know. as every intelligent man in the
state knows. hat the democratic plar
10 protect the white men of the east
from the horrible negro rule under
which that fair section of the state
now suffers n languishes is TO take
advantage Of the recent decision Of tn.
supreme court to the effect that on
section or county may have one sys.
tenn or county government and anothel
( section or COunTy NAV hay an ar