The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1899-12-14

ONE of HIS METHODS up
POOLING VOTERS IN THE
LAST CAMPAIGN.

LAci tahTaieN.
HE SAkEs AFFIDAVIT THAT a PROP
osTrIoS ro pTsrRAScnfsx NJ.
GkoEs AND ILLIrTRArE WHITES
WOULD Not RECEIVE A SINGLE
DEMOCRATIC voTERr~ rHE Lssis-
LArUEE AND bENoUNCEs Tuoss
WHO MAKE The CHARGE A. sPxAK-
ING FALSELY AND TRYING To ROOT
THE PEOPLE.
From Caucasian Oct. ly-
The following affidavit made by
james III. Pou, ex-Chairman Of the
state Democratic Executive Com
mittee, during the last campaign,
Will be- Interesting reading. cur
readers will remember that when
ever and wherever IL was charged
In the last campaign that IL the
democratic machine under Sim-
mons got control OF the State, that
they would offer a scheme to dis
franchise iilitterate votes, that the
charge was Indignantly denied and
denounced by every Democratic
speaker As being UNANIMOUSLY false.
Even Mr.. Simmons, the Democrat
ic State Chairman, issued an ofiici-
al statement TO the voters of the
State, branding every such charge
as false In toto; sa ing that that
campaign lie had been charged
against the Democratic party be-
fore, and that the charge was now
so old and so false that no one
would believe it.
Mr.. James III. Pou, the ex-Chair.
man OF the State Democratic Com
mittee, i'm his speeches made the
same declaration. But it seems
that in one Of his speeches i'm Moore
county, some members of his audi
dience expressed doubt OF the truth
OF his indignant denial, and called
upon him while upon the stand to
know il he would make an affida-
Wit to that effect. He publicly
agreed to do SO, we are informed.
The result is the affidavit below,
made at Raleigh, dated Oct. l4th,
1898. 1t will be noticed that Mr.
Pou, shrewd, slick and cunning as
he is, attempted to word his affida
Wit SO as not to say explicitly what
he had said publicly on the stump,
and yet at the same time, to say
enough to make it appear that his
affidavit had made good his cam
paign d, claration, and fool the vo-
tiers into accepting his statement
and voting for the machine.
The following Is a true copy of
the affidavit:
STATE Of North CAROLINA,
County of Wake.
James Fl. Pou, being duly sworn,
depOses and says:
81 have ntver said that, IL the
Democrats regained control of the
State, the, intended to disfranchise |
the negroes and illiterate white vo-
tiers. i never have said anything
like this, and i know that such is !
not the intention of the Democrat
ic party. | have never heard a sin
gle Democrat give utterance to
such a sentiment, and do not be.
lieve, if such a prOpo sition comes
before the General Assembly, that
1t would receive single Democrat
lc vote. | believe that a majority OF
the uneducated white voters of
North Carolina are Democrats. The
Democratic party is appealing to
them for aid in preserving white
supremacy in the center west and
In restoring it in the Eastern part
of this State. They are responding
70 our appeal, and to repay them for
thelr aid with a disfranchisement
IL their votes would be folly and
lngrattiude indeed. The man
who makes these charges know
hey speak falsely, but their cam
oaign this year IS run upon the
dea that the people of North Car
'l1na would rather believe a false
hood than the truth, and they
would rather hear libels upon the
lOnOred dead than to hear srRu-
nents based upon truth"
(Sgned]
JAMES III. POU.
Sworn to and subscribed before I
ne this October LIST 1898.
[Signed]
GEO. w. THOMPSON.