The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-01-18
ABOUT HEREFORD MAN
SAYS HE'S GONE BACK ON HIS
CONSTITUENTS.
DESERTED NEGROES THAT ELECTED HIM
A Warm Debate and aVote Full of Explanations
Tlat Dda't Explain. The Govern
ors Message Read in
The House,

The takers got loose in the House
yesterday and it took over two hours
to corral them.
Even the call of the Previous CUES
ton" would not do it, for after that
stopper had been applied almost every
Republican son of them, and some Dem
Ocrats too, insisted on explaining their
votes at great length and in tedious de-
tail.
As result the House did little busi-
ness yesterday, beyond listening to the
Governors special message and intro
ducing some forty new bills and resolu-
ti0ns.
The immediate cause of the deluge Of
talk set adrift yesterday was what is
known as the Hertford county bill-an
act increasing the number Of county
commissioners from three to eight.
Immediately upon the reading of the
BILL Mr.. Snipes (Rep.), of Hertford, bob
bed up with the back-alley declaration:
This is one time you have me where
the hair is short"
With this he went on drivelling out Il
rehash of his former speeches, about all
the officers being white men-men of
high regulations and graduates of fa-
nous institutions of learning, &c, &c,
&c, &c. The bill, he denounced as "a
deep-laid scheme to deprive the present
county officers of their offices.
The only respect in which Hertford
county is negro-ridden," he declared, ''is
in her school affairs, and on a PROPOSE
tion to change that so as to eliminate
the negro, you shall have my vote. And
if there was colored man among the
present county officers | would favor this
bill also"
This latter declaration gave to Isaac
Smith, the colored member from Craven,
the opportunity he had been longing for
to go ''snipe hunting"
Il want to inquire" Prof. Smith be-
gan, with great earnestness and de.iber-
alton, pointing his index finger at the
member from Hertford and looking him
steadily in the eye-"I want to inquire
why so much stress is laid upon the
words, All white men, all white mem?
And then why do you add, If there was
a cOlored man among the officers l would
be in favor of this BILL? Laughter).
THE men named in the bill before this
House are all white men too (Applause).
''On the Sth day of November the peo-
pie spoke and said they wanted to take
charge of their own affairs. daughter
and applause)
THE men put in by my race in Hert-
ford and some other counties represent
only a part of the people of the county.
The Negro is not opposed to having the
other part represented. 1t is that un-
represented part that has most at stake,
and is the Negroes best friend.
Here is the gentlemen from Hert-
ford, sent here by negro votes and yet
his first act here is to turn against those
who gave him their support. All are
white men, all are white men, if there
was a negro among them l would be
against him. he says. applause and
laughter).
"Mr. Speaker, sail vote for this bill
and feel that I'm doing nay race SER
vice.
when l speak l represent half mil
lion people; when you speak you repre-
sent 100000 souls; when he speaks
pointing to Snipes) 1 don't know how
many he represents. LaughtCr).
II shall vote for the bill and hope it
will pass"
Mr.. Hampton, of Surry: Il rise to en-
ter my protest against the passage of
this bill. The object of the bill is to
centralize the county government of
Hertford in this General Assembly, and
to take it out of the hands of the people.
We were sent here to enact law not to
create offices and with them pay for
party services. This bill creates new
offices and when offices are increased
the burden of taxation on the people is
increased
There is no evidence here that the
present county officers are not compe
tent men-no complaint against them
whatever. They are white men, men Of
education and experience. SO war as the
school law is concerned I'm with yDu,
want whites to control white schools and
negroes to run the negro schools l hope
to see either n new school law enacted,
Or the old one amended so as to remedy
such defects as this.
But, it has been objected, the present
county commissioners were not e:ected
by the wealth and intelligence of the
county, and therefore are unfit for office.
The wealth and the intelligence can take
,are of themselves. 1t is the poor and
he weak we must look after We were
not sent here TO legisla.e for wealth
md intelligence alone. There are others
who have rights.
Mr.. Hampton spoke of the commission
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