The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-01-01

l1aH. the brightest SlaF Ill the galaxy
of Carolina humorists. carried the mirth
of the evening to its climax by his
witty sallies: Mr.. Thos. $. Wright. the
first Democratic sheriff ever elected in
Richmond county brought down the
house by his originality, and was APP
plauded when he asked 20 be commits
stoned to go to Raleigh ana cut out the
name Of ''the little WALLER niger poll
tician from the corner stone of the
white institution for the blind"
HOW WE WON THE VICTORY.
In responding to the above toast, Hon.
John ID. Bellamy, the new Congress
man. said:
MIR. Chairman:
The campaign of 1893 will ever be
memorable in the history of our State.
not only for the results thereby secured
but for the causes which produced those
results.
For two years. in near:y every de-
partment of the three coordinate
branches of our State government, there
had been incOmpeteney and scandal.
which was well known and much deplor-
ed by the patriotic people of our State.
Corrupt white men and ignorant negroes
were exercising the functions of govern
ment, material progress was checked and
social rights were endangered
when the Democratic press which
represented the intelligence and decency,
the conservatism and moral sentiment
Of the people OF our State. would with
their powerful inyective expose the ini-
quities of fusion misrule the Populist
and Republican press, which circulated
among the adherents of those parties.
would denounce these exposures as Dem
ocratic lies. And fusion leaders would
even 20 so far as not only to advise
but to beg and implore their former
followers to look upon Democratic news
papers with distrust. as heretical in
struments, and TO shun II Democratic
speaker as a seditious enemy.
and thus it was that the great mass
Of Populists, who held the balance of
power in this district, were kept in
dense ignorance of the true state OF
public affairs and poisoned with as bite
ter prejudice against the advocates of
law and order. as il was possible for q
civilized people to become
believing. however. in the innate
sense of right and wrong of people.
who have ever been noted for conser-
vatism and intelligence. when our party
honored me with its nomination in this
district, We bgan to formulate some plan
by which these people could be reached
I'VE knew the omnipotence of the
press. and we knew that by it error and
prejudice could he dethroned. We first
obtained the names of the Populists
III every single election precinct in the
Sixth district, and four months without
charge over four thousand Democratic
newspapers which enunciated whole
some political and social truths. and
which made bold and righteous attacks
on the corrupt practices of the admins
tration and the ignominious subsection of
a large part of the prondest and hest
people of our State to negro domination.
were sent regularly to the homes OF
these people.
BY this means the patient was placed
i'll a condition to yield readily to treat
ment.
This would have awaited little how
ever, unless the organization of the party
had been strong, systematic and active,
as it was under the splendid manage
ment and leadership of our State Chair
man.
Error being gradually exposed the
masses hungered for instruction. the
papers at the capital and the local pa
pers kept hurting their missiles at the
enemy. the county chairman and their
able lientenants, even down to the pre-
cinct committeeman We're ever alert.
both day and night, in their work to
convert the tractable, the masses be.
came interested and each voter felt that
he had a special duty to perform, and
they determined that the condition Of
affairs which was humiliating 10 them,
and which had already brought the
State into contempt aud ridicule should
cease.
"Our people thus became aroused and
when they found that the Fusionists
We're striving to further negroize and
Russellize the State and more fully de-
grade and disgrace it, all the patriotic
emotions of their breasts were enkindled
and the ranks of Democracy became full
to OVERLOOKING. No crusader ever en-
listed under the banner Of Richard
Coen de Lion with loftier sentiment