The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-12
Mr.. AYCOCK'S SPEECH
Before the Convention on Accepting the Nom
nation For Governor.

4
| will deny that this provision was put
| in the statute as a safeguard against
| the evil Of negro suffrage; will any
| of them pretend that any such prOvi-
| sion would ever have been made if
| only white men could vote? They
| thereby confess, and they have put
| this confession in the form of a stat
ute and written it in the law books
| of North Carolina forever. that the
negro where he predominates in num-
bers cannot be trusted to govern. They
themselves declared his unftneSs and
| published his incapacity.
Again in 1897 there came into the
Executive chair in North Carolina a
man. who in Il public speech had de-
| clared that he was not a friend to
the white man nor friend OF the ne
GRO. but a friend of MAN. With his
advent to power the negro naturally
forgot the days when he was regarded
as a savage and with eNpectant JOY
listened to the inaugural address
which was to usher in that new and
glorious day OF political equality, but
before that address closed we hear
this friend of MAN warning the Leg
islature not to turn the cities of the
State over to the ignorant and prop
ertyiess elements and thereby this
friend of MAN declared that fond as
he was of universal mankind he real
lied that the negro is incapable OF
governing the cities in which he pre-
dominates, for surely it Will not be
contended by anybody that Governor
Russell had other reference than to
the negroes when he spoke Of the
Ignorant and propertyless elements.
And the Legislature of 1897. violenc as
it was. determined as it showed itself
to be to break all ties with the past
and TO repeal all Democratic legisla-
tion followed the advice of the Gov
ernor to the extent OF providing for
the appointment by the Governor in
the cities Of Newbern and Whining
ton additional aldermen 10 those Sc
lected by the people. This act of the
Legislature and this idea Of Governor
Russell came before the Supreme
court of North Carolina in the case of
Harriss vs.. Wright from Wilmington.
and that body sustained the legisla-
ton and recognized alike the unfit
ness OF the negro to rule and the right
of the State to protect itself against
his incompetency. Every Judge on
that bench knew that as a matter OF
fact legislation was passed to dis
criminate against the incapacity of
the negro and yet the opinion of the
court does not mention the 18th
amendment nor declare the act un-
constitutional. So ] may be permit
ted to observe in passing that the
courts know many things as facts
which it can never know judicially.
Further confirmation of the unfitness
of the negro to govern may be found
in the open letter which Senator But
Ter addressed TO the people of North
Carolina just before the election in
1898. in which he pledged the Popu-
list candidates for the Legislature TO
introduce bills providing a special
form Of county government for GER
tain Eastern counties where necessa-
ry.
In what Eastern counties did Sena-
tor Butler suppose special form OF
county government was necessary and
why was it necessary. Plainly he
meant in those Eastern counties
where the negro predominated and
because of the unfitness of the negro
to rule. A more recent and convincing
evidence can be offered. Senator
Pritchard in his speech delivered in
the United States Senate on January
%. 1900 uses this language. 'In the
very nature Of things it (negro dom
ination) cannot be. From the earliest
dawn of civilization to this good hour
the great white race has given to the
world its history, its philosophy. its
laws, it's government. and its chris
tianity. and it will continue to do so.
in recent speech delivered in Colds
boro by Maj. II. h. Grant before the
Republican convention of Wayne
county he declared that the negro
could not longer hold office and that
for 20 years he had fought to put
down the idea of negro supremacy;
that while the negro under the con
stitution has right to hold office
public sentiment was stronger than
law. and public sentiment was Oppos-
ed to the negro holding office. IN
deed it has become the fashion among
Republicans and Populists to assert
the unfitneSs Of the negro 10 rule. but
when they use the word rule, they
contine it to holding office: when we
say that the negro is unfit to rule we
carry it one step further and convey
the correct idea when we declare that
he is unfit to vote. The causes which
have brought about this consensus
OF opinion have in large measure fore
ed themselves on public attention
within the last few years. We have
had but two periods Of Republican
rule in North Carolina, from 1865 to
1870. and from 1896 to 1898. That
party contains a large number of re-
spectacle white men. but the negro
constitutes over lwo-thirds of its
voting strength. Government can
never be better nor wiser than the
average of the virtue and intelligence
of the party that governs. The Re-
pubIicans insist that we have never
had negro rule in North Carolina:
that the Republican party elects
white men to Office. and that this fact
gives MS Il government by white men.
Governor Russell in his message to
the last Legislature vindicates him
self against the charge of appointing
negroes to office and proudly boasts
that out Of SIS appointments made by
him not more than eight were ne
groes. He misses the point which
we made and make against him and
ms party; it is not alone that Govern