The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1900-05-10
MR. CLAUDE KiTCHIN AT ROCK
INGHAM.

this district, spoke In hocEihSha'i'
last week. He had a great audience
and made great speech. The Rock
ingham correspondent of the Chorlotte
Observer wrote:
"To-niyht the Rockingham boys
met Mr.. Claude Kitchin, OF Halifax
county, at the train and escorted him
TO the court house, where he spoke to
!. thousand or more people on the con-
stitutional amendment. Had 1t not
been for the rain just before shutdown
twice that many people would have
greeted Mr.. Kitchin, for the Demo
Gratis of Richmond and Scotland are
full of zeal already.
"Mr. Kitchin is making very
strong speech. He is one of the best
Young orators in the State. He speaks
with force on the political Issues OF
the day.
Tonight be dwelt ON the educa
tiona: clause Of the amendment and
scored the Republicans for claiming to
he the friends of the poor white man.
To prove that the Republican party is
ard has been the enemy OF the poor
white man he commented on an edl-
torial in The Washington Post, Re
publican organ, against the amend
rnenr. The editorial appeared some
time ago and it declared that the lgno-
rant Or poor negro was a better man
and to be preferred to the ignorant,
poor white man. Then, too, the record
of the Republican party IN North Car
DINA showed that nearly 2,0CO poor
white men had been turned out OF
Office to give place to negroes. Re
further quoted from the Republican
platform adopted at Raleigh: I'VE
denounce with indignation and abhor-
renee the Democratic proposition that
the right to vote should be made de-
pendent upon heredlty.' The infer
ence is that the ignorant negro is as
good as the illiterate white man.
"The Populist party in demanding a
change of the franchise laws Of the State
admits that tee Democrats are right
and that there is danger of rcgroi> n.
The danger is so great that the poi,u!ist
party calls for change. 1t aid not
admit this danger in 1892 and 1884,
tut after they turned the State eyer
to the negro they now see 1t.
"Mr. Kitchin declared that the dam
gerexists and asked what party should
be looked to for remedy?
Concerning the clause requiring
all children under - years CT age to
learn to read and write before 1908 he
said: That is fhe best part of the
amendment. The Democratic party
comes to the poor white boy ar. Lol7 Is
out hope, shows him the responsible
tiles of his people and promises to en-
able him to crafty his ambition. God
made him better than the negro aud
he must take advantake OF bis superior
ity. Truly he is better by inherlts nee.
1.-the Republican party says that
the poor white boy has no time for
education, and tells him to stay in Is.
norance and be slave. That Is the
difference between the two parties
s'Mr. Kitchln's speech was we'll re-
celved. He is fayorite with the peo-
pie Of Richmond"
Also a Rockingham correspondent
wrote to the Raleigh News and Oh
server Of Mr.. Kltchin's speech as fol.
lows:
"The red shirts bloomed out in Rich
mond county tonight. Young and
old men in large numbers turned Out
en- masse, arrayed in red shirts
and astride red decked horses met Hon
Claude kitchin, of Halifax county, at
the depot here and escorted him
through streets lined with red shirts
to tie court house where an Immense
gathering Of the beautiful womanhood
and the gallant manhood of Richmond
county had assembled to hear him
speak.
1t was red-Ietter night in Rocking
ham and started the fires of Democracy
in R'ct mond and Scotland counties
hat sill not be 1uenched until after
the election in. August.
"Mr. Kltchin made powerful
speech and stirred his vast audience
from beginning to end and after speak.
ing for two hours his audience would
not let him stop, but kept him talk.
ing half an hour longer, and when he
closed he received a grand ovation
from the men and a shower of beauti
ful flowers. At the close OF Mr.
Kitchin's speech the crowd would not
retire until it had heard one of those
rallying speeches tor which Cameron
Morrison, the young Democratic