The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-10-25
ALL ARE DEMOCRATS
There Should Be No Hard
Feelngis in the Contest.
Mr.. w. P. Taylor Reviews the Political History
tf the Party Under Chairmen Pou,
Manly and Simmons.

To the Editor:--I am an old Confederate
soldier. am also an humble Democrat,
commencing with Hon. JEFF Davis, have
always voted white. Why should my
motives be questioned If ] should vote
for some other of the candidates for
United States Senator than Hon. +. M.
Simmons? 1 observe from the reading
OF the multitudinous articles in Mr.. SIM
mons interest, the writer's all with one
purpose, say he took the State, when IL
was disrupted, disgraced, dishonored ana
ruined politically, and brought victory TO
the Democratic party, when no otner
man could have done SO. They tell us
how the Hon. Glen. Manly was fallure
in 1885, and the Hon. Mr.. Pou fallure IN
1894, ETC. Now why not be fair, frank
and honest in this matter, and tell the
truth? Why put Mr.. Pou in that lght
before the people? Or Mr.. Manly in
1885, in that light? These were good,
true men of Judgment and political sa-
gacity, and too, had Mr.. Simmons q
have no doubt in daily association and
cooperation with them while they were
at the helm You know Mr.. Simmons
(the patriot that he isl advised and did
what he could for his party Why not
tell the people Mr.. Pou was at the helm
at a time when our people were in great
financial trouble and distress, and the
Democratic President at Washington, d.
c., was cutting the very heart-strings OF
the party in twain, and at time when
the political quack doctors in North Car
oliina were at every cross roads, and in
their zenith in their nefarious profess
sion, each swearing by the Gods they had
the panacea for their recovery, etc. Mr..
Pou nor Mr.. Simmons, nor any other
man could prove the falsity of these
quacks from record The men to whom
they were preaching their false doctrine
were not negroes, they were flesh of
our flesh and bone of our bone, our faith
ers, brothers and sons, as honest and
true( for the most part) as you and |,
but were deceived and lead away by false
doctrines, as all quacks do the people.
In 1896 the Hon. Glen. Manly made
noble and heroic struggle, and with only
paragraph of history or record came
close to victory in the State for State
officers. Who will say his was a failure
from a national standpoint? With nearly
six hundred influential and intelligent
Gold Democrats fighting him, and the
weight and influence of the national adj
ministration Democratic so-called)
against him, and severng the very vitals
of our party, yet he, with a majority of
twenty thousand, passed North Carolina's
electoral vote to Mr.. Bryan. Was that
a failure? Now while the State for State
officers was carried by small majority
(for it was small for the State) it only
placed at the writing desk men who made
the record and wrote the history which
showed our fathers, brothers and sons
how false their quack doctors had been
to every promise of political health and
vigor, and instead of their condition be-
ing improved they had been deceived and
debauched, and their condition hundred
fold worse than under Democratic rule
So at their first opportunity like good
and true men these prodigal members OF
our family, when they came to them
selves, rose up and came back home,
and united once more with the hundred
and forty thousand of the tried and true
under Mr.. Manly, and glorious victory
was ours. These are still with Us, and
have been restored to full fellowship.
and under Mr.. Simmons helped to add
another victory in 1900, ard in a few
more days will add still another. This
does not argue that any neglect, blunder,
bad judgment or management attaches to
Mr. Pou in 1894 or Mr.. Manly in 1896. Nor
to Mr. Simmons. Suppose Mr. Butler,
who like vulture, perched himself on
the fence in 1898, and then opened his
pinions to the warm sunshine of White
Supremacy until within three weeks Cor
thereabouts) of the election, had been
endowed with enough good sense and
Judgment to have fallen off on the DEM
ocratic side, the next day after the cleo
ton every Democratic paper would have
rendered obeisance, and with Mr. Sim
mons and all the people, sung praises
and glory to his name. Yet he would
be entitled to none of it. (Thank the
Lord. That was all due to the hundred
and forty-fve thousand good and true,
and their erring brethren who had seen
the error of their way. and had, through
the record and history made by the enc
mics of good government, then in power,
had their eyes opened, and came back
OF course, Mr.. Simmons, as was Mr.. Pou
and Mr.. Manly, was among that great
host, to whom all alike the honor and
glory should be given. The party owes
no one man any special debt, and ell the
articles attacking one member of our
family to uplift the other member, in my
Judgment, is ill-advised and shows lack
of good judgment and brotherly love.
Mr.. Simmons, like the other three can
ddates, has proved himself good DEM
ocrat and no more. Had he done less
he would deserve dishopor rather than
honor.
The candidates are all of our political
family Why should l be called sore
head" "Butlerite," "disorganizer," and
all sorts of bad names because / chose not
to vote for Mr.. Simmons / admire all,
but cannot vote for all, and no one should
think hard of me because I vote for
my choice. Brethren be careful what
you say. One of these days you may be
sorry for it. and you know our enemies
are only too glad to see us say hard
things about our faithful ones.
Yours truly.
w. P. TAYLOR.
Winton. N. c.