The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-03-15
POU's CAMPAIGN AFFIDAVIT
ONE OF HIS METHODS n,
POOLING VOTERS IN THE
LAST CAMPAIGN

HE MAKEs AFFIDAVIT THAT A pm,
osrTIoN TO DIsFRASCHrst
GRoEs AND ILLITERATK WHITE.
WOULD NOT RECEIVE A srNe,.
DEMOCRATIC VOTER IN THEurs,.
LATURE AND DESoUNCEs Tho,
WHO MAKE THE CHARGE As sPt,r
ING FALSELY AND TRYING To Eoo,
THE PEOPLE.
From Caucasian Oct. lg.-
The following affidavit made y,
James II. Pou, eX-Chairman a, -.
State Democratic Executive Con
mittee, during the last campaig,
will be interesting reading. d.,
readers will remember that whs,.
ever and wherever Ii was CHARGE
in the last campaign that IL m,
Democratic machine under Sir.
mons got control OF the State. TIA,
they would offer scheme 10 Dis.
franchise illitterate votes, that N.
charge was Indignantly denied ana
denounced by every Democrats.
speaker as being UNANIMOUSLY falls.
Even Mr.. Simmons, the Democrst.
ic State Chairman, issued an offlcl.
al statement to the voters OF N.
State, branding every such char.
as false In toto; saying that tina,
campaign lie had been charged
against the Democratic party be-
fore, and that the charge was now
so old and SO false that no on.
would believe it,
Mr.. James III. Pou, the ex-ChaIr.
man OF the State Democratic Com.
mittee, In his speeches made ID,
same declaration. But IL seem,
that in one OF his speeches I'm Moor,
county, some members Of his audi
dience expressed doubt OF the truth
Of his indignant denial, and called
upon him while upon the stand to
know III he would make an affldA.
Wit to that effect. He publicly
agreed to do so, we are informed
The result Is the affidavit below.
made at Raleigh, dated Oct. l4th
1898. 1t will be noticed that Mr
Pou, shrewd, slick and cunning a.
hs is, attempted to word his afflds
Wit so as not to say explicitly what
he had said publicly on the stump,
and yet at the same time, 10 say
enough to make IL appear that his
affidavit had made good his cam.
paign declaration, and fool the vo-
tiers into accepting his statement
and voting for the machine.
The following Is . true copy Of
the affidavit:
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA,
County OF Wake.
James ii. Pou, being duly sworu
deposes and says:
81 have never said that, III the
Democrats regained control OF the
State, they intended to disfranchIss
the negroes and illiterate white vO-
tiers i never have said anything
like this, and i know that such IL
not the intention OF the Democrat
ic party. i have never heard a sin
gle Democrat give utterance 10
such sentiment, and / do not be-.
iicve, IL such a proposition comes
before the General Assembly, that
ii would receive a single Democrat
Ic vote. believe that a majority OF
the uneducated white voters Of
North Carolina are Democrats. The
Democratic party is appealing =
them for aid in preserving whit
supremacy in the center west an,
In restoring 1t I'm the Eastern par
OF this State. They are respondinI
to our appeal, and to repay them 10
their aid with a dlsfranchisemen
OF their votes would be folly an,
ingrattiude indeed. The MAJ
who makes these charges know
they speak falsely, but their cam
paign this year is run upon tn,
idea that the people OF North Car.
olina would rather believe a false
hood than the truth, and the,
would rather hear libels upon tn,
honored dead than to hssr argu
ments based upon TRUTH
tSigneaI
JAMES III. PoU.
Sworn to and subscribed befor,
me this October LIST 1898.
lSignedl