The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-04-10
BUTLER'S RECORD IN PART.

"A oIItSpOibleHI Oh the tndrIOtte Cd
server places Marion Butler over a
slow fire, and fries the fat in fine style.
OF all demagogues now before the peo-
pie, this fellow is the most despicable
and vulnerable. He is a very danger
our conSpirator, and is ready for al
most any deviltry as his record shows.
The correspondent gives nothing not
generally known, but he puts it all to-
gether, and what a ~disgraceful, con-
tempkfble record. He takes up that
Infamous Rocky Mount speech Ia 1898.
in whish he charged that the rafses by
negroes upon white women were the
result Of purchase ar hire by the dem
ocrats. 4 huger lie never fell from
the lipA of Satan. He caught IL hot
and heavy, and then tried to get out
of it by denying. Men of repute and
unblemished character testified as to
the truth OF the report in the Rocky
Mount Argonaut. But we do not know a
man who believed in the denial of the
slanderer. The correspondent shows
from the Congressional Record that
Butler said this in the senate:
Now what class of negroes would
be left to vote? There would be many
thousands who would still vote, and
this number would include all hat ele-
ment who have been active and often
sive in politics, and who, either from
innate ~perversity or for a considera-
ton, have furnished the capital neces-
sary to enable the machiL-e politicians
to raise the negro cry and appeal to
race prejudice"
What is his interest? Is not this on a
line with his speech at Rocky Mount?
The correspondent thus m
There it is in black and white. art
fully disguised it is true. but the same
idea and the same charge. Mr.. Butler
emphatically denying these charges
and giving the lie to ministers of the
Gospel, who honored him by going out
to hear him, but who refused to be
silent while their people and the state
were Siandered, now seeks the brands
himself, as the falsifier, by reiterating
the substance of the statement he was
charged with having made"
Butler was accurately reported no
doubt by the Raleigh News and OBJ
server as to his boastful. demagogic
harangue at Raleigh some weeks g
in which he proposed to start a race
war, and the negroes being helped by
just such conspirators and fellows of
the baser sort as he is. they would
unite to drive out the true white men
of the state who stood in the way of
their plottings n purpose to ruin
the state and enthrone the negroes
again. He of course denies the charge.
No n who is at all familiar with his
d~isgraceful ares can put any reIi-
anee in anything he may say, wheth-
er in the way Of affirmation or denial.
We give the correspondent another
hearing on q point Of some interest in
which Butler violates the truth. He
writes:
While on this subject let me cali at
tention to another false statement of
Mr.. Buffers. On page 1854 Of the Con-
gresslonal Record, in his speech. Mr..
Butler says:
There is another great objection to
this amendment. 1t provides that af-
ter 1908 every white man Of voting age.
who is not then able to read and write
any section OF the constitution. shall
be disfranchised.'
This is simply not true. and Ar
Butler knows IT. 1t may be said that
Mr. Butler does not mean TO be so
broad in his assertion and that his
subsequent language indirectly quail
fies the statement. Possibly. Still one
who has carefully revised his speech
and sent il out to his constituents
should see to 1t that he does not Ter
it go out bearing a palpably false
| statement"