The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-05-04


was tremendous cheering and applause
The following distinguished gentlemen,
nominees on the democratic state
ticket, were given seats OF honor on
the stage: Hon. Chas. B. Aycock, OF
Wayne, governor; Hon. Wilfred D.
Turner. OF Iredell. lieutenant governor;
Hon. Robt D. Gilmer. of Haywood at
torney general; General Thos. F. Toon.
of Robson, state superintendent of
public instruction. Hon B. II. Lacey, OF
Wake, state treasurer; Hon. s. L. Pat
terson, of Caldwell, commissioner of ag-
riculture; Hon. Franklin McNeill, of
New Hanover, corporation commits
sioner. Seated on the stage were about
fifty prominent citizens Of Wilmington
and surrounding counties, among them
being Messrs. G. Herbert Smith, Mars
den Bellamy. Iredell Meares, Geo. L.
Peschau, D. McEachern, E. S. Lathrop.
B. F. Hall, L. B. Sasser, G. ]. Boney,
d. J. Fergus, z. F. Johnson, 3. C.
Empie, J. C. Stevenson, NJ. W. Jacobi
w A Wright, George Harriss. j. d.
Kelley, Captain W. P. Oldham, Captain
James I. Metts, Senator j. w. s. Rob-
inson, IF Bladen, and others.
Mr.. G. Herbert Smith, of the central
committee, presided. and opened the
meeting at $50 p. m. After a few re-
marks happily beftting the occasion,
Chairman Smith called on Ireden
Meares, Esq, to introduce the first
speaker.
STRONG SPEECH BY JUDGE GIL
MER.
Mr.. Meares introduced as the first
speaker Judge Gilmer of Haywood
county, the nominee for attorney gen.
eral. He introduced him as an accom-
plished gentleman, an able lawyer, an
| eloquent speaker, and true democrat.
Rousing cheers greeted Judge Gilmer,
who made an eloquent speech, full of
| stirring words, we'll rounded sentences,
| and convincing reasoning and argu
| ment He brought message from
| western North Carolina that the noun
! tain part Of the state is with the east
! on the great issue now before the
| people-the proposed suffrage amend
| ment to the constitution of the state.
| He gave a good picture of the recon-
struction period and the overthrow of
| the corrupt republican government of
| those unhappy days. After the great
| victory by which the reconstruction
| government was ovelthrown there fol-
lowed twenty-five years of peace, and
| then came another time of woe for
| North Carolina in the republic n-pop-
! uliSt fusion, which repeated the mis-
/ government of the reconstruction
period. He spoke then of the great
democratic victory of 1898 and the
overthrow CT fusion" and referred to
the act of the general assembly of
| North Carolina which made provision
| for the amendment to the constitution
with a view to regulating suffrage in
| North Carolina for the purpose of pre-
venting the possibility of negro rule
again. He presented the suffrage mat
ter in a clear and exceedingly forcible
| manner, and his speech made a telling
effect upon the audience. He was every
few minutes interrupted with storms
of applause. Judge Gilmer is a fluent
speaker and his speech greatly i'm
pressed the audience. By the way, in
| discussing the constitutionality of the
suffrage amendment, he paid
compliment to the Hon. George Roun-
| tree, of New Hanover, who was inStru-
| mental in framing the amendment He
| had stated in this connection that Mr..
| Rountree had held that the amend
ment is constitutional. His allusion to
| Mr.. Rountree called forth great ap-
plause from the audience.
Hon. r. E. LACEY.
When Judge Gilmer concluded, there
was music by the Second Regiment
band. after which Chairman Smith
called upon B. G. Empie, Esq, to in
| troduce the next Speaker-the Hon. r.
3. Lacey, the democratic nominee for
state treasurer. Great applause greeted
| Mr.. Lacey, but he spoke only a few
minutes. He is a speaker of splendid
| parts, but he did not attempt to make
d set Speech, nlnSelI 10 some
witty and highly amusing remarks that
caused the audience to roar with laugh
ter. He closed with a brief, but earn
est argument for the amendment, call
ing forth great enthusiasm and ap-
plause from the audience.
GENERAL TOON.
Chairman Smith next introduced Mr.
| j. G. Stevenson, who in turn presented
to the audience General Thomas F
Toon, of Robson, nominee for state
| superintendent of public instruction He
paid Gen. Toon a high compliment fol
| character and as one of the South's
| bravest and most loyal sons in the civil
| war.
| General Toon received very hearty
| applause, and after he had spoken OF
the work of the last democratic state
convention, he expressed gratefulness
that the convention recognized in hin
the confederate soldier now passing
away. He expressed himself as heart
lily for the suffrage amendment, anG
pledged himself, if elected, to extend
and improve the school system il
North Carolina
THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR.
Chairman Smith brought forwart
Geo. L. Peschau, ESQ.,, who introduced
the Hon. Wilfred D. Turner Of Iredell
the nominee for lieutenant governor.
|
Turner and he spoke with eloquenc'
and convincing power. He made :
powerful argument for the amendment
and urged the people to come togethe
: in it's support. He closed amid ap
| plause.
: The Hon. Franklin McNeill, nomine
for corporation commissioner, was in
troduced, but he gracefully declined L
make a speech, and introduced tn
Hon. S. L Patterson, the nominee fo
commissioner of agriculture. Mr.. Pat
terson in turn thanked the audience
and gave way with a few words. Bct
! | gentlemen were heartily cheered.
. GOVERNOR AYCOCK.
? Marsden Bellamy, Esq, was then pu
{ | forward by Chairman Smith to intro
duce the next governor of North Caro-
: olina. His Introductory rmarks wer
: very pretty, and must have made MI
Aycock feel proud. Mr.. Bellamy al
1 luded to the seventies when the stat
t looked to the west and selected tn
| peerless Vance to lead her to victory i
the redemption of the state from re
publican rule. In the midst of a grea