The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-02-16
: III Wrssenger.
TWO HONEST AND INDIGNANT
POPULISTS LASHING
BUTLER.

$500 . -hOSSNh6SlF - III BLS
duction Of an ZONES and honorable
man, and has the clear ring of truth
and sincerely, of independence and
patriotic ardor all through it. If the
production of Mr.. Green's pen, n we
have no occasion to doubt it, he is a
forceful, clear, bold writer knowing
how to hit hard and with true aim. 1t
is simply capital, and treats Butler pre-
ciSely as he deserves. In North Caro-
lima histo.- there has appeared no more
cons nmlte trickster. utterly unprin-
cipl-G and utterly reckless. In him
eliminates the artiice ana cunning,
the magnificent cheek and bad bold
ness Of the demagOgue. If he ever pos
Sessed any honesty, any character he
has thrown it behind him and orever.
"Es 4 is wrought by want of thought,
As well as by want of heart"
Eutler is the most dangerous man
wlo has fiourished in North Carolina
within the memory Of men now living.
He is the incarnation of mischief, of
deviltry, of conspiracy. He would sell
himself, his race, his state, the civili-
cation of two centuries of struggle and
building, for the fiesh-pots of office af-
ter which his little SOU has such an
u~nappeaSable, such an eternal hank
ering.
Mr.. Green perfectly understands the
migrate and deserter from his race. He
has not written a word of him that is
not exact as to truth and edged with the
keenest perception. He hits him when
he is specially vulnerable and no armor
of ~impudence n %effrOntry and deceit
and knaVery and slippery ~falsehOod
and SANDER can cover him or protect
him. La Bruyere aid that cunning
cad to knavery; it is but a step from
one to the other, and that very slip
perry; lying only makes the difference;
that to cunning and it is knavery."
Mr. Green is a prominent pOpuliSt,
has been very strong among them in
his section. He is of Wake county
He Joined the pOpulist party, as did So
many others, from the highest motives,
being actuated by a sincere purpose to
seek the betterment of himself, his race
and North Carolina. He saw the great
shortening of his new party but
hoped for better and wiser things. At
ter describing conditions he points in
manly words to the serious n deter
mined purpose of the white men to
save the state from all possible damage
and detriment by a return of negro
rule. Let us quote here what you may
have read in the letter in Sundays
issue:
Now, sir, III people of North Caro-
lima are confronted by the most serious
crisis in their history since the time
when the states intelligence and worth
Scourged ignorance, vice n
cry from it's high places, a quarter of
a century ago. 1t is proposed to right
a wrong lone the state through force,
fraud and fanaticism, at a time when
her worthy citizenship was impotent
and when her protest was considered
good cause for fresh indignities and
more high-handed outrages by the
aliens and renegadeS who held a bay
onet to her throat while they despoiled
her. For thirty years the state has
worn the letters riveted upon her
limbs in her hour of weakness and
has done it patiently, hoping in the
end that they would drop away of their
own weight or would be struck of
when the animostities engendered of
war and blood had passed away, and
when a new generation in the Union
should see conditions in a perspective
not distorted by passion and hate. The
hope has been vain, and the state has
now taken up for herself the work Of
removing the incubus that has delayed
her progress and menaced her peace
and safety. In this undertaking she
has a right to expect that every son
who has nursed at her breast will
stand shoulder to shoulder in her de-
That is truthful, noble language with
The thrill of patriotism n high man
hood in it. After roasting the traitor
about his vain and profiigate threat to
drive out by the aid of the negroes the
real white men of the state, he then
puts ii TO him in these striking words:
And who. sir, compose our cohorts
that are to go gaily forth to whip the
men and the sons Of the men who
marched up to the redoubts at Gettys-
burg? Not the rank n file OF the
populfsI party. They are white men
and will stand with their brethren for
white mans rights and a white mans
state. They are honorable men and
will stand for the states good name.
are intelligent men and will
stand with the men who make up 99
per cent of the states intelligence.
are free men and therefore, sir,
are not to be made h chattels of a
petty cabal hat bargain to sell the
to infamy to get offices for them
selves; to enrich themselves with the
price of her prostitution. They are
chivalrous men, and, therefore, will
fight with those who have always pro-
tected the virtue of our women Your
army is made up of 10000 negroes
Differed by the few white men who
have lived by trading on their votes
and who are naturally enraged that
anyone should be about to end that
traffic. Negroes and renegade whites,
Mr.. Butler, may do what British veter-
failed to do and what the battal-
ions of Grant never did-but l
doubt it."
We AXE it for granted that every
subscriber of the Messenger read the
from the letter of another
strong and honest populist, Mr.. J.. ].
Marshall, of Forsyth county. 1t is a
capital exposure of the dirty plotter,
and must do good. 1t is the voice of
m a in indignant and resonant tones
that will ring around the state. 1t Is
and justly so, and no doubt ex-
presses the Utmost thoughts of many
honorable and decent white men among