The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-15
OHIO WILSON RESIGNS
And Hill King Succeeds Him as
County Chairman.
TEARS wEPT AT TIE G'DEoN's DENISE
Hill King Comforts The Faithful by Telling Of
the Wonderful Things He's Going to Do.
Hal Aver Makes Speech Second Only
to Buffers ard Blackburn's.


The ,amest Populist convention
ever held in Wake county was pulled
ternoon.
AS one of the ''diligates' remarked,
there were 1.-The ear-marks of Populist-
ism about it, but it lacked the old
time snap and enthusiasm
In other words, the attendance was
small, the delegates seemed disheart-
ened and the whole layout bore a
disreputable I-have-seen-betterda
sort of air.
There were speeches. of course.
There was bound to be, it being
Populist gathering; but few of these
oratorical efforts elected applause,
and none of them awolle enthusiasm.
Even the Hon. S. Ohio Wilson'S
ornate speech, beginning with
Shakespearan quotation and ending
with a denunciation of the Election
Law, fell on comparatively dull and
unappreciative ears: while the Hon.
Hal Ayers violent Philippe against
all men who vote for the amendment
won but scant applause. The negro
was not mentioned, and there was a
marked absence of standing flat
footed with both feet on the plat
FORM
In fact. now that / come to think
of it, the platform received no more
mention than did the negro. Instead
of ''standing flat footed on it. the
delegates, like a dying newspaper,
were there and here to stay; and the
Hon. Hal Aver delicately designated
the negro as "a certain element of
our people that the Democrats pro-
pose to disfranchise.''
No doubt this careful avoidance of
the use of the word Niger once
so common in Populist councils. was
due to the presence of the Hon. Green
Blake (col.). a delegate from House
Creek township. If so. too much
credit cannot be given Mr.. Aver and
others for their delicate consideration
of the feelings of the ''colored'' mem
bers of the convention.
A PRETTY PAIR OF HEROES,
The heroes of the meetin' were the
Hon. Hal Aver and the Hon. S. Otho
Wilson. Mr.. Aver won favor and APP
plause by declaring that mo honest
and intelligent man will vote for the
Amendment" Mr.. Wilson secured
eloquent praise and a rising vote of
thanks for services rendered" by re-
signing the position of chairman of
his party for Wake county. The re-
signation was accepted and this high
honor was laid on the unwilling (?)
shoulders of the Hon. Hill f. King,
late of the State Manure Pile.
Mr.. King declared that he had never
sought the office, Tin fact he didn't
L L 4 L.
was going to work to organize the
county as she was never organized be-
fore (applause): he was going to
make every Populist in the county
go to work at once or he was going
to make it warm for them. He want
ed, within the next five days, three
lists: One of the PODlist chairman
and committeeman of every township
in the county, one of every Populist
in the township, and one of every
Democrat who can by any means or
influence be induced to vote against
the Amendment"
Thereupon the Hon. Hal Aver put
his stamp of approval on the con-
vention's choice of Mr.. King by an
nouncing:
"Gentlemen, you have made no mis-
take"
Thereupon. the convention blushed
with pride and embarrassment like a
sixteen year old girl.
CONVENTION PROCEEDINGS.
1t was exactly 12:i6 o'clock when the
Hon. S. Ohio Wilson, late of Gideons
Band, raped for order. and announced in
SO many words that the hour had arrived
for 'the meeting of the county conven-
tim of the or orfx IF yNolya
ty, for the purpose of sending delegates
to the State convention
The Gideon sat down. After the Hon.
]. w. Denmark, chief clerk to State
Treasurer Worth. had sufficiently recov-
cred from his surprise at Otho's not max
ing speech, he moved that the Hon.
Hal w. Aver, our distinguished State
Auditor, be elected chairman to preside
over the deliberations of this body"
The motion was carried and the State
Auditor assumed the gavel Before Him
was "a sea of upturned faces composed
of rs white people and 6 negroes. Many
of the white people-about 20 in number
were visitors. OF the 5S white delegates
quite a number are office holders and
many have all their lives been Republi-
cans. This audience were seated about
the court room as follows: In the bar,
So; outside the bar, on the white side, rs,
and on the negro side, g. The Hon. Hal
Aver addressed them in these brief but
eloquent remarks:
Gentleman of the convention: I'm
very much obliged to you for the honor
don't suppose you want to hear anything
like speech. The business before you is
clear. The Secretary will call the roll
of townships
The roll call showed four townships not
represented. They were: Buckhorn,
Neuse River, Panther Branch and st.
Matthews. Some of them had one dele
gate, some two or three, but few had a
full representation present.
On completion of the roll call the Hon.