The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-15

| Hal W. Aver announced that the next
| business was the selection of delegates
TO the State convention, "unless somebody
| is charged with a speech"
| For a, full minute there was profound
| silence, then the Rev. Baylus Cade pri-
| yate Secretary to Governor Russell arose
| and suggested an experience meeting
| To this end DR.. Cade moved that a dele
gate from each township be requested to
give report of the condition of affairs
| in his section.
AN EXPERIENCE MEETING.
| OF course the motion prevailed unani-
mously and the list of townships were
called with responses as follows:
For Barton's Creek very youthful
delegate with red face and blondined
mustache made answer, sounding the key
note of the meetin': I'VE are here and
here to stay; that's about all I've got to
say. We are right here"
j. Q. Williams, an old moss back Re-
publican Of the rankest type and reve-
nue. officer made reply for Cary II have
been out of town for several months un-
til the last ten days; but | have yet to
find Populist in the township who is
not opposed to these internal constitu
tional amendments. We have but few
Populists in my section, but as the
brother over there said, we are there to
stay. We have fought them from the
beginning and we will fight them to the
end
This charming speaker did not define
who he meant by them, but being a Re-
publican there was no room to doubt
that he referred to the Democrats.
Cedar Fork was represented by tow
| headed, ruddy faced delegate who, like
the Barton's Creek man. declared that
1--WE are here and here to stay. We are
here as Populists and here as popping
populists.'
1t is presumed that the delegates pres
ent knew what these words meant as
they elected the first applause of the
convention.
The Rev. H. w. Norris, the EXPULSION
county superintendent of public instruc-
ton, Grated for Holly Springs Though
he spoke at considerable length, here's
all ne said Holly Springs Populists
have seen nothing that they feel like en-
dorsing and the other fellow seems to
have seen something that he's ashamed
Of. Though some of our people joined the
Democratic party at the last election
they now say they are coming back and
are not going to play the fool any more.
daughter and applause). We are as
alive as we ever were and I believe We
are almost as hopeful
A HAP HAZARD GAME.
! An angular, black-bearded man of mid
die age brought in this report from
Houses Creek and laid it at the conven-
tion's feet: 1.-The Populist party in my
township is standing square, ready at
any time. But it's most too soon to tell.
It's sort of a hap-hazard game of who
can scare the hardest and we have TO
sorter wait to see which way they'll run
Houses Creek is as solid or solder
than ever"
| This report appeared to be satisfactory
| and Ineligible to the delegates as no
| questions were asked
| Now little man with piping voice and
nervous manner arose and said that the
Dimycrat party in Little River is mighty
bad sceered about these amendment.
! That is the illiterate ones-and there S
a heap of em is If the last Legislature
didn't kill the Dmycrat party then yer
can't kill it,
| The Marks Creek delegate reported
"our noble order" as holding it's own
in his bailiwick
The Middle Creek man turned out to
have been a prophet. He had seen
things brewing for two elections back
and down to the last Legislature the
whole matter dawned of what prepond
Grated. My heart is in this thing and
| hat rt wit ha vii
tons of that liberty-loving soil. 1 stand
here today to agitate before this free
| American people for my beloved town
ship of Middle Creek against the dsfran-
chisement of free American citizens"
This burst of eloquence is set down
here verbatim for two reasons: ID Be-
cause it won loud applause from the con-
vention and CD that such rare flights
may not be lost to the world.
FUNERAL PREVENTED PRIMARY.
| Fer Newlight, the lone delegate an
| nounced that no primary was held because.
he went to a funeral But the PopulistsI
| up there are against the amendment and
] doubt if it passes
| "St. Mary's," said the delegate from
| that neck of the woods, Stands where she
| stood in 1894. have been off fishing
since November and I've not come much
| in contact with the people, but I've heard
| several Democrats say they were as
! much opposed to the amendment as any
| body could be-"
Swift Creeks delegate didn't attend the
prir airy becausa he had no notice of it,
but he didl't think the Populists in his
township had lost anything since the last
election EXCEPT their chairman. He was
our nominee for Justice of the peace and
though we voted for him he didn't even
go to the polls on election day"
Several voices: who is he?" whats
his name?''
The next speaker was the Hon. S.
Ohio Wilson and as l have already stated,
his speech was one of the events of the
day. What fools we mortals be-, was
the self-incriminating evidence with
which he opened up his vocal battery. 81
didn't vote for that motion to have a re-
port from every township he continued.
because l had in mind Brother Merritt
hero of the News and Observer. | didn't
see why we should tell him the condition
of our party SO he'd know where to at
tack our fences or mend his own. Then