The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-10-03
LASHES THE FJSIONISTS
Have Democrats Forgotten How They
Degraded the State?
YET THESE MEN ARE NOW CRYING FRAUD
A few Figures Given For Their Consideration
Mr.. Pou Declares The American People
Have Been Sold Our by Hanna
ard Mckinley.
(Staff correspondence

NoldI COIIGSpOHueuCc.)
Henderson, N. c., October 2.-Hon. Ed
ward w. Pou, Democratic candidate for
Congress in the Fourth district, opened
his campaign here yesterday. He preached
Democracy to large crowd of Vance
county voters and made a splendid i'm
preston as well as making converts to
the cause he represents with ability and
eloquence. Vance has never yet given
a Democratic candidate for Congress a
majority, but unless all signs fail, this
year Pou will come out of Vance with a
majority.
Mr.. Pou commenced his speech by
thanking the people Of the Fourth Con-
gressional district for comforting the
nomination on Johnston county. This is
not personal nomination." said he. "but
a recognition of the great county from
which / come. In a hundred years that
county has not had Democratic repre-
sentative in Congress. Every other coun-
ty has been represented, or has partici-
pated in the representation of another
county while it was part of that county.
Coming down to recent years our dis
trict was represented by the pure and up
right, Joseph j. Davis, of Franklin, who
always received a great mapority in my
county, Then we were represented by
General VIM. r. Cox, who got his greatest
lll4soriLy from my county. Again we were
represented by Hon. Benjamin H. Bum
who received his greatest majority from
Johnston county. And two years ago on
the day of election Hon. Jno w. At
water came to the borders of Johnston
county several hundred short of an cleo
tion, but when he left the county we had
not only wiped out that several hundred
deficiency but we had given him a clear
majority of about nine hundred. Know
ing these things il is not very surprising
that the delegates who constituted the
great convention which met in Raleigh
on tho 9th of September, should confer
the nomination upon a county which has
stood firm by the Democratic faith dur
ing every dark hour through which our
State has passed.
81 acknowledge the great honor which
you have conferred upon my people, and
if elected l promise you by Gods help,
to make an honest effort to wear with
out blame the mantle of such worthy pre-
decessors."
Mr.. Pou then paid his respects to the
Fusionists who are crying that the Dem
I ocrats carried the State by fraud
THE State is certainly to be congratu-
lated said he upon the great change
which has come over some of these pious
scoundrels. They want politics discussed
now upon such "high plane" The lick
ing they got at August appears to have
done them lots of good Have you for
gotten what these men were endeavoring
to do up to the August election? Have
you forgotten the black conspiracy they
were parties to? Have you forgotten how
the State was degraded under Fusion
rule? Have you forgotten that 947 negroes
walked in and took office under their
rule? Have you forgotten that our wives
and daughters dared not walk the streets
OF some of our largest towns in the day
time for fear of insult? Do you expect
me to remain silent about these things
when 1 have had men opposing me who
were parties to this conspiracy to de-
grade and damn my State? If you do,
then l tell you, your convention at Raj
eigh made a mistake. You nominated
the wrong man for Congress-
Zone other thing, it is so refreshing
to hear these men talking about fair cleo
tions. | again remind you that the cleo
LlOu law luey gave us WAS JH0 HlOSI un-
fair law ever passed by any State in the
Union. Criminals voted, negro boys voted
negro repeaters were imported into the
State to keep these people in poWer-to
defeat such men as VIM. T. Crawford in
the Ninth distrct-and yet they talk
about fair elections. A friend of mine so
am told, in your convention at Raleigh
jokingly promised thousand more votes
TO the nominee Of the convention than we
had in the county, and now some of these
same hypocrits are charging fraud against
me and the people of my county because
of this convention joke Now l am COM
PEELED to remind these gentlemen that we
have $3.50 white men in my county who
vote white, and we have 400 negroes and
400 white men who have voted black. The
result is 2,O5O Democratic majority. Judge
Furches was the first Republican who
charged fraud against the people of my
county, when he was defeated for Cover
nor, but l am told that after he investi
gated he changed his views.
During thirty years of unbrolIen DEM
ocratic success no Radical has ever risen
up to contest an office in my county. !
want you to permit me to say that ]
wouldn't have an office secured by fraud
and | want to do these people, who are
talking about my county, the honor to say
that when they suggest that my friends
nave ever been guilty of fraud in an