The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-11-01
Mr.. Editor:

Mr. Editor:
Dear Sir: The claims Of Gen. Carr
for the support Of the people in the COM
ing primary, has been fairly and very
skillfully presented by the scholarly ana
ACCOMPLISHED superintendent OF puohc
schools for Durham county. without
wishing in the smallest degree to deple-
ciate I'll merits OF Gen. Carr, ! peg,
upon my own motion, to submit fe"
reflections to your readers and res
pectfully to ask kindly consideration
Of the same.
Viewed from the standpoint OF practi-
ca! results, the impulses gwen TO the
great cause of education. in the State
primary, secondary, collegiate and Uni
versity-through the efforts of Mr.. SIM
mons, in securing the adoption OF the
recent Amendment, are worth lnnnltely
more than all the money, other than pup
lie, that has been given to higher educa-
ton in the history of the State. his
assumption, OF course, attributes me
success of the Democratic party in the
elections Of 1898 and 1900 to the ag-
gressive and snperb leadership of Mr..
Simmons and places fair estimate upon
incidental and subsequent legislation
made possible only by the adoption Of
the amendment. no practical man, no
skilled politician who was acquainted
with political conditions in 1893. be-
lieves that the magnificent victory OF
that year-a victory that was necessarily
antecedent Cess than three-hfths of the
General Assembly would have been una
yailing), to the passage OF a bill submit
ting a constitutional amendment could
have been secured under any other lead
ership than that of Mr. Simmons. In 1898
the Republican and Populist parties
flushed with victory, were defiant, ag-
gresive, confident. The Democratic party
defeated and discoura ged, desired to
ather itself together for supreme eff
fort to the end that we might put away
from us, forever, that evil thing-But-
| lerism and negro rule. All recognized
| that our greatest need was wise, brave,
| skllful, fiercely aggressive leadership.
| The outlook was gloomy in the extreme.
| The Importance, not to say the neces-
| task was hard. None dared assay it. All
| wished to avoid it. Simmons had sue
cessfully led in a former contest. Every
eye turned to him. From the sea to the
| mountains came the call. To the patriot
! the voice of the people is the voice of
| Cod Fernifold McClenden Simmons
heard and needed the call. With char
| acteristic energy and industry he threw
| his whole soul into the work. He gave
| to it his time, his talents, his means.
| While another, in ease and comfort, was
| heaping up thousands. his was the anx-
| ious brow, the aching head and the sleep
less pillow. Such wise planning, such
artful execution Of plans. such tireless
| vigilance, such superior generalship
| have never been equaled in North Car
Dina politics; and, perhaps, never sur
| passed by that of any man, in any State
at any period Of the nations history.
Fair-minded Democrats everywhere &C
| cord to Mr.. Simmons the honor of re-
! deeming the State and securing the
Al
| manner most effective to him-abuse and
slander-accords him the same honor.
Whatever else may be said of Mr.. But
! Ter, no one accuses him Of being a fool.
! He knows who retires him from the SEN
ate. He knows who was chiefly instru
mental in securing the amendment and
| his own perpetual retirement. He knows
| very we'll who killed Cock Robin" and
| he knows equally wen whom to punish
for it. Mr.. Butler has no words of cen
| sure for Gen. Carr. On the contrary he
! speaks of him in terms the most compli
mentary. 1t is said that Mr.. Butler sup
ports Gen. Cars candidacy, and advises
| his friends to vote for him, even if they
| have to vote the hated Democratic ticket
to do SO. Under Simmons matchless
management, Mr.. Butler does not expect
| the Populist-Republican combine
! to win a single success at the Novem-
| Der election. He feels, therefore, that
| he sacrifices nothing substantial, in graft
flying his hatred of MIR. Simmons, when
| he advises his adherents to vote the
| Democratic ticket, that they may have
| the right to support Gen Carr in the pri-
| maries and thus defeat the choice of the
| Democratic party. By way of parenthe
| sis may we not suggest that Buffers
| opposition furnishes capital reason for
| Democratic support? Democrats voting
with Butler and his crowd! Democrats
| n Snr
| in the Senate! Democrats masquerading
| in Buffers old cast off clothes-recoin-
| ing his old ISLANDERS and giving them
! fresh currency. A Democratic candidate
for the high office of United States sen
ator rehearsing in broad open daylight
| the mean, miSchievous, false and thread
| bare cant about tree ballot and fair
! connt!!'
! The Republican party in and out of
the State, knows who is responsible for
| North Cardinals behavior in the past
two elections. They have no hard words
| for Gen. Carr. They know the general
has done them little harm. They know
about whose devoted head to break their
| walls OF wrath, abuse and SANDER
| Since Republicans, Populsts, Democrats
and all unite in giving Simmons the
| mead of honor for securing the adoption
| of the amendment, it follows that the
good Will and gratitude of the people
| OF Norm jir0llia are due Mr. Simmons
| for whatever of benefit accrues, direct or
| indirect, present or prospective, inciden-
tai or otherwise. Measured by this
standaTd-an obviously fair one-the
services of Mr.. Simmons have been of
| more real value to the cause Of education
in the State than all the moneyed con-
! trIbutions since the days of Walter
| Raleigh. North Carolinians have always
been proverbial, not only for conserva-
| tism, but for their love of Justice and
fairness. They reverence the old maxim
Honor to whom honor is due" and
in the approaching primaries, they will
show to the world that they know how
| to be grateful as we'll as how to be
brave and true: that they know how
| to reward honest toll, and deserving
| merit. Flippant and reckless critics have
rehashed Buffers putridties, the Vance
episode, free ballot and a fair count"
mere politician, etc. Few intelligent
| men do not know that Vance entertained
the highest regard for Simmons moral
| worth and intellectual fitness, and tina
his opposition was purely personal to
Senator Ransom; that Butler and the
| Republican party. with all the incentives
| they have for doing so. have never at
| tempted to connect any Democrat with
crime against free ballot and a fair
I &c