The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-10-31
AND HE COULDN'T Do 1T
Better Than a Minstrel at Metropoli-
tan Last Night
AND AsENAToR WAS THE STAR COMEDIAN
But Judge Ewart Made Good Republican
Speech, Discussing the issues With
Ability and Showing Know
ledge of His Subject.


About $50 white men and twice as many
negroes gathered themselves together in
Metropolitan Hall last night to hear the
Hon. Jeter Casino Pritchard discourse on
the issues of the day.
The meeting was presided over by the
Hon. Columbus Tom Bailey, postmaster,
who designated the Hon. Jacobus
Adoniram Giles to introduce the speaker
of the hour.
In a few broken but well-studied re-
marks Jacobus Adoniram performed this
unpleasant duty, and the Hon. Jeter
Casino stepped forth amidst light clatter
of applause from the postoffice clerks and
revenue officers division of the audience.
The negroes, not seeming to know just
where they were at, kept quiet.
And just here it might be we'll to state
that the audience, like "all Gaul,' was
divided into three parts. In front sat
about fifty Federal offlcials-revenue Off
GERS, census takers, postoffice clerks and
other pie-eater Behind them, like
railing around the select highland mighty,
number Behind these was the second
division of the audience-the people, COM
posed of luke warm Republicans, unregen-
crate Democrats and idle spectators,
about hundred in number. The third
division consisted of negro filled galleries
The first division, knowing that their
Jobs would very likely depend on it, were
very demonstrative. The second was cold
as a wedge, while it was only now and
then that the galleries could be aroused
to the applauding point.
Dan Young and Hiram Grant sat on
the rostrum and beamed with approval
on the audience and with encouragement
on the speaker.
The Hon. Jeter Casino Pritchard very
properly began by producing his creden-
tials, which consisted of the assertion
that all the decent Democratic papers in
the State called him "a pretty good fell
low" Then with an ipse-dixit- neplus- ul-
trail -said-i by God sort of air he
plunged off into one of the most rambling
discourses heard here during the cam
paign He thanked God that the
gold reserve was now intact and de-
clared that mo man, Democrat or Repub-
Iican, had the slightest doubt of the fate
of this reserve as long as Mckinley is
President"
This statement was applauded, as was
also the declaration that Bryan didn't
know what he was talking about"
After these preliminary flights of elo-
quence and mastery argument, the
speaker proceeded to read extracts from
newspapers, and selections from the Uni
ted States Agricultural Reports. Also he
produced much merriment by referring to
the Charlotte Observer as a Democratic
paper.
He ridiculed the idea of Imperialism
and followed Mark Hanna in saying that
Mr.. Bryan's discussion of it was enough
to make an ass laugh. The only kind
Of Imperialism the Hon. Jeter Casino
could find was in the South where the
negro was disfranchised.
Touching the Philippines he didn't see
why we should so much concern our
selves about "a bunch of islands 5000
miles away inhabited by semi-civilized
people These are questions that must
be met and settled in the future"
The speaker referred to Mckinley as
"our beloved President" and wept orator
icaI tears over the fact that thoughtless
and designing folk were charging that
he was in the employ of Wall Street" "
He frequently talked about 'those of
us with whom the President came in
contact" and declared his belief that
if the Maine had not been blown up
Cuba would have got the liberty to
which she is justly entitled tonight with
out the firing of a gun"
The war, the Hon. Jeter said, had ''af-
forded us an evidence of McKinley's pa
.triotism," and he regretted exceedingly
that some had "held our beloved Presi-
dent responsible for the bad grade of
canned beef and beans fed to the SOL
diers."
The fact that we had paid $4,000 900
for the Philippines. when Spain lay pros
trate. Mr.. Pritchard argued, showed
that we were a magnanimous people.
But that this magnanimity is not ex-
pected to cut both ways was apparent a
few minutes later when he declared: ut
is foolish for anyone to think that We
are going to give up to Aguinaldo the
territory that cost us $4,000. 000.'
At this point a negro in the gallery