The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-03

the white man and the negro. who can
read or write, along together"
A voice from delegate Hurrah for
Aycock. l glory in the name"
The speaker proved to be ex-Sheritf
Smith, Of Vance county.
''Put him out. Put him OUT" shouted
dozen men around him, rising up to
execute their threat
Smith rose too "You can't do it, he
shouted. I'm as good a Republican as
you are and I'm delegate"
Just little too much whiskey, /
reckon" said Senator Prtchard as the
delegates settled down and he proceeded.
Now he was facetious and tried to be
funny over Mr.. Aycock's statement that
the passage of the Amendment would
mean intellectual freedom in North Car
olina."
'It will not give Office he declared,
'but it will give intellectual freedom. I've
heard of many kinds of freedom but
never before heard of intellectual free
dom"
Having submitted these broken re-
marks in a very broken sort of way to
listless audience. he came to smoother
and more familiar waters. For half an
hour he sailed along in a glowing
panegyric of Mckinley and prosperity.
In concluding he looked up into the
gallery and said:
81 want to say to my colored friends
that this fight is something for the white
man to settle.
He ended by telling the convention that
its nominee would be elected Governor,
and then as if deeming it necessary TO
cite his authority for so rash a statement
l. ,l,o l,o
and I know what I'm talking about
AS Pritchard thanked the convention
for it's attention there was no applause
for his speech but a mighty clamor was
set UP for Boyd! Boyd"
Boyd came forward simply 'to express
his happiness, his joy at being present to
help formulate the ticket that will be
elected He was proud to be-
long to a party that had always defended
the Union, been true to the flag and
championed human rights. We ought 70
be proud TO belong to this party which
saved the Union, struck the shackles from
the slave and gave him the rights of the
freemen. We belong to a party that
| never deprived a man of the right to
vote or stuffed a ballot box
Evidently Boyd was not in his old time
form and his oratorcal efforts were fall
ing rather fiat; so he began to make
apologies saying he was mot here to
make speech I'm just simply here to see
you. | never feel at home until l get
with the North Carolina Radicals" "
Even this drew scant applause. Then
referring to the negro question he said:
Il was born and reared among the
negroes and l think ] understand them
He simply asks the privilege of casting
| one vote for the candidate of his choice
and having it counted as he casts it.
How did we get back into the Union.
| 1t was never until the little white bal
lot was put into the hands of the colored
man. And every Representative and
Senator in Congress today owes it to the
| magnanimity of the colored man.
Mr.. Boyd declared that the place of the
Southern laboring man was in the Radical
party. Then made some more apologies
and sat down.
At this point 2:15 o'clock, the c0nven-
tion adjourned an hour for dinner.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
On re-assembling at $3.50 o'clock the
convention dived into the speech making
business again.
The first after-dinner orator called out
vas the Hon. J. j. Britt, of Mitchell.
Mr. Britt spoke with great power-in
his legs and arms. He went through a
| severe course of gymnastics while on the
stage, surpassed only by the later SINH
lar performance by the Hon. Spencer
Blackburn.
1.-The people of Mitchell know only three
things" he declared chow to till the
| soil, say their prayers and vote the Re-
publican ticket
After pausng for a moment to al
low a full realization of the dense gno-
rance of Mitchell county folk to sft
through his audience, the Hon. Mr.. Britt
brilliantly resumed:
The people of Mitchell are to be con-
graduated on having attained such a
state of earthly perfection as to vote
only the Republican ticket
Two or three doodlers by faint applause
| manifested their pleasure at finding this
extenuating circumstance
| Then he went from the mountains
where the winds daily with the lilies 10
the kissed sea-" and declared that
the most unch1istian, undemocratic and
altogether outrageous measure ever pro-
| posed was the amendment.
| He inquired why "the Democrats were
so enthusiastic and the Republicans so
quiet" and answered it by saying that
he felt victory in the air and saw it in
the atmosphere" and 1.-The Republicans
don't have to be enthusiastic"
AS Britt sat down Spencer Blackburn
was called for and responded with
alacrity.
Spencer was greeted with tumultuous
applause, but his appearance proved to
be sort of a Casey at the bat affair
He declared that notwithstanding
abuse of him in Democratic papers he was
here, sand Mr.. Manly's mantle having
fallen on me l am, by the grace of God
here to stay. l am with you. I'm going
to stay with you. There are not enough
Democrats in the State to drive me out.
This brave declaration was made with
violent gesticulations that surpassed any
thing ever before attempted on the stage
here.
II have a book in my office at Wins
ton," he told the convention, and after
making so startling an announcement
he rambled on without ever telling the
name Of the volume. But it must be
some sort of speech book for he quoted
much pretty poetry and said GIVE
learned me another speech since the last