The gold leaf., 1900-08-23
THEIR CONFIDENCE WILL NOT BE
ABUSED.
The Glory and Strength of the Demo-
cratic Party in State and Nation is
That it Has Stood for the Equal
Rights of the HumbIest as Well as
the Richest, of the Unlettered as
Well as the Educated.
(NeWS and Observer.)

"On the day of the election" said
Judge w. K. Allen, II went to coun-
try district in Wayne county. A man
who could not read and write came
up to the polls. He told me that at
first he was strongly opposed to the
amendment and intended to vote
against it, but after hearing my ex-
planation he had decided to trust the
Democrats. He added, 4 don't know
that l understand it now, but l will
vote for it, and if anything happens
80 | can't vote | will look to you to
see me through And then he voted
for the amendment 1t was the trust
reposed in the Democratic party by
the illiterate voters that enabled the
Democrats to win. We must not be
unworthy of their confidence"
Judge Aliens experience will be
paralleled by that Of every other Dem
ocratic speaker and worker in the
State. Three months ago there were
hundreds of uneducated white men in
North Carolina who were opposed to
the amendment because they did not
understand it. During the campaign
many of them were convinced that it
was a wise measure and gave it their
hearty support. But there were hun
dreds more who voted for it on faith.
They were not certain about it and
up to the last day they had misgiv-
ings, but they trusted in the promise
Of the Democratic leaders that it
would disfranchise no white man.
Some of them never could exactly see
how it would work out, but they &C
cepted the positive assurances of the
leaders of the party to which they be-
longed. Such faith is warranted, be-
cause the Democratic party has
always stood for white manhood suf-
frage, and the older uneducated men
remember that it was the Democratic
party that removed property quail
tcation to vote for Senators, and that
recollection helped this generation OF
Democrats.
The faith reposed by the unedu-
Gated voters in North Carolina will
not be abused. The Democratic party
will not permit any man among them
to lose his vote, and it will use its
most strenuous exertions to see that
his children are educated, not alone
that they may vote, but that they
may be better equipped in the strug-
gle of life. To this end the leaders
with voice ond pen, the Governor and
all State officials, the legislators-elect
and all Democrats who regard their
sacred promises will begin a revival
of education and not let it lag until
there is good and efficient school
within the reach of every child in the
State.
The responsibility imposed by the
trust of the men who cannot read is
one that transcends all others and to
it's perfect fultillment everything else
must and will be made secondary. If
any Democrat could become indiffer-
ent to the responsibility that is in
separable from the confidence of these
voters, he would be unworthy to be-
long to the great party that has en-
dured one hundred years because, re-
fusing all support that demanded
special privilege, it has stood for the
equal rights of the humblest as well
as the richest, Of the unlettered as
well as the educated. That is it's
glory and it's strength in State and
Nation.