The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-22
HOLTON MAKES EXCUSES FOR
RUNNING.

held in this city early in the month,
the Republican office-hoders. who
controlled its deliberations. had only
one problem to solve. everything else
having been fully cut and dried by
Hanna and PritQhard before the lat
ter left Washington. That question
was whether to nominate Linney or
Bynum and meet the Democratic
candidates on the stump or to nOmi-
nate putty candidate like Adams
and run ''bushwhacking" campaign.
The nomination of Adams made it
certain that there would be no Joint
campaign. certainly as long as Adams
plays like" he is a candidate.
For some days Mr.. Holton. Republic
can State Chairman. has had his
tongue out, as is the custom of those
who do not find it easy to write, try
ing to frame a letter giving plausl-
BILE excuse for not accepting the chal-
lenge of Chairman Simmons to a joint
debate. He had been ordered to de-
cline on the day Adams was nominal
ted. and he has at last framed a de-
clination in the shape of miserable,
pettifogging excuse and misleading
campaign document which he design
ed to have the Democratic papers TO
disappointed i'm this expectation.
They have enough of truth and facts
without filing their columns with
Holtons campaign documents.
Holton says in effect that he will
accept the invitation if the Democrats
will: /. Withdraw the Constitutional
amendment; ,. Repeal the election
law: 3. Let dead negroes, negro boys
and imported negroes vote as he did
in 1896: 4. Compel men wearing red
shirts to put on black shirts: 5. Quiz
talking about negro rule and Radical
rascality: 6. Take Mr. Aycock off the
ticket and nominate a candidate who
cannot out-talk their dummy candl-
date: {. Promise never to disfranchise
"A single one of their dearly beloved
100000 negro voters. If the Democrats
will do these things and talk only
about the difference between tWeedle-
dee and tweedle- dun. I'VE will meet
YOU on every stump.
Twill YOU walk into my parlor,
Said the Spi6er tn the fV''
The Democrats feel deeply about
the necessity of ending negro rule
and making it impossible for Hol-
tons crowd to put 1000 negroes again
in office as it did in 1S95-9S. They do
not want repetition of the hell
born dream that made the Winning
ton riot necessary. In the last Leg
islature. urged thereto by the white
people of all parties, the Democratic
and Populist members submitted
Constitutional amendment to the peo-
pie to ascertain whether they wished
to permanently Danish negro rule as
they had in November temporarily
ended it. Such men as Cyrus Thomp-
son. John r. Smith and Hal w. Aver
were foremost in urging such an
amendment. and the white people
demanded il in order to prevent other
such scenes as made the blood run on
the streets of Wilmington. 1T was
condition, not a theory" that con
fronted the white people. Mr.. HOl-
ton makes much of circular issued
by Mr.. Simmons during the cam
paign TO the effect that the Democrats
did not propose any scheme OF DIS
franchisemenu. The amendment now
submitted to disfranchise most OF the
negroes and no white people-(that is
it's meaning)- not the result OF
generalization on the part of any set
of men. 1t is the result of the vigorous
and not-to-be disregarded command
Of the great body of the white people
that sprung up chiefly by reason OF
the riot in Wilmington and the dan
ger of like troubles. Ii Mr.. Holton
y
Thompson. the kePop-li-can candi-
date for Governor, for in November.
1898. DR.. Thompson said:
ut is evident that the Democrats
will have to eliminate the negro ques-
ton now. | do not think that the
people who have given the Demo
cratic party power will he satisfied
with anything else than the eliml-
nation of the negro from politics in
North Carolina
Dr. Thompson was right. If that
Legislature had failed to submit an
amendment for the elimination OF
the negro from politics in North Car
DINA the honest white voters would
have felt that they had failed to
serve the State at one of the critical
points in its history, and Holton.
Aver. Thompson and Blanche, Tray
and Sweetheart would have gone
about the State barking and saying: