The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-07-18
Chairman Simmons Shows That Federal
Officeholders Are Trying to Dominate
the Politics of the State
SELF.COYERNMENT DEMANDED BY ALL.
The Righteous Protest of the People Against the Attempt to
Override the Right of the State to Regulate
Its Own State Elections.

Yesterday Hon. +. M. Simmons adj
dressed the following letter to Presi-
dent Mckinley:
Raleigh, N. c., July &c. 1900.
Honorable William Mckinley, The Presi-
dent, Executive Mansion, Washington
City, ID. c.
Sir: The people of this State will hold
a general State election on the second
day of August of this year, for the pur-
pose of electing county and State officers
and to take the sense of the people upon
a proposition to amend the Constitution of
the State. No Federal officer will be
elected or voted for at this election; and
before the National election in November,
under the State election law, the registra-
tion books will be open for Eve days to
give every elector not already registered
an opportunity to have his name placed
upon the registration books.
In the consideration and determination
of these purely local questions, / respect
fully submit that our people are entitled
to exemption from meddlesome Interior
ence on the part of Federal office holders,
whether acting officially under color of
their office, or individually by using the
cnce those with whom they may have
official relations, or by parading the au-
thority with which they are invested in
a manner intended and calculated to
overawe and intimidate the electors of the
State in the exercise of their free will
at the ballot-box or the election officers
of the State in the discharge of their Of
fetal duties
nf
the chosen representative of a political
party numbering 17S,000 voters l feel
warranted by the conditions now existing
in the State in making the charge that
your appointees located in this State are
now daily, and since the inception Of the
political campaign now in progress, have
been fiagrantly and openly without the
slightest attempt at disguise or conceal
ment, using their official positions-the in
dividual influence which they give-the
opportunities which they afford-and the
power with which they invest them, not
only to control the conventions and the
voters of the political party to which they
belong, but to unduly influence voters of
the opposition party-to coerce and in
timidate the individual citizen in the eX-
ercise of his political rights, and to brow
beat and intimidate the election officers
of the State in the discharge of their du
ties, to the great scandal of your admin
istration and in defiance of the letter as
we'll as the spirit and principles of the
Constitution and the so-called Civil Ser
vice Laws of Congress, to the maintenance
of which your administration is pledged
in the most solemn manner.
In making these charges, 1 but give
expression to the righteous protest of the
people of this State against this open in
fraction of the highest political rights
guaranteed to them by the compact
between them and the Federal Govern
ment, namely: the right of self-govern-
ment, unhampered by Federal Interior
ence.
So far has this thing of interference by
Federal offce-holders gone in this State
this year that if we were not engaged in
the discussion and attempted settlement
of a question which vitality affects our
civilization, the paramount issue in this
State today would be whether we are to
have government by the people or govern
ment by the Federal office holders.
l beg most respectfully to give you
brief outline and summary of some of the
facts upon which / base these charges and
statements:
The Republican campaign in North
Carolina opened with the meeting in this
city on the 18th day of May, 1900, of the
Republican State Convention. This con-
vention was largely a convention of Fed
eral offce-holders. 1t was composed of
two hundred and forty delegates. lead
ing Republican of this city openly stated
few days subsequent to it's adjourn
ment that more than half of these dele
gates held Federal offices and that they
completely dominated its deliberations. A
leading newspaper of this city published
during the session of this convention
the names of nearly one hundred
of these delegates, giving the FEEDER
al office held by each. l send you here
with the names of some of those who
were either delegates or present partici-
pating and directing it's deliberations.
Among them are numerous postmastcrs,
deputy collectors, deputy ,marshals
store-keepers and gaugers, collection and
customs deputies, census enumerators,
departmental officials, the two Collectors
of Internal Revenue for the eastern and
western districts, the district attorneys
for these two districts, etc.
This convention appointed delegates to
the National Republican convention at
Philadelphia. | have not list of these
delegates, but the delegation was COM
posed largely Of those holding the chief
Federal positions in the State; among
them Collectors of Internal Revenue
Duncan and Harkins, and Postmaster
Bailey of this city.
The Chairman of the State Executive
Committee of the Republican party is the
Hon. A. E. Holton, United States District
Attorney for the Western District of this
State, and on this committee are many
of the leading Federal office holders of
the State.
1t is notorious in this State that Fed
eral office holders not only controlled the
State convention of the Republican party,
this year, but that they have been the
dominating element in nearly all District
and county conventions of their party
throughout the State. They dictate the
nominations, not only of State officials.
Congressman and electors, but of county
officers as we'll.
The two collectors of internal revenue
for this State, by reason of thes large.
number of officers under them, arc the