The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-02-26
A SPEECH OF POWER.

deserves to be widely read. Of it's sort
impression on his auditors, and he
is enthusiastically lauded by the
reporter of the News and Observer and
impreGsively. The audience were much
worked upon and was he listened to
with more earnest attention. The News
AND Observer says:
1T was a great speech. greatest of
this memorable debate. High in thought
broad in conception. convincing in ar
gument and terrible in denunciation,
but above all eloquent. Men were thill-
ed n swayed by it as only the true
orator n the thinker can thrill and
sway them.
MI. Craig spoke for an hour an five
minutes and when he ceased there was
a wild scene of applause lasting many
seconds. Members rushed forward to
congratulate him on his superb effort"
We have read what he said so well.
SO strikingly, so eloquently. so impress
sively, and with exceeding admira-
ton and satisfaction. 1t is the most
fascinating, appealing. commanding
speech of the whole. It should be
read by every democrat. It brings out
most graphically and earnestly forgot
ten facts. 1t refreshes the memory
and shows convincingly to what dang
ers the people AVE been subjected and
how near one branch of the state gov
eminent was practically nullified and
destroyed by the republican judiciary.
1t is a great speech for these parlous
times. when there is a divided democ-
race n a watchful remnant of black
radicalism. 1t is impossible to treat
the speech as it really merits. Copious
quotations would but insufficiently i'm
part to the readers the sweep, force
and im~pressiveness of the ardent and
eloquent speaker. 1t is the most i'm
portant speech we have read in twenty
years. 1t should be scattered broad
cast throughout North Carolina.
We must give but a sample or two,
but the whole is appetizlng and exhil-
Grating:
But the great reforms which we
promised the people to carry out and
which We did carry out were destroyed.
What became of these? They were
trampIeQ down ana ignored amid the
SCOTS and jeers of the men who had
stood in the way of the social, moral
and political progress of his state.
This III wiped out the law and
scoffed at the law maker There was
only one great act that was left stand
ing. Yes. we went before our consti-
tuents and promised these rerorms to
the people, and we complied with our
promise. (Applause.) But if the SUI
preme court is right We were wrong.
n we came here under false pre-
fences, and the legislature OF 1899 was
a sham and a elusion and a fraud. d.
. A great deal has been said about
the court of Impeachment. The court
Of Impeachment is not a court for the
punishment of the offenders: not at all.
We do not deal with these Judges as we
deal with individuals. But we deal
with them in their official capacity. 1t
matters not what they commit. They
may commit murder burglary, or vio-
late the criminal laws of this state,
but the court Of Impeachment could
not lay n finger upon the hair of their
head or one dollar of their property.
Where is the man that will say that
they are not dangerous to the law or
this land? Gentlemen, 1 do not
believe that these judges over-rode the
constitution and DESTROYED our statute
law for the sole purpose of reinstating
the fusion office-holders. There was a
greater purpose beyond. They were go