The news & observer., 1901-02-24

do not mean to r5fect upon the gentle
man from Wilson He is one OF the aDleSt
men in this State and one OF the best be-
loved men. whose presence honors this
| General Assembly ! certainly would not
reflect on the courage of men who favor
| the substitute. for men who can walk up
and face a proposition like that eould
| stand unterrifed before an army with
| banners.
HEROIC REMEDY NEEDED.
What shall we do? The gentleman
from Wilson says we must not apply the
heroic remedy. We have applied heroic
| remedies in North Carolina. But Tor
heroic action we would not be here. |
will ask the gentleman from Scotland
how was it that only two votes we're cast
against the Amendment in his county il
it were not on account of the heroism OF
the men of Scotland? (ApplauseD why
is the high minded and able son OF VIII
| son here to serve his county and has state
| except by heroic action of his eonsu-
| tuents? In the mountain section OF this
State J have stood in the presence of
armed and enraged multitudes, where
| there were three Republicans to one DEM
ocrat, and proclaimed the truth OF De-
mocracy. The men that stood by me
were heroes, every one of them. Cap
plause) They feared not death itself
They defied the power Of the enemies OF
this State. Yes. in defiance of the Fed
eral judges and Federal power, the peo-
pie of this State have dared to do their
duty and enforce the law. (Renewed ap-
plause) That was heroic action. And
gentlemen, remembering those men, how
they did their duty like heroes, propose
TO take heroic action here today.
you. (pointing to the gentleman from
Scotland, amid applause) and you (point-
ing 10 the gentleman from Wilson,, have
sat here and had it hurled in your face
by the gentleman from Madison that You
were here by fraud and violation of law.
have stood upon this floor and hurled
back their charges of slander upon the
brave men of the East. prolonged ap-
plause.) The 175,000 men that stand be-
hind us are heroes, and were willing to
apply heroic remedy to save North Car
olina. Shall the heroism cease with them.
The hour has come when we must pull
down from the high places the men who
would destroy the work that the people
of North Carolina have accomplished.
Yes, I for one, am willing to apply the
heroic remedy Cloud applause).
Talk about public sentiment | do
not know how public sentiment is. 1t is
not my greatest concern how it is. Ny
greatest concern is to know the right and
do it. l think that public sentiment is
about all one way. have heard from
the men of the mountains, and know that
they are with me. In the towns of the
State there are some, will admit. who
are afraid of what other people may
think. and they are alarmed. There is &
public sentiment here against the inn
peachment, a public sentiment manufac-
tured by a powerful lobby. applause
1t is always thus, when you attack men
in places of power. The people have no
| lobby They are at home attending ia
their daily occupations. We gentlemen
are here TO represent them, that great
constituency that has no lobby. So far as
l am concerned, defy hat lobby. Cloud
and prolonged applause). Members OF
. ! this House can hardly walk the streets
without being button holod off in corners
and even the Senate itself-the court to
try this case. has been approached.
There was public sentiment in this
State when Holden vas impeached. Some
people wero frightened and advised
against it, He too, employed great law
| yers to defend him There was one that
ne could not employ. Vance was offered
a fee of $4,000 and though he was poor
| almost needing tho necessities of life, he
| replied that no amount Of money could
purchase his services against his people.
lie said he could live and die in poverty,
but there was not gold enough in their
/, Golfers to buy him. (Applause.) You
older men remember those dark days OF
eS. There we're great men in this State
; that counselled submission to q victorious
| enemy. You remember bow the great
leader Of the people stood upon the por-
| tico of the National Hotel and hurled dc
fiance OF the carpet -baggers and scala
wags. (Applause). His voice rang like a
! trumpet note from the mountains 10 the
. sea. He saved North Carolina. l wish
that we had a Vance today. (Applause).
Would that (pointing to Vances picture)
that lion heart could speak again; that
from those lips of Glove and melting pity
and greatness and fiery wrath there
could come one bugle call. This public
| sentiment would vanish He would make
it more tolerable for SodOm and Gomor-
rah in the day of judgment than for these
men in North Carolina who are trampliue
down our Constitution and destroying our
|
spirit could descend upon some of his be
loved and talented followers today, and
breathe into them the spirit of the men
of '6S and 70 and rs. There would be
none of this lobbying here.
This is not the Constitution of 81 nor
of '6S or of -. It is the Constitution
that has been building since the day
when William the Norman set his foot
upon Britain. II is Magma Charta. the
Bill of Rights. the declaration of the
Mecklenburg, the declaration of Phila'
delphia moulded into one great organic
, law.
PRESERVE THE CONSTITUTION.
J ''rhe question is. shall we preserve
, this Constitution, this heritage from our
J fathers. The 1925 is small matter. but
} if they violate the Constitution for that,
then for a million dollaTs-for the special
| tax bonds. they would destroy it and
leave not one stone upon another. 1t was
[ for this Constitution that our fathers
went to battle in 1851. (ApplaUse). Il
was not for the preservation of slavery
but for the preservation o. their rights
guaranteed by the organic law. IT was