The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1901-10-24
SENATOR PRITcHARp At Lou,ssu ,c

| enCP.
Below we give some extracts from
senator Pritchard's speech at I,ouis.
ourg referred to In last issue:
1--WE have at last reached that
period In our history as State when
we can afford to calmly and dis
passionstely consider the manv
questions that are being presented
10 us tor solution, from a purely
business standpoint. The people of
the South have suffered much in tho
past, owing to the fact that thew
nave given too much attention to
sentiment, and not enough consider
alton to the great problems that
have so vitality affected the welfare
Oh the nation. AT the close of the
late civil war the Southern peonle
were left in a deplorable condition.
Inc mlsfortunes which confronted
US at that time, resulting from the
conflict in which we had been en-
gagged, were unavoidable, but tho
Democratic leaders who undertook
10 shape the policy for our section
did not seem to appreciate the fact
that the one great problem with
which We were called upon at that
time to contend was that of
the development of our resources.
and instead Of attempting to shape
legislation 80 as to secure for this
section its just proportion of the
benefits that could have been realized
therefrom, the leaders of the Demo
cratic party devoted their time and
energy in attempting to keep alive
sectional and race prejudices, and in
vigorously opposing any and all
measures that were calculated to
to bring about the commercial and
industrial development of the South.
While Southern Democratic repre-
sentatives in Congress were grumb.
ling about questions that had
forever been settled and in many
instances forgotten by the progress
i've people of the country, the rep
resentatives from other sections
were graphing with real live issues
and settling them In accordance with
the ever-increasing demands of the
commercial conditions incident to
our rapid growth and expansion as
a nation. The action of the South
ern Democratic representatives was
calculated to postpone and delay the
development of our enterprises,
while the policy pursued by repre-.
5entatives from other sections re
suited in giving their communities
great wealth and degree of indus
trial development which had never
been attained in this or any other
country during the same length of
time. AS result of the legislation
they secured, their coal and iron
mines were developed they manu-.
! featured every article known 10
mankind, furnished employment
for the laboring men at remunerative
wages, built large cities and con-
structed great railways, built churches
and school houses, and educated all
1 NAo COc VA tAlOlA IOoplC3 OIl tllc
other hand, many sections of our
Southern country, with the same
natural advantages, and in many
instances opportunities that were
superior to those of any section of
the country, remained in an unde-
veloped state, comparatively few
large cities were built, our children
were not furnished proper ednca-
tiOnal advantages, and until within
| the last few years but little material
development was made in any
direction"
Today, we are brought face to face
with the great problems which we,
as part of the nation, are called
upon to assist in solving in an in
telligent and patriotic manner.
awe were told by Governor Ay-
cock in his campaign last summer
that the adoption of the constitution
al amendment would mean freedom
of thought by which I presume that
he meant to say in the event of the
adoption of the proposed amend
ment to our constitution that the
white people of Eastern Carolina
would in the future be permitted to
pass upon public questions in accord
ance with reason and common sense.
In other words, he gave as reason
for his advocacy of that proposition,
that it's adoption would have
tendency to emancipate the white
man who resided in Eastern Carolina
from a slavery which, in some re-
spects, had been worse than that
which, in some respects, had been
worse than that which was endured
by the black man prior 10 emancipa-
| tion. Many of the white men of
the South, and especially in Eastern
Carolina, have been in intellectual
slavery since 1868, and the approach
ing election will be the first op-
portunity that has been afforded d
to enjoy freedom of thought.
"But will the leaders of the DEM
ocratic party permit the people to
deal with these questions In accord
ance with the dictates of their better
Judgment? In an editorial publish
ed in the News and Observer on last
Thursday morning among other
things we find the following:
'But-the negro will not be
eliminated from politics until he is
deported and all the predictions
based upon such elimination will
therefore fall to the gound.'
'"This is a remarkable statement,
in view of the assurances that were
made to the people on every stump
in North Carolina by Democratic
speakers in the last campaign. We