The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-02-06
HOUSE UNEARTHS
REPUBLICAN PLOT
Continued from 1st nage. }

Iloh iN"' "id uiu IL IN SOOu ldAOh'
know personally the names of the men
who signed it, and many of them are
Democrats
Mr.. Curtis, of Buncombe: Was your
petition sent 10 you by Richmond Pear
son?
Mr.. Petree; No, sir; and l was not
asked TO return it TO Richmond Pearson.
HARMLESS AS SNOWFLAKEs.
Mr.. Blythe, OF Henderson, said that
Mr. Richmond Pearson needed no defense.
Attacks upon his character fell as harm
essly as snow1akes upon the mountain
side 1t is but natural that these gentle
man should get nervous wherS all these
petitions are coming in about the election
law. If Richmond Pearson has been
guilty of sending out any of these petit
tons he has been guilty of no more than
many another man. l have done the
same thing myself and | have no apollo
gies TO make for It.
Mr.. Zachary If the election law is so
one-sided, why is it that nearly all of
the counties west of tho mountains are
represented by Republicans? (Applause).
Mr.. Petree: Because they are white
counties.
Mr.. Blythe: Because those people have
the courage to maintain their rights.
EMBARRASSING QUESTIONS.
Mr. Watts. of Iredell: In what way
is the present election law so unfair?
daughter and applause).
Mr. Blythe The question requires no
answer. 1t is plain on the face of it.
(Derisive laughter).
Mr. Watts: | vii put another question
Did not your law give as great major
ity of registrars and election judges to
your party as ours does?
Mr.. Benbow of Yadkin l introduced
some of those petitions, and / think | did
1t in good faith. AS l remember, the
Governor in his inaugural message rec
commended some changes in the election
law He seemed to consider that the
present law was necessary in order to get
rid Of the negro but now that we were
rid of that danger, there might be some
notifications. DR.. Curry, too, the other
day, intmated that something was wrong.
Mr.. Curtis; Do you endorse what DR..
Curry said about a man having to be
able to read and write before he should
be allowed to vote? (Laughter).
Mr.. Benbow: / don't endorse every
thing a man says by endorsing one thing.
Mr.. Shannonhouse, of Mecklenburg The
gentleman from Yadkin assumes that We
are rid of the negro. Have we any as
surance that we are going to stay rid OF
him?
THIRTY TWO ON HIS DESK.
Mr. Ebbs, of Madison, said that he had
thirty-two petitions on his desk that
he had examined the signatures attached
to one of them, and at least half of those
names are Democrats.
Mr.. Wilson: If these petitioners were
Democrats, why have none of them sent
their petitions in by the Democratic mem
bers?
Mr. Ebbs | can't say.
MIR Owens, of Tyrrell Have you any
colored petitioners there?
Mr. Ebbs: can't answer as 10 that
But l will say that. if there is any glory
in having got rid Of the negro- you have
it, and | wish you God speed with it. The
white counties of North Carolina are Re
publican, and the negro counties Demo
cratic. wild Republican applause).
Mr. Ebbs then went on to denounce the
election law, and intimated that certain
| members of the House had been elected
| by the fraudulent throwing out of votes.
Mr. Smith, of Gates 1t would be fan
| ton law come voluntarily from the Demo
cratic party. Let them not come from the
party that in 1895 passed an election law
| whose object was to fasten negro rule
| upon many of the counties of North Caro-
| lima In that House the gentleman from
| Gates offered a proviso that the judges
| and pol-holders be men of good mora
| character That was voted down, Their
IL e11 IN that fhpV he
! of fair moral character. That, too, was
voted down. (Laughter). 1t was by ar
| unholy alliance of two parties united fol
the purpose of fixing negro rule upor
| the people that that law of 1895 was
passed. But the white men decreed thai
negro rule must cease. When our Re-
| publican friends claim that they represent
| the white counties, it must be remem-
| bered that some of those same men ad-
vocated law that would fasten the
curse of negro domination upon North
Carolina / will say. however, to the
| credit of the gentleman from Stokes that
| he always got out when there was toe
| much niger" in it.
Mr.. Craig, of Buncombe, obtained the
| floor at this juncture and made a reply Il
| Mr.. Ebbs' accusations in a brief but
| forcible and eloquent speech which was
| literally punctuated with applause. He
| began by saying he would like to correct
| statement made by the gentleman from
Madison He has said that member
occupying a seat on the other side of this
| House was elected by the fraudulent
| throwing out of Republican votes. He
ought to know better, for he lives not
far from that precinct. The facts are
these The Republican Executive Com
mittee requested that Mr.. Eller. life
long Republican, who had been judge OF
elections for 20 years under both Demo
cratic and Republican rule, should be APP
pointed judge at Flat Greek Township
! The Democrats promptly acquiesced and
| appointed Mr. Eller. The Republicans
| then began to say that something must
| be wrong, since the Democrats were sc
willing to have him, and even commenced
| to denounce Eller himself. so much sc
that on the morning of the election ne
| declined to serve. Then a man by the
name of Buckner, also a lifelong Repuo'
| lican, was appointed, with the consent OF
| all the Republicans. About 200 Repuoli-
| cans crowded the ballot boxes that morn
| ing so aggressively that the Democrat
had to wait to get in their votes. SO tear
full Of fraud were those 200 Republicans
gNN