The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-10-15
COL. HARRIS REPLIES
TO SENATOR PRITCHARD
Continued from First Page.)

same men who had rejected CO. operation
in 1892, We're opposed to it in 1894. And
remember, that Jeter C. Pritchard was
one of the men who opposed cooperation
with the Populists in 1892, and headed
the office holders who were delegates to
the National convention that year, and
forced the denomination of Harrison
against the wishes of the masses of the
Republican party, and brought over
Whelming defeat in the nation that year
as he did in the State. But the votes
were not all counted in 1894, before
Pritchard was candidate for United
States Senator in opposition to Daniel
l.. Russell, j. J. Mott. oliver H. Dock
cry, and other Republicans who had at
tended at the birth of the Republican
party OF this State, and who had grown
gray in fighting for thirty years the
battles of the Republican party, while
Pr1tchard was nursing at his mothers
breast and toddling around in pinafores.
And 1t is fact that Pritchard and the
men who had fought cooperation organ
lied in the counties which had opposed
cooperation and succeeded in electing
enough Republicans to dominate the
NouNto, anu iilCudlu Ilio IoOh
these Republican members of the Leg
islature and proceeded to discipline Rus
sell, Mott and Harris, for their opposi
ton to their ticket in 1892 by selecting
Pritchard Senator. Either Russell, Mott
on Dockery ought to have been elected
Senator, and it was a. shame and an out
rage that the result of their labors
should have been used to prevent the
election of either to the great office of
United States Senator And then after
Mckinley was elected in 1896, and the
Legislature was again Populist and
Republican, to have debauched and
degraded both parties by the indis-
criminate promise of Federal offices,
and to have utterly destroyed the Popu-
:lst party in the election of Senator for
ire long term, by injecting strife and
division into that organization, was a
blunder worse than crime, and enacted
wilfully and deliberately in full view of
the consequences which followed the
elections of 1898 and 1900.
And then we come to the fight of
Pritchard and the Federal officeholders
on Governor Russell because of the at
tack on the lease of the North Carolina
railroad. This was not a party matter
and Russell had a perfect right to make
the fight, and it was another serious
blunder of Pritchard to make it party
matter and to undertake to destroy
Russell and thus fatally injure the party
in the interest of the Southern railway.
The Populist party had been destroyed
as the result of the second election of
Pritchard TO the Senate, and the fight on
Russell finished up the Republican par
ty and made the victory of the Demo-
Gratis in 1898 an easy job.
And then in 1900 Republican State
convention was brought together which
was composed of more than two hun
dred Federal officeholders out of two
hundred and forty delegates. These
delegates under the express leadership
Of Pritchard made the proposed consti-
tutional amendment the issue in that
campaign, refused to give Governor
Russell and his administration an en-
dorsement, and nominated a candidate
for Governor who was then receiving
two thousand dollars per year from an
office given him by Russell, and yet this
nominee stood by and saw his benefac-
tor insulted and virtually denounced by
the convention and did not raise his
voice in defence of the man who had be-
slowed bread and meat upon him after
the wreck and ruin of 1898, and when
the nominee for Governor badly needed
a certain monthly stipend. But human
nature is SO frail, and the Federal judge
ship of the western district had not
then been finally settled, and to have
raised voice in behalf of Russell was
to have brought down the boss on him
and thrown away what he did not have,
but what he thought he did, chance
for that judgeship. This distinguished
gentleman who was extinguished in
1858 and again in 1900, was one of the
conclave at Greensboro on Saturday last,
and is in good standing in the, close COR
poration and has the army of the rev.
enuers to assist in drumming law bust
ness for him in the Western and Eastern
judicial districts. Me is also promised
a judgeship in the Philippines. which
the writer hopes he may speedily re-
ceive.
The acceptance of the proposed con-
sttutional amendment as the ISSUE of
the campaign simply allowed the Demo-
Gratis to make the issue and then per-
mitted them to choose the ground ON
which to fight the battle. This was
stupendous stupidity, but it was neces-
sary in order to carry the eighth and
ninth Congressional districts and permit
the Democrats to carry the other seven,
the eighth and ninth by geographical
location being near the home of the boss.
And it is amusing to think that in 1898
and in 1900 none no, not one, of the
Westerners who were in the Greensboro
conclave kcrossed the danger line and
spread himself out like green bay
tree in any eastern county. Discretion
was the better part of valor, and then
we must remember
THAT we who fights and runs away,
May live to fight another day;
But he who in battle is slain,
VIII never live to fight again.
The conclave is approving and en-
dorsing the constitutional amendment
by their treatment of the negro. Col
James H. Young, of this city, did not re
ceive an invitation to Greensboro, but
his curiosity was so great that he wen
without an invitation. Neither of these
Federal officeholders were admitted tt
the meeting. | did not get this informa
tiOn from either Of them aS thew baf