The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-06-23
|AYCOCK SPEAKS
on THE NEW ERA
Address at the Southern
Manufacturers Club.
IT WAS A GREAT SPEECH
The Power Which Controls the Des
tiny of the State.
THE MASSES WHO ABIDE IN THE COUNTY
Business Men and Manufacturers Should Ascer.
tain the Views Of These People and Make
Harmonious With Them Their
Growth and DEVELOPMENT.
Growth and Development.
Especial to News and observer.)

Charlotte, N. c., June 22.-The speech
| delivered here tonight by Governor Chas.
( E. Aycock at the Southern Manufactur-
| er's Club was one of his best efforts, full
| of strength, beauty and the deep, con-
/ vincing earnestness that characterizes
:, all of his addresses. A large and enthu-
| siastic audience gathered upon the roof
! garden listened with absorbed attention
| and at times greeted some peculiarly
| telling point with warmest applause.
| Governor Aycock spoke as follows
| "Mr. Presidet and Gentlemen:
| ut is very great pleasure to be with
| you tonight. Charlotte and Mecklenburg
| stand for much in the history of North
| Carolina. 1t was your great privilege to
| be the pioneers in the movement in be-
! half of liberty. 1t was your ancestors
who wrote the first Declaration of indie
| pendence and who in emphatic form de-
clared the principles of independence of
/ thought and action. 1t is your proud
| prestige now to be leaders in the indus
trial development of the State. What
| our ancestors did in behalf of liberty has
| been transferred to you as a precious
| heritage without labor on your part. What
| you have done in the development of the
State is your own constitution wrought
| out by hard work and much thought. 1t
! is a privilege to speak to such a people.
1t is a higher privilege to be the Govern
| or of a people who are so we'll versed in
the principles of liberty and so much
! skilled in the modern development which
make life more tolerable.
| Having accomplished much in the past
! you owe much to the development of the
| future. Your history is such as to justify
| great expectations Iour present is of
| that sort that makes one hope for the
! future. Having been the first to declare
| your independence of British oppression
| and set forth the true principle sof lib
| erty, it is meet that you should be pion
| GERS in the movement<for more liberal
thought in the twentieth Century.
| tYou will pardon me for reminding you
| in the beginning that your task is a diff
| ficult one and can only be wrought out
| by much charity. You have served the
| world well in the past. How we'll you
| shall serve it in the future will depend
| largely upon your attitude towards pub
| lie uestions. You may grow rich with
| ont power and have great honor without
| influence. The people who have influenced
| the world most have been those who gave
| least consideration for their own selfish
| purpose and most regard for the good of
) others. If they have advocated liberalty
! of opinion they have also been foremost
| in yielding regard to the opinion of 9th
ers. / trust that this will be your posi-
! tion
I'VE have entered upon a new era in
| the development of our State. In my in
| augural address as the Governor of North
Carolina l declared that the time had
| come when we must have not only toera-
ton of opinion, but respect for the opin
| ion of others as we'll. Those who hold
that opinion ought to be free are hest
tant in asserting their own opinion with
that offensive assurance whic hignores
| the views of others. If we are indeed to
| have a new era in this State we must
give due regard to the ideas of other peo-
pie. We must not forget the past, but
we at the same time must not hold
| lavish allegiance to it. We must not
| forget the history of our State nor the
! genius of our people. We must not think
that the great world outside of us is
entitled to dominate our views and that
the opinion of our own people past and
present, is entitled to no right
LESS than Is per cent of our popu-
| lation dwell in cities and towns. Eighty
! TWO per cent OF IneIu SUN dDiue III inc
! country and provincial as the modern
| man may think them, they are still the
| power which controls the destiny of the
| State and shapes the hopes and aspira-
| tions of the entire community 1t would
| be suicidal in us to regard the modern
industrial development as emitting those
| who dwell in cities to control public "oli-
| cies and to dominate the opinion of the
Ctot in no tire nf
/ strike out on lines which are antagnostic
| to the views of 50 per cent of the people
/! l care not how strong you may be, nor
| how rich you may be for after all this
is a government of the people, by the
people. and for the people, and particular
| interest will ever find that their true
course is in harmony with that of ma
! iority of the people. Your manufactur-
| ing industries are subject to legislation
| and legislation is controlled by the views
of a majority of the people. You must,
| therefore, ascertain those views and make
! harmonious with them your growth and
| development
| Il believe that there is tendency in
! this day to ignore this fundamental prin-
ciple of success and prosperity. You will
pardon my plainness Of speech. | trust
that when / took the oath of office as
Governor of the State that l became the
Governor thereby of its entire people,
interested in every movement which
thereby of its entire people, interested
| in every movement which leads to the
| upbuildng of the State and to its enrich.
| ment. | recognize the necessity for riches.
! | am among those who believe that the
| educational Industrial, social and gov
| ornamental development of the State is
| dependent upon increased wealth and 1
! am anxious to sec every agency which
j tends to increase the wealth of the State
J prosper and receive that encouragement
, which comes fro ma friendly view on the
| part of those who possess governmental
| powers, but | cannot believe, nor can
give my assent to the idea that there
is anything antagonists to the true
growth of the State in the opinion of the
majority of the peOple of the State.