The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-03-03
PR1TcnARD's sPEI CHI


The Asheville Gazette prints the full
text of the speech of Senator Pritchard
on the motion Of Senator Butler Ito re-
fer the credentials of +. NJ. Simmons
Senator elect from North Carolina. to the
committee on privileges and elections.
We summarize below some OF the mar
vellous misrepresentation in which the
speech abounds With brief comment,
I. He begins by saying that
North Carolina is denied 1.-The bene-
fits of a Republican form OF govern
ment," and then declared that when the
Fusionists, carried the State in 1895 they
"enacted an election law that was per-
fectly fair in its provisions" If Sena-
TOR Pritchard thinks that statement true,
he is the only living man in the State
that does, 1t gave the Fusionists two
election officers and the Democrats one.
and it resulted in putting thousands OF
illegal and. dead negroes on the registra-
tlon books. and in putting on as many
more imported negroesv4rIn its ipracti-
cal operations it>was only less villain
Gus and Unfair than the Candy election
49, when theS Radicals carried all the
1t boxes telseath Carolina ana--had
q counted there.
= Referring TO the. State administra-
ton by Fuslonists he says Il desire To
say that We have never had our State
affairs administered in more satisfac-
tory manner than they were under the
administration OF Governor Russell.
That is whec ne says now, and yes il
the Republican State convention held ii
Raleigh in May 1900, Pritchard and his
crowd refused to endorse Russell's adj
mnistration. Why? They did not dare
20 into the campaign carrying the load
of RusselPs incompetent, corrupt, vacil-
lating, and utterly bad administration
marked BY ftrrything except decency
sanencss and worth. AS result of the
refusal to endorse RusselPs rotten ad-
minlstration,, Russell and Pearson (whc
wrote the RESOLUTIONS at Pritchard's die
tation) engaged in wordy war OF bill
Iingsgate Russells administration foist
ed 1000 negro office holders on the State,
brought scandal and shame TO North Car
~olina. aud closed in subseryience and
servility gcf political CORPORATION dicta-
lion. Ii St-3~astso good, why did Pritch-
ard refuse to endorse it last May?
3. The @next@portion OF the speech is
devoted to a wordy and lurid denuneia-
ton of the campaign of 1898 in which
this untrue statement occurs: Not
only were negroes in Eastern Carolina
denied the right to vote, but thousands
of white men in the middle and western
sections OF the State were so completely
/ terrorzed that they refrained from vot-
/ ing. while many. of them. by coercion,
were induced 40 vote the Democratic tick
ct. The white men in the middle and
western sections of the State" or any
Z other part of North Carolina are no;
I made of the stuff to be 'terrorized"
by anybody, and the suggestion Of it Is
/ absurd and ridiculous.
/. The Senator says that the Legislature
/ enacted dishonest election law, took
/ recess for the purpose las 1 believe OF
intimidating the Governor TO such al
extent as TO prevent him from taking
4 such steIs as were necessary for the
( proper enforcement OF the law" and. '.tc
{ intimidate the judges to such an extent
I as TO prevent them. from granting the
4 remedies to which We were entitled un-
Z der tho law" He then says that prior
Z TO the meeting of the Legislature in June
( conference of Republicans" consist
I ing of Linney, Bynum, Holton and Pritch-
I ard was held at Greensboro, and it was
decided to call onsthe Republican judges
By mandamEss to..ccmpel registrars Il
4 put names on the registration books. He
says the Democrats got ''onto" their con-
z templated use of the courts and pre-
vented IL by law al the June session
s He thus shows that the Radical leaders
4 had full confidence that the Radicsa
Z judges would, lend themselves to Radical
! decisions andAbrders3 and shows that tht
Democrats were Justified in enacting leg
I islation that ehectually curbed the mon.
partisan judges In their contemplated at
! tack upon the legal and orderly methct