The commonwealth., 1901-01-24
GOV. A7(;OCko Al))KESS.
T1o Policy Of Fis Administration
Clearly ana Foroibly Defined.
A srATEsMAN's UTT FRANCES,

Lad les an j Fellow CltiZenS:
Every four years brings us change
Of administration but not always q
change OF policy. This year We meet
,.uder extraordinary circumstances-on"
party goes out Of power and another
comes II one pollcy ends and new
one begins; one century passes away
and new century claims our service a
lew constitution grests the new century
For thirty years of the nineteenth cer-
nry we struggled In every way against
tie evils Of q suffrage based on man
hood only. We found in the first-days
Of that struggle that theory had out
run practice and that reality had yielded
,,lace to sentiment. Az that time we
aad inst emerged from an unsuccessful
and disastrous war. Our property had
been swept away, our institutions had
been destroyed, the foundation of our
social fabric had been overturned, we
we're helpless. A victorious but un-
generous political enemy had crushed
is to the earth they bad forced upon
is the recognition Of theories that We
,new could not be reduced to success
ful practice. We were poor, weak and
defeated. We "acc:pted the situation. :"
We did oui best TO prove the falslty OF
III convictions. We endeavored with
5l.ca;ity to bring the negroes to real
zstion OF the true dignity Of full clti-
zensiiip. We urgently strove to instlll
uto their minds that there true inter
3st were likewise ours we sought with
;reat solialtude and with much sari-
ice Of toll and capital to convince them
=. ne masters CT the people and that no
past services ot Il party however bene-
.ici,.l these services might appear justi-
led the destruction Of good a?
and ecollomielcal government III y. def
10 secure its success. We provided
schools fer them and spent Tor them as
We spent ior our own children. We
Jared for their Insane and opened
schools for the education of their aff1ict
ssi and fer the care and tuition of those
.vho we're left iatheriess and mother
ess. We continued these efforts III
ne lace Oh repeated evidence OF their
hostility ana abated noe our puprose
when they repeated their {ollies. We
+tll honed that they would follow the
sxan1pie OF the whites and divide their
vote along the lines OF governmental,
Industrial and moral issues. The re-
>ult was :; disappointment. The negro
vas always to be counted upon and our
p,enents did not hesitate at any ex-
>.ess because they knew they had l2U-
900 voters who co'lld be relied upon to
slpport any policy howeyersruinous.
'si5ich bore tho stamp OF repubiicanisIn
viii, this vote as certainty our ac-
ersaries when they came to power al
II twenty years of defeat dared new
evils and wrongs. Under their rule
.awiessness walked the tate like pes
sleep lay down armed"-the
sound Of pistol was more frequent
man the song OF the mocking gbird-the
screams Of women fleeing from puIsu-
lug brutes closed the gates of our hearts
with shock. Our opponents unmind-
fnl Of the sturdy determination of our
people to have safe, good goYernmen:
at all hazards became Indifferent to or
incapable of enforcing law or IRE erwin ;
order. Confident of the support q
this ignorant mass OF negro voters the
party and its ally forgot the
and determination of that peO-
ole who fought the first fight in Ala
nance against bad government and
s!oe The Declaration OF Independence
Il Mecklenburg. They challenged
tcrth Caro- :inlans to com bat ard the
world bnous the result. The campaign
i 1898 eaded IN 4 victory ior good
.orefnineat That was not contest
+ passion ius OF necessity. When we
:arl.e To power we desired merely the
= c;;rity u life, liberty and properly
Il 9 hz,t; seen all these menaced by
40 900 negro yotes cast as the vote oi
9le man. We had seen cur chief city
oass ;iroug! blood and death II search
u: s.;ia5y. We did not dislike the negro
bat we did love good government. We
knew that he was ircapab!e OF giving
Us that ard we resolved, not in anger
but fer safety OF the state, to curtall
his power. We had seen what a strug-
gle it REQ nired to preserve even the
form Of republican government with
hin, as voter. The negro YVES elan
n,sh. The educated among them who
realized the danger to the state in mass
voting. were unable to free themselves
g M%,-