The news & observer., 1901-01-16
GOOD GOVERNMENT, SAFETY AND PEACE

To Secure These Blessings the Purpose Of the
Democratic Party. To This End the Amend
ment Was Passed. A New Election Law is
NOV Recommended. The Rights Of the Negro
Shall be Carefully Safeguarded. Let Hatred
and Strife Cease. Let the Law Reign Su-
preme.
Gentlemen of the General Assembly,
Ladies and Fellow Citizens:
Every four years brings us change
Of administration but not always change
of policy. This year we meet under
extraordinary circumstances-one party
goes out of power and another comes
in; one policy ends and a new one be-
gins; one century passes away and
new century claims our service; new
constitution greets the new century. For
thirty years of the nineteenth century
we struggled in every way against the
evils of a suffrage based on manhood
only We found in the first days of that
struggle that theory had outrun practice
and that reality had yielded place to sem
timent. At that time we had just emer
ged 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 were helpless. A victorious
but ungenerous political enemy had
crushed US to the earth; they had forced
upon us the recognition of theories that
we knew could not be reduced to success
full practice. We were poor weak and
defeated. We accepted the situation
We did our best to prove the falsity of
our convictions. We endeavored with
sincerity to bring the negroes to a reali-
zation of the true dignity of full citizen
ship. We urgently strove to instill into
their minds that their true interests we're
likewise ours; we sought with great solic-
itude and with much sacrifice of toll and
capital to convince them that parties
were the servants and not the masters
of the people and that no past services
of a party. however beneficial these SER
vices might appear, justified the destruc-
tOn of good and safe and economical
government IN order to secure its sue
cess. We provided schools for them and
spent for them as we spent for our own
children. We cared for their insane and
afflicted and for the care and tuition of
those who were left fatherless and moth
erloss. We continued these efforts in the
face of repeated evidence of their hostil-
ity ard abated not our purposes when
they repeated their foilies. We still
hoped that they would follow the example
of the whites and divide their vote along
the lines Of governmental, industrial and
moral issues. The result was disap-
pointment. The negro was always to be
counted upon and our opponents did not
hesitate at any excess because they knew
that they had. 120, 600 voters who could
be relied upon to support any policy
however ruinouS which bore the stamp of
Republicansm With this vote as a GER
tainty our adversaries when they came
To power after twenty years of defeat
dared new evils and wrongs. Under their
rule, lawlessness walked the State like
a pestilence-death stalked abroad at
noonday-"sleep lay down armed'-the
sound OF the pistol was more frequent
than the song of the mocking bird-the
screams of women fleeing from pursuing
brutes closed the gates Of our hearts
with shock Our opponents unmindful
OF the sturdy determination of our peo-
pie TO have safe and good government at
all hazards became Indifferent to or in
capable Of enforcing law and preserving
order. Confident of the support of the
ignorant mass of negro voters the Repub-
Iican partyFand its ally forgot the
strength and determination of that peo-
pie who fought the first fight in Ala
nance against bad government and wrote
the first Declaration of independence in
Mccklenburg They challenged North Car
Olnians to combat and the world knows
the result. The campaign of 1898 ended
in victory for good government. That
was not contest of passion but OF ne
cCsSity. When VIC came to power we
desired merely the security of life lib
crty and property. We had seen all these
menaccd by 100000 negro votes cast as
the vote of one man. We had seen our
chief city pass through blood and death
in search of safety. We did not dislike
the negro, but we did love good gov
crnment We knew that he was inca
pable of giving us that and we resolved.
not in anger but for the safety OF the
State. to curtai his power We had
seen what struggle it required to pre-
serve even the form OF Republican gov
ernment with him as voter The negro
was not only ignorant-he was cannish
The educated among them who realized
tho danger to the State in mass voting
were unable to free themselves from
the power OF its ostracism.
THE AMENDMENT
When the Legislature OF 1899 met it
was confronted with these facts and was
sincerely anxious to save the good and