The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-09-05
P3ITCIARD ANSWERED..
fio"- Il. B. Speech Mt
sIn-thfeId-His Refutatiop of the
Oh rSes of Ex,raya.apce ,..;,s,
III Democratic Party.
(MesSenger SDeciall


Smithfeld, n. c., September 2-Hon
Thomas B.. Womack addressed a large
crowd of democrats here TODAY. His
speech was in answer to Senator Pritch-
ards charge of extravaganza against
the democratic administration. Mr..
Womack said in part:
For several weeks past il has been
very generally understood that when
the republican state convention should
meet Senator PrItchard would deliver
d speech In which he would attempt to
put the democratic party upon the
defensive as to the administration of
the affairs of North Carolina since it's
accession TO power. An impossible
laSh, as | shall presently show.
1t Is We'll known that the revenues of
8he state under the revenue act of
1901 are not sufficient to meet the ex-
rense 7 the government and to pay
all OF TIE appropriations made by that
legislature. In fact. State Treasurer
Lacy, in the early part of this year,
succeeded in doing what no man, so far
as l am aware, has ever been able be-
fore to accomplish, that is, he went to
fhe city Of New York. and there, upon
his promise that the state would pay,
and relying entirely upon the faith and
integrity of the democratic party to
carry III his pledge, succeeded in Dor
rowing for one year the sum of 5000, 900
in cash, paying ~thereupon only 4 per
cent. interest 1t is also we'll known
hat even with the use of the proceeds
of this loan the funds in his hands
will not be sufficient to pay all of the
demands Upon the treasury, due as I
shall presently show to the undisclosed
deficit which came over ito the demo-
cratic party from fusion misrule.
Under these circumstances, the re-
publicans have been looking WI
with great interest to the speech
which Senator Pritchard should make
at the state convention, arraigning the
democratic party and denouncing it for
a deficit for which his own party was
responsible.
Never in the history of the state has
a convention been so completely dOmi-
mated by n man as was the republi-
can state convention which met at
Greensboro last week. 1t is his avOwed
purpose to do everything possible to
secure the election of independent can
didates to the legislature in order to
bring about his own reelection to the
United States senate. To accomplish
this purpose he delivered a carefully
prepared speech TO the a
large portion of which was devoted to
the discussion OF state affairs and TO
q criticism of the acts of the demo-
cratic legislatures of 1899 and 1901. His
speech was intended to u the key
note Of the republican campaign n to
furnish the facts and arguments upon
which all republican campaign
speeches this fall are to be based.
1t is my purpose today to take up
the charges which he prefers and to
demonstrate that if the administration
of the affairs of North Carolina during
the last three years is subject to the
criticism he makes. it is the republican
party and not the democratic party
which deserves the censure.
The platform. which Senator Pritch-
ard had prepared before the conve1-
ton met. contains this declaration:
1--WE invite the attention of the people
of the state to the clean. able, and
economic administrators of our state
government by the republican and pop
ulist parties from 1897 to 1901. and chal-
lenge a comparison of it with the pres
ent reckless management of our affairs
by the democratic party" 1t will be
noticed that the years 1895 and 1896 are
omitted from TINS tende of COMPARE
son, although 1T was in 1895 that Sem
ator Pritchard was first elected to the
limited States senate. The reason why
Senator Pritchard asks n voters of
North Carolina to confine their exami-
nation into the affairs OF republican
rule, to the administration of Governor
Russell, is not apparent TO those wno
have not investigated the nancla al
fairs of the state and the OF
the fusion party during the years 1879
and 1896. The inclusion of these years
would have answered his own argu-
ment and refuted his comparison, as
we shall presently see.
In Senator Pritchard's speech he
draws a parallel from the receipts from
all sources and the expenditures for al
purposes for the years 1896, 1897 and
1898, calling them republican years
with the years 1899. 1900 and 1901, de-
scribing them as democratic years. HI
states that it appears from the audi.