The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-11-27
COOL RECEPTION OF PRESIDENT.
Wilmington Messenger.

Although President Roosevelt S
stop at Asheville on last Thursday
was SO short as to preclude any form
alities i'll the way OF speech making
there was discernablea marked differ
ence between his reception then and
when he paid his former visit to that
city. In fact there seems to have
been lack of enthusiasm all along the
line from Memphis. The crowd at
the Asheville depot was small and its
chief feature was lack OF enthusiasm.
The President is not near SO popular
at the South. either with Democrats
or members of his own party, as he
was only a few months ago. This
change OF sentiment is the natural
result of his attitude on the negro
question. The Southern people, es-
pecialIy those of North Carolina, felt
that they had made a great advance
i'll their supposed elimination of the
negro from politics; and when the
President began his policy of sup
planting with white men the many
negroes who held office in this and
other Southern States, coupled with
the announcement that he approved
of Senator Pritchard's plan of estab-
fishing Il white Republican party by
barring the negro from his party's
conventions, they hailed with deli chit
this new policy of the Republican Ma
tional party. They declared they
had statesman and a patriot in the
White House. They regarded Mr.
Roosevelt as a President who recog-
nized the deplorable condition of the
South. realized its needs and was de-
termined to aid it in throwing off the
heavy burden watch weighed it down
and prevented its rising to its proper
position among the States OF the
Union. Men OF all political creeds
thus Interpreting his action hOnOred
him for it. While the Democrats of
the South opposed him politically,
they respected him as a man and
gave him due honor as the Chief Ex-
ecutive of all the nation.
Now all this is changed. We see
Mr.. Roosevelt as the Republican poll
tician, seeking the nomination as
President with the aid of the negro
vote and using his power as Presi-
dent to promote his personal ambi-
ton. When he changed front on the
question OF the white Republican
party OF The South he lost the friend
ship OF those Republicans OF this
State who favored that movement,
and the enthusiasm that his presence
aroused among the Democrats be-
| came a thing OF the past. When
Booker Washington, the avowed po-
litical enemy OF those Republicans
who opposed the negro in politics.
became the adviser OF the President
regarding his Southern policy his
| other advisers from this section
withdrew and left the negro in full
sway at the White House. Had the
President simply changed his views
on the subject il would not have been
SO bad; but. under the advice of
Booker Washington. he goes further
| and undertakes to punish the men
for carrying out the plans to which
he had heretofore given his consent.
There is no wonder then that the lack
OF enthusiasm OF the people. both
Democrats and Republicans was so
marked on this second visit to our
State. He has disappointed the peo-
pie i'll Il matter OF vital Importance
, to them and they. while treating him
| with the greatest respect. showed
most plainly their change of feeling.