The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-12-09
SENATOR PRITCHARD's STATE
MENT.

The Raleigh News and observer OuD-
fishes a three column card from Senator
Pritchard in which he reviews the po-
IiticaI situation in this state and de-
fines the position Of The iAy whites
His letter is a remarkable Production
1t contains some very radical state
ments such as required Q great stretch
of Imagination to maze and will be
read by democrats with mu' n amuse-
ment. There are, on The DINER hand
statements Of facts which should cause
serious thought on tGe part OF Demo
Gratis. In the letter -hare is too much
attempt to muddy the political waters.
Mr.. Pritchard while admitting that he
and his friends are trying u set rid Of
the negro in their party tries to create
the impression hat the cOlCTed friend
and brother was not CusteL from the
Greensboro convention simply eau
of his color. His explanation of the
reasons for refusing admission to that
convention of certain delegates is very
lame indeed, and his deduction from the
following editorial in the Raleigh Post
of the day of election ;hat the demo-
cratic party hereafter vii! be dependent
on the solid negro vote is perfectly adj
serd. He quotes the Post as saying.
Yesterdays election DEVELOPS a new
problem. A large number Of tae c0lored
people allowed TO vOt- cast their votes
openly and with evident pleasure for the
democratic nominees from ton to bot
tom. This was so in tl,iS city n cOun-
ty. and we are informed The s:me thing
arOlr HNnna nv-ar 70 a g4FDn EErGnt IN a
number of counties. Indeed we would
not be surprised, taking ola cIrCum-
stances under consideration if the facts
could be ascertained, II Il larGc majority
of these voting throughout the stare
yesterday did not vote the straight DEM
ocratic ticket"
From this he argues that hereafter
the negro vote will belong to the dem
ocrats. h is a very shrewd scheme
on the part Of the senator. nut it wont
work. He is trying to transfer to the
democratic party that O<i1TG which has
chung tn his party since 1t gave the ne
gro the right Of suffrage and which has
held the south solidly democratic for the
last thirty-seven years. Senator Pritch-
ard is sufficiently cOnvarsant with the
conditions political in this and other
southern states to realize the fact that
the negro vote has been 4 dead weight
t. his party and that so long as it had
this milestone about It's neck it could
never hope to become victorious. AS Il
y last effort to place his rarty in a posi-
ton where success would he a p~Ossibili-
ty he has cast off this ueaC weight and
he now attempts to fasten the same or
the democrats. He kl"ws well enough
the democratic party If ~ state does
not want the negro vote en- masse: h a
1t would be the death cf It. and there
fore he tries to make it AZ gear that
henceforth the negro will be The ally of
what has heretofore been known as the
white IN party.
Knowing what an ipcubuS the negro
has been to his own party and how reg
ularly that vote has marched 1t to sure
defeat he tries now to transfer it to the
democrats with the hope tllat ii will
completely reverse the fC"n.Er order of
things and make the demCcla ats appear
to be dependent for success ~ the negro
vote.
The Democratic party does not want
the negro vote and VIII 10 nothing to
secure it. What tina purity wants is
that every enfranchise1 negro shall ex-
erCise his right of suffrage ana vote ror
the man and party nominee as suits him
best. This is the way the white men
of the state are going TO vote in future
and this is the way The Cclcred mon
should vote. Let neither white men nOr
black men be dumb. driven cattle"
We have had too much Of this on both
sides since the days of reconstruction
The negroes nave gone to the polls year
after year and voted the republican
ticket from presidential e!eCtor to town
ship constable just beCaUse. ii was the
republican ticket. White men on the
other hand. V lone he same thing
as regards the tic ticket. Thou
sands voted the democratic tick, be-
cause it was the white mans ticket"
and for no other reason This. no man
at all acquainted with conditions in the
eastern counties of this state can truth
fully deny. These conditions We're
wiped out by the passage OF the fran
ch.se amendment. The solid phalanX
of the negro on election lay was broken
UP The republicans took quick ad-
vantage of that democratic measure to
> cast off his heavy weight md they now
attempt 10 place it about til, neck Of
the democratic party. We dc not want
it and we wont have il.
This part of Senator Fri;ci ards ar
gument vas entirely s:Ipe rtiUC as. He
does not need to at.er''- :. tTdnefrl
the negro vote to the ~'"rnr,r-tI ..artE
and try t. make I Cpl-@' : The
party which will he deH"7Ge" or thai
vote for success in order to ;strengther
his own with the white reoLle of the
state, for the facts show tia; his party
has made rapid strides since Il had the
courage to throw off the negro element
A close study of the ictCrns q the late
election will show a ren1rkal lie changs