The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-03-06
OUR RALEIGH LETTER
NEWS NOTES AS REPORTED BY OUR
REGULAR CORRESPONDENT.
An Investigation Demanded of the
killing of a White Convict EN-.
ployed On Railroad Construction at
Huntdale-Democrat State Execu-
tive Committee to Meet March 75,h
Various Matters of Interest.
From Our Regular Correspondent.

From Our Regular Correspondent.
RALEIGH. n. C., March 3, 'O2.
1t is both a salutary and wise proceed
ing, the healthfulness and corrective
effects of which may not be doubted, to
indulge in little determination oc-
casiOnally-"lest we forget, lest we for
getl' 81
This truthful observation applies to
political parties as well as to individuals,
with equal force and effectiveness, and in
view OF the wide publication OF the report
Of an alleged disgraceful and outrageous
affair that is said to have recently oc-
Cured in our State, would like to en-
quire what has become of our much
Wanted and widely heralded White
Supremacy" principles, with which we
walloped the life out of the Populist party
a brief two years ago? Vide, the Colds
boro incident, when a fusion sheriff was
forced by certain 'strenuous'' gentlemen
to separate a white convict that he had
chained together with a herd of black
criminals en- route to the..penitentiary.
AN INVESTIGATION DEMANDED.
II the vitalization and insistence upon
the idea and principle of White Supremacy
was important then land it was); If the
gentlemen then stamping the State in the
interest OF our party. and incidentally
running personally for public office, were
honest and hearty in their declarations Of
1900 land make no doubt that they all
were), how comes it, then. that in 1902
a brief year after the Inauguration OF our
new White Supremacy administration,
AGENTS OF THE STATE can order
negro convicts to apply the lash to the
hnro Of .o4
have the victim OF such an infamy shot
down and killed because he resented it by
attacking the negroes when his arms
were unpiniOned?
How comes it. repeat, that such
disgraceful and infamous act 1.-THE only
charge against the man being ''insubor-
dination'') can concur in this year of
grace. without official notice being taken
OF it? And yet a dispatch was sent out
by the Associated Press all over the
country from Huntdale. n. C., giving the
above particulars more than week ago.
Huntdale is in Mitchell county, within
the pale of civilization. and the outrage
occurred it is stated. at the camp of con-
victs hired OF the penitentiary authorities
to work on railroad construction. In
the name OF humanity, in the interests of
White Supremacy. in vindication of the
Democratic party and the principles it
stands for. and the good name of our
State, this seemingly unparalleled piece
of infamy should he investigated; and the
people will be satisfied with nothing less
than either the refutation of the report
now current Or the summary dismissal of
the States agents or officials responsible
for it. If the dispatch was untrue or ex-
aggerated, that fact should be shown.
| say Gin the interests Of our party and
the principles it stands for" because if
this sort OF thing can go on without at
tracing the prompt attention and cor
receive action of those whom we have
elected and placed in high Office, it will
| not be long before our political enemies
can and will say, with some appearance
of truth, that some office-seeking poll
ticans in 1900 We're "playing' with the
white voters in North Carolina: that
| their pretense of White Supremacy cham
| piOnship was a hollow mockery and a
| political trick and sham to win votes:
| that they were hotter on trail of desirable
public office and it's emoluments than
| they were in seeming real danger to the
ascendency and political and social domi-
nation OF the white race. And this is the
| view OF one OF the best Democrats in
| North Carolina as he stated it to ME to-
| day.
The excuses OF no one man or company
| OF men should stand in the way of purg-
ing our party and our public servants
| (most of whom | am sure are entirely
true and honest in their pretensions) of
| even liability to such q monstrous charge
| as that.
STATE COMMITTEE MEETING.
l Nt4 s~s, s -,
State Executive Committee of the State
| Simmons to be held in Raleigh March %,
will take up several important questions
OF party policy, one of which relates to
Democratic candidate for the United
States Senatorship which the Legislature
will be called on to fill next January;
another is the question of the payment OF
poll tax by all electors by May 1. or the
consequent loss OF their votes under the
new law; another is the providing of ma
chinery OF organization of the party in
the new Judicial and Congressional dis
tricts. Still another will be the selection
OF the date for holding the next State
convention, to nominate candidates for
Chief Justice and Supreme and Superior
Court Judges, Superintendent of Public
instruction, etc. Raleigh will have big
theatre-auditorium by the time set, cap
able of accommodating double as many
people as any other hall in North Caro-
lima. The work OF charging the present
Academy OF Music will begin next month,
[ am told, and in it future conventions
will be held. 1t will accommodate over
5000 persons
VARIOUS MATTERS OF INTEREST.
The State Board of Education decides
all the counties will be able to secure four
months public schools through the dis.
tribution OF the second 100000 ap
preparation soon to be made. There are
twenty-five counties in the State which
will have more than four months schools
without asking for State aid, and there
fore will not be apportioned any of this
fund.
The report published during the last
few days that Judge Shepherd would
withdraw his deelination to stand for thu
nomination for Chief Justice was un
authorized and untrue, it seems While
there is little doubt that Judge Shepherd
would accept the nomination if rendered