The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-10-23
Pritchard Loved Them so IN 1897 that He
Treated Them With
DISTINGUISHED CONSIDERATION
1t was Only After Their Votes, Which put Him in
Office, Couldn't Keep Him in, That He Kicked
out of the Convention the Negroes
He had Sent Carriages
for in 1907.

The Democrats do not ask and have
never asked for the votes of negroes.
They disfranchised as many of them as
they could legally and constitutionally
disfranchise But they have always treat
ed the negro with kindness and fair
ness and they viii continue to do So
solely because The party is great enough
to do right
The acticn of senator Pritchard to-
ward the negro in this campaign has been
such as 10 make him forfeit the good
opinion of fair-minded men The worst
sin in life is the sin Of mgratitude. Sen
ator Pritchard owes his political elevation
and prominence to the negro vote which
he obtained by promise of political ele-
walton of the negro, which promises he
kept Dy putting 900 negroes in office. Is
it any wonder that self-respecting ne
groes should feel indignant at such in
gratitude as Pritchard now shows-now
that he is appealing to white votes and
The negro has been disfranchised?
Scotland Harris. (col.). who was elect
&C a delegate to tho Republican State con-
vention, was mcmber of the Lcgisla-
turo of 1897 that elected Pritchard Sena-
tor, He WAS the recipient OF great at
tenticn by Pritchard then. At the Re
publican state convention he was how'd
lacionsly" kicked out by Pritchard's or
i.ders he has written letter in which
nc makes severe indictment Of Pritch-
ard, He says
Just FIVE years ago ] was a member
of the Legislature of North Carolina
| from the historic county Of Halifax
And one night as l was sleep at the
hotel with the rest of the colorcd mem
| bers / was suddenly awaked by a mes
| scnger from Senator Pritchard urging
me to arouse the other negro members
| from sleep and TO come at once to his
room at the Park Hotel-and that he
| had carriages at the door for us TO
/ take us to said hotel. I got the boys
Up in less time than it takes me to tell
| it.
"Andin a few minutes we were in closed
| carriages rolling TO our political doom.
! When we got there we found Senator
| Pritchard crcstfalcn & dejccted-and
| with q voice choked with tremulous
| fears he told the sad story, That some
| of the white Republicans. Cthese lily
| whites). were conspiring with the COM
| mon enemy to defeat him--But at no
! time had he doubted the loyalty OF the
| colorcl members-but he desired that
We would sign a card, pledging him our
| support that these lily white fighters
might see that uselcssness of their oppo-
sition,'
This is an instance that this J. c.
! Pritchard used the loyalty of the negro
| to Whip his lily whites i'm line.
"IIe further stated. That he could not
| be elected without our votes and as q
consequence OF his inability-re made
promises & pledges to us as no man in
| ~ C. ever made TO his constituents.
"And as a matter of fact not one Of
which has ever been fulfilled unless
| it was when l was elected a delegate
| to thc Greensboro Convention by the
unanimous soncent OF the Rep. convention
of Halifax co.-That I was with the rest
of the Colored delegates unceremoniously
| kicked out of that so called Rp Conven-
/ tion, and threatened with ROB violence if
we took scat in that said convention,
! even as spectators The doors being
guarded to prevent our entrance-thu5
:! this convention of political mountebanks.
and the rejected of all political PARTIES
| lifted tho Roof off tho CITY Hall when the
| Chairman-said That he thanked God
| that the rep. party had been delivered
| from the body of the dead If we were
| so dead why did Senator Pritchard
| send closed carriages for those eleven
| dead bodies at thc hour of midnight
| during he Legislature of 81? Yes, he
wished TO crawl over these dead bodies
! in the I. s. Senate. and when he had
prevailed upon US. TO throw ourselves
| down for him 10 walk into official hon
! crs. entirely beyond his fitness no
sooner had his foot cleared our should
| crs.-he wiped his foot on us and
! slammed tho door OF the PARTY in our
FACE
And again this political wiper who was
warmed in The bosolGs of negro voters,
crawls out his sick bed < cringing his
way to Alabama. that his poisonous
fang might pierce tho political heart
OF The negro there rs had already been
cousumnated in North Carolina.
..Not content with The work at home.
he is reaching his Internal talons into
ether realms. declaring that III" negro
must be dchumanized and treated as n
political renegade and shut out from
all tho councils Of The party to which
ne has clung with mcompromisiug hdcl-
ity and unswerying devotion since the
dawn ri the semhlance OF freedom. No
| ore man in al the history Of Ameri-
can politics has created much senii-
nent and misgivngs among tho negroes.