The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-07-15

tain Democrats VINO nave recently De
come noted for their criticisms of the
Democratic party and It's leaders and
who speak more often in terms OF ap-
proval and commendation than in criti-
| cisms Of the opponents of Democracy.
Why are these people SO stirred up over
this exposure? Why should they be so
cock sure that the Republicans do not
intend to carry out their antc-election
threat against the amendment? Why do
tbev go into Mysteries when it is charged
that the Republicans are fomenting in
dependentism in North Carolina?
But Senator Pritchard issued an adj
dress. not long since to the people Of
North Carolina, in which he did a little
charging based upon information" /
refer to his address, issued April Sth,
| 1902. signed by him as chairman OF the
| Republican State Executive Committee
and issued by the direction of the Re-
publican State Executive Committee. In
| that interview he used this language: II
am informed that the leaders OF the
Democratic party propose TO Try TO IN
duce the county commissioners in the
| various counties where they are in con-
troll to release from payment OF poll tax
| all those who fail to pay their taxes on
or before the first day of May, provided
they agree to vote the Democratic ticket,
regardless of the fact as to whether or
| not they come within the provisions of
the statute which authorizes the com
misSioners in certain cases to exercise
such discretion.
Here is a charge made by the Re
| nublican chairman and Senator that the
Democratic party proposed to try TO in
duce the commissioners OF the Demo
- :; 10 ito Of l4- an1
in disregard of their oaths of office, to
release from payment of poll tax all
persons who had not paid their tax
according to law who would agree to
vote the Democratic ticket Was there
ever a more slanderOus, outrageous and
unfounded charge promulgated in the
! State, a charge of corruption against the
whole Democratic party, a charge that
it would attempt to induce the Demo-
cratic commissioners of the State to COM
nit bald-face perjury for partisan pur-
| poses, and this charge based upon in
formation? That the charge was SLAM
| derous has been proved by events. l
do not recall any very vigorous censure
| of Senator Pritchard for publishing this
slander from those who are now going
into Mysteries over my exposure, | do
not recall any protest on their part upon
the ground of it's '.inprobabili-
ty," although it was absurd
and ridiculous upon its face.
These things are pertinent, these
things are significant. The people of
North Carolina should reflect upon them.
and they should ask themselves whether
these things do not Indicate that the
Republican plan of campaign, as out
lined by my informant, is already at
work in North Carolina and far ad-
vanced.
In less than a fortnight after Senator
| Pritchard's address to the people, an eX-
tract from which has been quoted, the Re
publican commissioners of Madison coun-
ty, where the Senator lives, sitting in
Marshall, his home town, are charged to
have done the identical thing which he
charged the Democrats intended to have
done in Democratic counties, and there
is no other county in the State where
this unlawful thing was done.
THE Senator says in his interview
that there has never been any negro
domination in North Carolina as a
State" That question has been decided
against the Senator by a majority Of
sixty thousand votes. This statement of
the Senator is, therefore,, to
use the now famous language
Of Senator Beveridge, "unWar
ranted.' The Senator qualities his
statement that there has been no negro
domination in North Carolina by adding
the words las a State l suppose he
means there was none in the section of
the State where he lives. More than any
other man in the State, the Senator is
responsible for the twcnty-seven negro
postmasters and the one thousand negro
officc-holdcrs that his party placed III
authority over the white people of East
crn North Carolina when it was in
power. He and his Republican asso-
ciatcs in the west had enough of the
spirit of Anglo-Saxon manhood not to
want in the part of the State where they
lived the horrible conditions they had
helped to force upon the white people
Of the east, and it comes with
i'll grace from them to mock
tho white people Of the east.
on whose neck they put the ruth
less heel of negro domination, with the
statement "wc had none of it in our sec
ton Of the State" The fact that the Sen
ator appointed negro postmasters on the
east and would not appoint them in his
own section of the State makes his crime
against the white people all the worse.
The people of North Carolina
have not forgotten these negro
officc-holders and they have not forgot
ten who brought them into existence and
placed them over them, and if, when the
party which pcrpetrated this great out
rage appeals to the white people of the
State for their votes, they are overcome
by the memory of those horrible days
and cry negro the Senator and his
confcrees ought not to be offended.
I'M -. 49,
rambling stump speech says some other
things which might be answered but
they have no relevancy to the subject
under consideration, and they can wait
until the time for their discus
sion arrives. Enough has been
said to show that his answer is a
shrcWd dodge; that it III no way en-
lightens the people as to the attitude of
his party on the suffrage question. and
that current events are daily justifying
my statement as to the policy his party