The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-08-31
ADVANCE SHEETS FROM
THE DEMOCRATIC HANDBOOK
The "Independent'' Scheme in North Carolina is
Clearly Presented to the People.
BLAZE TURNED ON THE REPUBLICAN, DEAL

office holders. many of them renegade
Democrats
The Republican convention recently
held in Greensboro was a shining ex-
ample of boss rule. The Republican
party wanted to put out a ticket but
Senator Pritchard thought his only
chance of reelection to the Senate was
by helping the independents. So he for
bade the convention nominating a ticket.
He was master of the convention, and
while the vast majority of the conven-
tion and party were against him, it had
to bow to his will or lose the Federal
offices. The delegates did not long hes
itate. They bowed down to Pritchard
and held on to their offices. So it was
decided to fill up their ticket with Dem
ocrats, giving the Republicans only one
place out of five. The work started in
by the endorsement of Judge Hill, an in
dependent.
Then they wanted to endorse our nomi-
nees for Judge of the Supreme Court
Judge Connor and Mr.. Walker. This was
ordered by Senator Pritchard and was
about to be done, when Colonel Skinner
remembered that when he was a Pop
in 1894, the Pops endorsed Judge Connor
FOR this same office, and that Judge Con-
nor refused their endorsement. So he
asked Senator Pritchard what he thought
| the effect would be if Messrs. Connor and
! Walker should decline the Republican
endorsement. This question surprised
| Senator Pritchard. 1t never occurred to
him that man could decline an office.
| (He had never been a Democrat like
! Skinner.) He was gravely disturbed, and
changed the order. Instead of endorsing
Messrs. Connor and Walker, no one was
nominated against them and their names
will DC printed on the Republican ticket
and voted. This went.
Then he ordered the convention to en-
| dorse Mr.. Joyner for Superintendent of
Public Instruction. But some one sug
| gested that this would leave the Repub-
/ licans but one man, DIR. Abbott, on their
! ticket. They begged for two men, and
| finally Pritchard agreed that they might
| put up one, provided they selected one
who had been a Democrat and who had
spent good part of his life out of the
State, and had not much of record in
North Carolina. Upon these terms the
convention nominated somebody named
/ Long.
| So the result of the convention was
of two Republicans, with two vacancies
on the ticket to be filled hereafter by
the Republican. Executive Committee
| Then the convention denounced boss rule
and declared that the Democratic party
| was ring ridden. 1t went further, and
| in the hope of making the independents
more comfortable, they ran all of the
negroes out OF the convention, and, after
n vo1l tny nfttI, t1n lNr4 ;,, oh fnr
nearly forty years, they declared in saw
age tones that they didn't like a niger,
no how This is the Republican attitude
this year, 1t will be strange if any man
shall be deluded into believing that the
Republican party is in favor of freedom
of thought 1t never has been and never
can be long as it takes orders from
its leaders as it did in Greensboro. Can
any one imagine the Democratic party
taking orders from any one? Such an
idea is preposterous The first suspicion
| that any man had assumed the power to
issue orders to the Democratic party
would be the signal for that mans un-
doing.
The Democratic party is now the party
which encourages the widest liberty of
| thought and discussion. 1t is not pro-
scriptive; it is not hide bound 1t vouches
to it's members the largest freedom of
opinion and 1T permits on all non-essen-
tials striking diversity of opinion. This
year it has nominated men who repre-
sent every diverse school of opinion in
| the party. 1t has nominated men who
differ on the currency question on the
! Philippine question, and on many others.
1t has re-nominated for the General As
scmbly men who thought the impeached
Judges were guilty, and men who gave
them the benefit of doubt On the es-
sential principles of Democracy the party
expects unity; on the non essentials it
permits q freedom of opinion and of ac-
tion which no other party in this tate
ever dreamed of permitting. This has
always been so. Before the adoption of
the amendment the danger of negro dom
ination was omnipresent and ovcrwhelm-
ing. All other questions were made in
significant by this danger. And Demo-
Gratis did not discuss other questions when
this danger was imminent. 1t has now
in a large measure passed away tif we
can believe the Republicans), and Demo-
Gratis have begun to discuss other mat
ters within the PARTY with a freedom
which must be amazing to the Republi-
cans and Populists. At the last Demo
cratic State Convention at Greensboro the
platform, presented by the Committee on
/ Platform. was discussed for several
hours. The committee was sustained on
close vote upon one plankg aud very
decidedly beaten on another plank. No
one ever heard of North Carolina Re-
/ publican bold enough to antagonize the
! platform presented by the committee in
/ a Republican convention. The Demo
4 cratic party wants the fullest discussion
| and the freest action on the part of all
of its members. The plan of organization