The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-09-14
INDEPENDENTS AND SHAM INDIE
PENDENTS.

This is a free country. Every man has
right to vote as he pleases Men have
&c much right to vote as Independents
or tbev have to vote as Democrats or Re-
nrblicans or Prohibitionists. Some of
Tho hest men in the country are indie
nendent in politics-they vote for men or
issues. as they prefer, having no party
Affiliations. In some States such voters
hold the balance of power, and often
thew exert their power for good cause
Such men receive and are entitled to re-
, ceive the respect of men of all parties.
But the bulk of the men in North Car
olina today in politics, who call them
selves Independents, are in no sense allied
to the Independents above alluded to.
The North Carolina Independents" who
are at the footllights today are shams.
They are politicians who have been re-
pudiated. They belong to party that
stinks in the nostrils of honest men in
North Carolina. They are Republicans
false pretences. AS proof of this state
ment it is only necessary to point to the
| situation in Buncombe. There is a large
Republican vote in that county. Before
the negro was disfranchised the vote
was close between the Republican and
| Democratic party in that county Today
/ fol =.
party in Buncombe county. 1t has been
completely effaced. 1t holds no conven-
tions, names no candidates, and if Radi-
cal papers are to be believed, is taking
no part in politics. They say that the
contest in Buncombe county is between
! the Democratic and the Citizens ticket.
The fact that Thomas Settle is the can
didate for State Senator on the Citizens
ticket and Virgilius Semper Lusk is a
candidate for the House on the Citizens
ticket is enough to show that it is an
old-time messy back Radical ticket under
an alias OF course everybody knows
why Settle and Lusk and the revenue
zens' ticket" They know that the peo-
pie hate the very name Republican, be-
cause in North Carolina it is synonymous
with corrupt, inefficient or incompetent
government They would be hopelessly
defeated running on a Republican ticket
before the campaign opens. Therefore,
Ithey call their ticket 1.-The Citizens" put
upon it few hungry ex-Democrats who
have no standing in the Democratic
party, and go before the people asking
their suffrage under new name. They
hope thereby to fool some voters who
could not be induced to vote Radical
ticket in other counties the Radical
bosses are putting up similar Radical
tickets and calling them Independent
tickets and preaching that sort of in
dependence which makes the convert
vote the Radical ticket
Independents who are true Independents
are not mixed up in any of this false pre-
tenCe. They are not the puppets of the
]
4 eral salaries. They are not seen in dark
i corners with Radical officials. They do
\ not make midnight compacts with Radi-
4 cal emissares. They do not handle Rad
zeal dirty dollars. They do not ask for
Radical votes to get in office They do
not prate of machine rule" and then do
| 1 o
What do they do?
They vote their convictions without
entering into combinations with the ne
gro party to destroy good government in
North Carolina.
Settle and Lusk as Republican candi-
dates are entitled to the votes of Repub-
licans. Settle and Lusk running as In
dependents or under any other name is
a sham so plain that it is surprising that
a siX-year- old boy could think such pat
ent deception could fool anybody twenty
one years old. The same is true of the
so-called Independent tickets in other
counties. SO far every one nominated has
been named by Radical office-holders.
and the legislative candidates are men
who are sworn to vote for Pritchard for
the Senate. If that is not Radicalism,
pure and simple, what else is it?
They do say that after raking the State
with fine tooth comb twenty-one voters
We're induced by the Radical emissaries
to attend the Hill Democratic meeting
at Greensboro. They also say there
wasn't straight Democrat there-that