The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-11-21
PRFTCHARD'S FAILURE HIS Of


From the Greensboro Record we learn
that a gentleman in that city we'll up
in North Carolina politics n a per-
sonal friend Of Senator Pritchard, ex-
presses the following views of the &C
lion Of the senator in his efforts to es-
tablish a white republican party in this
state. He says the senator has been
dc for years that the negroes kept
many of the best men Of the state out
Of the republican party and that if ne
would get rid Of them the party would
be the gamer. This statement was so
repeatedly made to the senator that he
at last began to consider it. The lily
white party was no new thing in his
mind when action was taken by the
Greensboro convention. The senator
gave weight to these statements be-
OF the class of men from whom
they came. This informant of The
Record says hey were made by manu-
1acturers, capitalists and others of sim
1a high standing in our state. Be
fore deciding On any plan, however, Mr..
Pritchard had an interview with Pres
ident Roosevelt on the subject, in which
the latter told him that he, the presi-
dent. was not familiar with the situa-
ton in North Carolina. but that the SEN
ator was and for him to pursue what
ever policy he thought best.
There have beer SO many statements
from different sources that President
Roosevelt at first approved of Senator
P~ritchard's plan that n is forced to
the conclusion that they are true, espe-
sially as neither the president nor any
friend for him has seen fit to deny
them.
1t looks as if the present trouble has
grown u of the fact that the manufac-
lures, capitalists, ETC., didn't deliver the
goods. They promised Senator Pritch-
ard man. white votes of he would get
rid of the negro. This he did, but the
white votes did not show up. The sem
ator's new move was a complete fail
ure; hence he is censured for his con-
duct by those who, had he succeeded,
would have been the first to applaud
his action. Had the republicans car
ried this state or even given the demo-
Gratis a close race on the 4th instant,
Clarkson and his delegation of negroes
would have no reason for being pleased
with the result of their interview
with the president. Had Senator
Pritchard succeeded or come SO near
succeeding as to give good hopes of
victory two a hence he would have
become one of the most prominent men
throughout the country in his party.
Roosevelt and his friends would have
hailed with delight the correction of
that t error they realize their party
made thirty-four years ago in the sud-
den and universal enfranchisement of
the negroes of the south, and Pritchard
would have been the hero and the
patriot who had accomplished this great
deed. But, alas for the senator, he
failed. and so he must pay the penalty
Of his failure and he and his friends be
made the scapegoats to bear the sin
against the negro thai the republican
leaders now say was about to be COM
mitted against them. The movement
failed and the negroes Of the northern
states must be placated. So Bingham,
Pritchard and other white republicans
OF the south, who have shown them
selves unable to assist Roosevelt in Sc
curing the presidential nomination or to
deliver the votes OF the electoral COL
lege of their states to the republican
nominee, are sacrificed to them. Such
is politics. especially republican politics.