The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-09-23

shall join Senator Simmons aIter March
next.
Mr. Craig was at his best. 1t was not
his first successful combat with war
horses of Republicanism. He had met In
fights to the finish no less war horse
than the venerable, but tireless gray
eagle of the Swannanoa, Virgil S. Lusk,
and left him scarcely able to f1utter on
the field of one of the fercest political
contests that has been waged in the west
He was fully equal to the Pritchard
emergency, if emergency it may be term
ed. He is a forceful and powerful natu-
raj born stump orator. And a little
goading makes even more invinc1ble.
Small of stature, with keen bright eyes
that smile and fash by turns, with race
clean shaven and without a wrinkle,
with handsome features and perfect mein,
with flowing black hair waving to ana
fro as his arms strike circles of majestic
gesture with a voice at times as soft as
the ripples of a brooklet and then grad
uaIly rising until when his discourse has
swollen into burning eloquence and
pathetic power, it roars like sweeping
torrent He is more than a match for
Senator Pritchard. even if issues were
easy and in this contest he is veritable
winner.
He soon tore away the veil that hid
the Senator's inconsistency in his deal
ings with his erstwhile political breth-
rem in black and with the Russell ad
ministration. he riddled the many color
ed banner of Radicalism that the willy
Senator had unfurled, and poured into it
from his rapid fire political field piece
death dealing shell after she'll until it
hung in shreds before the vast audience.
He dealt not in personalities, but con-
fined himself to the issues involved, and
the public record of his antagonist. He
took the vast crowd with him in his vivid
and pathetic description of the Legisla-
ture of 'S5. He pointed them to the Sen
ator, then as now the leader of his
forces, rallying them to man against
the proposition to appropriate pittance
to the tottering heroes who were the gray
in 1861. He carried the crowd with him
to the Senate chamber at Washington,
and in stirring and telling eloquence re-
vealed Senator Pritchard lavshing pen
sions upon the deserter-the man who
forsook his flag and joined the enemy.
His heart and soul were IN the cause
he espoused. With Senator Pritchard it
was to win mostly for personal ambi-
tion's sake, all else had already been
practically cast to the winds. With
Craig it was cause first; personal ambi-
tion. next The battle might be won and
yet he might lose, but it was all the
same to him. He was pleading for peace
and good government at homsy for jus
tice for all men all over the country, and
special privileges for none. His speech
was a masterpiece, and its effect was
electrical. The vast crowd of Democrats
were enthusiastic in applauding what one
gentleman declared was a Democratic
demosthenes.
Senator Pritchard's part of the audience
applauded him, but it was a Democratic
day. a Democratic crowd and a Demo
cratic victory.
Senator Pritchard said in the begin
ming that he thanked the Lord that the
time had come in North Carolina when
public questions could be discussed be-
fore the people without prejudice or
passion, but neglected to state that he
had fought the amendment and tried to
prevent the conditions for which he
thanked the Lord. He then reiterated
large portion of the speech he made at
the Greensboro convention, dwelling at
length on the Republican policy of pro-
lection on raw material and manufac-
tured products. He mentioned the tariff
tax on mica, wool, rice and lumber as
the paramount causes of general pros
perity. He repudiated the idea that pro-
lection in any manner fostered the trusts.
He declared that the Republican party
would in due time look after the trusts,
and in an unguarded moment, likened
them to a cancer on the body polite and
asked if it would be wise for a physician
to cut out the cancer from patient
when the probability was that the op-
GRAFTON would kill the patient. He de-
clared that only twelve per cent of the
American people were interested in
trusts. Would it be wise to cut away
the other eighty eight per cent in order
to get at the twelve per cent cancer?
He declared that there We're more trusts
in free trade England than any other
country and pointed to free trade Rus
sia and free trade France as trust
ridden countries. He scored the Wilson
German tariff bill and said that that
measure was largely responsible for all
the national woes that followed it's en-
actment into law He said that New
England had grown rich because of pro-
lection on its raw material and manu-
factured products. 1t had used up it's
raw material and was now clamoring for
free raw material of the South. He
talked tariff and protection during three
fourths OF his time and made & vigorous
attempt to convince the farmers of Lc
noir that the more things were taxed
the richer they would be, but he poured
this brand of Pritchard doctrine into un
willing ears--into the ears of men who
are not to be entrapped by any such
contradictory logic.
He lauded Roosevelt and the Republi-
can Congress and declared that the
Philippines belonged to America by right
of purchase. and by treaty which had
been adopted by the aid of Democratic
votes in Congress. and favored by the
great Democratic leader VIM. ]. Bryan,
and that the United States would hold
them forever for the purpose of estab-
fishing and maintaining commercial re-
lations with them. He finally took a
whirl on the ice of Republican and Pop
ulist control of the public affairs of
North Carolina, but he made only a few
- II. III