The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-03-08

people rendering an account of my stew
ardship Ca copy of which / cnclosc) in
which | most emphatically stated that
l would not be a candidate for recollection
to the Senate. In quite a number of
public addresses in different parts of the
county and to every man who asked me,
l reiterated the same sentiment, and
when my name was presented to the con-
vcntion, of which neither myself nor any
of my colleagues on the Democratic
Executive Committee of my precinct was
a member, l asked the courtesy of tue
floor and plainly told the convention that
I was not a candidate, and thanked those
who had presented my name. To say that
under these circumstances was defeated
for denomination is worthy of Nc. Nc
Kelway. and he is welcome to the fun he
can get out of the truth. Not having
been member of the last county con-
venton, l could hardly "have bolted its
actioa@' When that convention, how
ever, saw fit to nominate by reclamation
by packed delegates, over the heads of
scores of true and tried men who had
borne the brunt of the party's battles in
every campaign since reconstruction
men to represent the county in the Legis-
lature who were comparatively unknown
and whose only known qualifications
were that they were prohibitionists-ton
of whom had never voted in the county
"a new resident, who, ] venture say,
did not know % men by name in the
convention, and who today is not known
by sight by nine-tenths of the voters of
Cumberland), then it was that having
had no voice in the convention, the rep
resentatives of certainly not less than
500 or 600 of the men, who had proven
their manhood and their convictions by
the color of their garments, and who, in
1S9S-(when those now claiming and en-
joying the fruits of their work, were
standing around with hands in their
pocket books criticizing us)-rode the
county in that great white supremacy
campaign-met and nominated for county
officers only-not Republican ticket
not a Populist ticket-nor a Prohibition
nor anti Prohibition ticket. but with
possibly one exception-a clean, white
supremacy Constitutional Amendment
ticket-which said ticket was printed
upon all legislative tickets and was
part of one no more than the other
That this ticket polled LOO votes ALL
WHITE. For the negroes practically all
voted against the ticket that my name
was on. showed that the Red Shirt De.
mocracy was true to itself and can be
depended upon to again redeem the coun-
ty-should it ever become necessary
There is no necessity, Mr. Editor. for
me to "try to regain the esteem of my
fellow citizens" l am quite well salts
fled with my standing with them. In
1897, when Mr. McKelway and his friends
were lobbying, honeying UP, praying with
and manipulating the Fusion Legislature
to rob Cumberland of her right of local
self government, l was a Democrat. l
am one now l am not one for pelf, as
there is no office that | want or could
afford to give up my private business
for. | am not a prohibitionist, but Cum
berland having voted for prohibition, |
now hope to see the present Legislature
pass some local measure that will put
a stop to the fearful debauchery now go
ing on from the drinking by wholesale in
stead of retail.
Regretting the necessity for taking up
so much of your space, and thanking
you for the same, / am.
Yours truly
JAS D. McNEILL.