The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-09-20

politan" should be made ''brag" paper.
He smiled and left me. Bragg was elect
ed Governor, but the Metropolitan adj
venture was failure, for the reason that
the subscribers did not know how to
pronounce the name of the paper. They
said they just couldn't do 1T, and they
were opposed to having a paper coming
into their homes they could not pronounce
the name of. l did not blame them, and
as business was becoming slack l con-
Guided TO tie up and rest awhile, which
did in the fall of that year.
I must not omit to tell your readers
that Bragg's opponent-he pronounced it
op-po- nent--was Col. Alfred Dockery,
known in those days as the "old fox" as
he was said to be the toughest horse in
a political race Of any man Of his time.
Governor Bragg found him to be ever on
the alert and going ali the time. He
would remain on the ground where they
bad spoken, often times until night, and
then stay somewhere in the neighborhood
Bragg would make some of the distance
toward the next appointment, that even
ing, and would fatter himself that he
would be ahead in the morning, so he
would rise early to carry out his purpose,
but would learn that Dockery had gone
Oh an hour or two before he had got out
Of bed. Sure enough he would find HIM
there when he arrived at the speaking
place of that day. The distribution of
the public lands was the question they
discussed, and Mr.. Dockery in his droll
way would make his audience smile when.
instead of saying share, he would say
every State is entitled TO its sheer Of
the public lands" Be it said to the
credit of the two men they made a very
able campaign.
Governor Bragg made a most excellent
Chief Magistrate, and was followed by
Governor Ellis, upon whom fell the re-
sLonsiblity of marshalling the forces of
the Old North State to arms when, dur
ing his adm inistration, the State passed
the ordinance of secession.
Before ! get too far away from the
starting point, l want to tell your read
ers that in 1914 Henry Clay, the mill
boy of the Slashes," the pride of old Ken
lucky, the most eloquent man of his day,
was the Wing nominee for President,
and he made a VISIT to Raleigh and spoke
to a vast crowd of people from the west
portico of the Capitol All the big Wing
politicians Of the State were here and
such an ovation as Mr.. Clay received had
never before been accorded TO any man.
He was worthy of it all, for he was in
deed a great man-one of that trio OF
giants whose names will live as long as
time lasts-Webster, Clay and Calhoun
all of whom were then old, but still re-
garded as leaders in the discussion or
those perpexing question which eventu-
ally resulted in war
1t was during Mr.. Clays visit 10 Raj
eigh that he wrote the letter opposing
the annexation of Texas to the Union,
which, it was claimed, brought about his
cefeat for the Presidency. That might or
might not have been true, the majority
Of the people were of the opinion that
the unexpected which happened, when the
Democrats nominated James X. Polk, of
Tennessee, instead of Van Buren,, as the
Wings hoped and expected, was the true
cause of Mr. Clay's defeat. Mr.. Clay
could have beaten Van Buren,, as Cen
eral Harrison did in 1910; but, when the
convention at Baltimore nominated Mr.