The news & observer., 1904-10-30
SPEAKERS SHOULD EMPHASIZE
THE DEMOCRATIC POSITION
ON THE WATTS LAW.

from the speech of Senator Simmons
| delivered yesterday at Troy, Mont
| gomery county, showing the position
| of the Democratic party on the watts
| law. We commend it to the attention
| of every voter of the State and par
| ticularly to every public speaker who
will address the voters during the
coming week.
Upon every issue discussed in this
| campaign in North Carolina the DEM
| ocrats have had their shifty opponents
| on the run. They began with an at
| tack upon Governor Aycock's admin
| istration alleging that it had been ex-
travagant. The Democrats made a
| comparison of Aycock's with Russell's s
administration and showed that ex-
cept for schools, the insane, and the
Confederate soldiers and their widows
Aycock'S administration has spent less
money by $150,000 than Russell's
Having invited comparison, the Dem
ocrats put the Republican spell-bind-
ers in hole by asking: What par
| ticular expenditure do you object to ?"
| To answer that question would have
required the Republicans to say they
opposed the aid given Confederate sol
dierS, the care of the insane, or the
| larger support of public schools. They
could not say either, and so these and
every other charge the Republicans
have made has fallen to the ground.
The Democrats have shown upon
every State issue that continued good
government is dependent upon keep
ing the affairs in Democratic hands.
Upon national issues the Democrats
have had the best of the argument to
such an extent that never was the Re-
publican party so distrusted and hated
by the people of North Carolina. In
addition to the Crum, Indianola and
Booker Washington needless affronts
to Southern sentiment the national
Republican party declares that it in
tends to rob the South of its just par
ticipation in government because it
will not submit to incompetent and
corrupt government. Upon that issue
every North Carolinian who loves his
State more than pie or prejudice will
vote the Democratic national ticket.
The campaign, therefore, comes to
the closing week with the Republicans
utterly routed upon every issue that
has been discussed. They are today
founding all their hope for an in
creased vote by a dishonest attack
upon the Watts law. In their State
Convention they passed resolution de-
nouncing the Watts law and Missed
Judge Robinson because he objected
to tying his party to the Whiskey
Barrel Later on, when they saw that
| the declaration was driving away the
only men with a conscience in their
party, they dishonesty eliminated
| their declaration against the Watts law
| in their State platform, cut out Chair
man Rollins attack on the law from
his circulated speech, but have been
going about the State in league with
certain liquor dealer and distilling in
terest3 trying to make capital by ap-
peaIing to any and all elements sup
posed to be opposed to that law In
| those sections where the Watts law is
generally popular they do not men
| ton it at all. In those sections where
| there is some division of opinion about
| it, they make it the big issue. And
whenever they discuss it they misrep-
| resent it. Ninety-nine men out or
every one hundred opposed to the law
| except the liquor and distilling trade,
| have opposed it because it has been
| misrepresented to them. The only
| danger of loss to the Democratic party
| from that law is because some Demo
| cratic speakers have failed to explain
lit. defend the Democratic platform
| declaration upon it, and expose the
| hypocrisy of the Republicans who are
| misrepresting it to the voters.
The Republicans have no hope of
/ gaining votes except by fomenting dis
| satisfaction with the Watts law. They
| do this publicly in some counties,
| quietly in other counties, and are be-
| ing helped by certain liquor men who
| are hostile to the Democratic party be-
| cause the people have voted them out
1
| it is the high duty of every Democrat
| who goes on the stump to emphasize
| the Democratic position on the Watts
, law, explain it fully and defend it with
| manliness and courage. If they will
| follow the line of the ringing defense
| of Senator Simmons in his speech at
| Troy yesterday, Governor Aycock at
| the State Convention at Greensboro,
and Hon. Robert b. Glenn in his
speech at Raleigh, the people can
not be deceived, and upon that issue
the Democrats will win as glorious a
victory as upon the other issues upon
which they have routed their Repub-
lican opponents at every turn.
The Republican attitude upon the
Watts law is hypocritical and unwor-
thy of any decent party. 1t tries to
evade the logic of its position by in
direction, but it has been clear that in
North Carolina the clear cut issue is
the school against the Still; the