The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-25
THE BLACKBURN
DUNCAN BARGAIN
How He Whose Political Life Was at Stake Joined
Hands With Him Whose Official Head
Seemed Tottering.

was the selection of District ATTORNEY
HOiton as permanent chairman of the
convention. the selection OF himself
and Ii. Frank Mebane as State dele
gates to the National Republican coz
| Ve:ltiOn.. 10 get even with this, Rot
I Inns was compelled to agree to- COM
mittees on resolutions unfavorable &c
one declaring against the policy OF
appointing oiIice-holders to the Ma
tionai convention, or aS nominees fu,
State and Congressional positions, ana
also to the selection of a committee
on credentials favorable TO Blackburn :
candidacy for Congress and to the
means by wllici. he attained the nomi-
nation.
! Duncan secured the coveted honor
| of delegate to the National convention.
! and had to agree to another western
man, e. Spencer Blackburn, because
! Rollins was absolutely obdurate liz
| the selection of b. Frank Mebane, oS
! Rockingham, whom his own county
| delegation, composed of revenue off,
GERS and whiskey distillers and tnei,
sympathizers who We're incensed witt;
Judge Boyd and District Attorney Ho!-
| ton, on account of the whiskey frauds
| prosecutions, had turned down.
What Blackburn Gained.
! While, in this trade Duncan got an
| endorsement of his official course, and
4 the only honor from the east in the
| list of delegates to the National con-
/ vention, Il highly coveted prize.
Blackburn, the speaker explained, got
/ by far the biggest end of the bargain.
to-wit: clear title to his nomination
to Congress; the capturing OF his most
vindictive political and personal enc
my, Romulus Il. Linney. by placing
his son on the State ticket for attor-
ney general and himself as an elector
at large, both empty and expensive
honors; the party recognition of his
manner of running campaign with
whiskey distiliers and Federal office
holders as chief lieutenaRtS; an seven
| ing upf with United States Judge
Boyd, who read the riot act 10 whis-
key distiliers and government officers
defrallding the government in his re-
cent remarks, sentencing several OF
! them to the peuitentiary; a complete
triumph over those of his party who
had objected publicly to his campaign
methods, in the list being eX-Chair-
man J. j. Mott, Hon. Charles Price
Assistant District Attorney Augustus
Price, Samuel Marshall, Linney and
all who had publicly or secretly work
ed against the ascendancy of himself
or his mGthods: secured the addition
al honor of one of the four delegates
to the National conventions; secured
the assurance of being the next MEM
ber of the Republican State National
committeeman in place of Judge Rob
inSon; magnificent endorsements of his
party, which shows him to be "by far
the most astute and able political
manager of his crowd. North Caro-
lima Republicans has had since Marion
Butler was choked off from his domi-
nation of the party"
He is in the Saddle.
Already the value of this endorse
ment has become known, for Mr.
Blackburn has this week received
many congratulatory letters from
leading National party leaders in
Washington, one of his letters being
cordial invitation from Secretary
of the Department of Labor, Cortel-
you, who as manager of the National
Republican campaign committee,
gives him a cordial and pressing in
vitation TO make a series of speeches
in the Northern and Western States
during the coming campaign.
Regarding the revelations of the
gentleman alluded to. it can be said,
and should be said in fairness to a
large majority of the delegates to the
convention, that not one in one hun
dred of them, and not one in ten of
the nominees, not even the perma-
nent chairman himself knew aught
of the secret, desperate deals being
made from noon on Tuesday and not
perfected until after the recess was
taken after the opening of the con-
vention on Wednesday. There was a
large sprinkling of ofiice-holders in
the delegation from the different coun-
ties, but if there had not been one
the bargains made, whereby the regu-
Iarity and propriety of the office
holders conventions in Cumberland
and Surry counties were recognized
would have settled the policy of the
convention, the nature and extent of
lis rewards and punishments, would
have shed a halo of promise on the
brow of Blackburn and one of hope
i'm the pathways of great many seri-
ouslv frightened revenue officials and
whiskev distillers, whose comrades
have recently been severely prosecuted
bv District Attorney Holton and heav1-
W. hit bv Judge Boyd, but lectured
heavier than they were really.
Almost an Grafton for Bynum.
The celebrated phillippio which eX-
Judge w. p. Bynum, Jr., delivered
upon the conduct of the Federal reVe-
nue. e-holders at the Republican,
| State convention. which was publish
| ed broadcast all over the United
States in Thursday mornings papers
/ and in which, among other " .rtn
thlngs, he declared the party organ
zaton policy to be one of greed,
grab and graft, is bearing fruit. 1t
Is significant that the Washington
POST on Thursday morning, gave the
interview prominent space and dis
play headlines: that within a few
hours. matters of pressing import
ance' had caused Judge Bynum to
take the train for Washington "on