The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-06-18
GIVE US DAVIDSON,
CRIES THE WEST
An Urgent Appeal to the
Democrats.
BACKED BY ARGU M ENT
This Appeal 10 Nominate for Governor
One Living West of the Blue
Ridge Signed by Mayor of
AsheyiIIe and Other Lead
ing Citizens.

TO the Editor: The undersigned
citizens Of Asheville, n. c., desire to
make an urgent appeal to the Demo
Gratis of the State to permit their nom-
ination for Governor to come west Of
the Blue Ridge this year. And we
urge the Democratic party with all the
earnestness we can command to NOM
mate Hon. Theo. f. Davidson for this
position.
The main idea we have now in mind
is hat of impressing upon our people
tire supreme Importance of this nom
ination as matter of party wisdom.
Governor Vance removed from this
country to Charlotte shortly after the
war between the States, and it does
seem to us that the plainest principles
of party justice demand that DEM
acratic nomination for Governor
should come to a resident of the
mountain section once in a full gen.
Grafton.
Some years back Hon. j. c. Pritch-
ard perceived that the mountain Sec
ton was the place best suited in which
to undertake to make inroadS on DEM
ocratic strength. Still following up
this policy now, the Republicans have
nominated as their candidate for Gov
ernor this year Hon. Chas. j. Harris
from an extreme western country.
Why they do not hope to elect him,
they are expecting to make our coun-
try up here their main battle ground,
waging a desperate fight on our candi-
date for Congress, as the chances are
they may lose G4ls@cssmen from 9TH
er States, and at the same time SUI
preme endeavor to capture as many
members of the next Legislature as
possible. And it ought not to be for
gotten that nearly twenty-eight coun-
ties are included in the mountain sec
ton, counting those that lie imme-
diately east and touching the Blue
Ridge.
This situation, therefore, becomes
at once so serious and grave that it
not only challenges attention, but de-
serves. not to say demands, the care
full and honest consideration of every
thoughtful and sincere Democrat an
the State of North Carolina. And
when sufficiently called to their atten-
ton, we believe it will receive their
kind and patient investigation.
The Republicans in this section are
calling attention to the fact that none
of the greatest offices of the Demo :
cratic party ever come very far west,
and are telling our young men that
they have little to hope for in our
party as to other honors as well, when
no one west of Raleigh was made
Code Commissioner, though they con-
cede the ability of the personnel of the
commission. AT the same time they
never fail to tell what they have done
for their own people in these noun
tains. The Republicans are making a
warm fight on the Watts law, passed
by a Democratic Legislature, claiming
il is unpopular in the extreme western
part of the State.
Without disparaging in the least
other candidates for this great office,
we firmly believe that Gen. Davidson,
who has spent his entire life under
the very shadow of our western noun
tains, is best fitted by nature and ex-
perience to contend against the forces
now at work against Democratic sue
cess in this end of the State.
We want it distinctly understood
that if this section of the State has
| been somewhat overlooked by the
Democrats, still we feel sure it grew
out of condition peculiar to the po-
! litical situation at the time; and we
write not in the spirit of criticism
whatever, but as sincere and earnest
Democrats, interested not only in the
present, but in the future of the party
as well.
We have no sort of grievance to air,
and make this appeal in loving kind
ness with no bitterness whatever.
Knowing, however, that the Repub-
licans are using this alleged neglect or
our end of the State as an argument
against u.s. we feel it a high duty We
owe the party, that we shall make our
nomination for Governor with all the
facts before us and in the full glare of
all the light possible. And we have
every reason to believe that when this
matter is finally decided by the con-
vention at Greensboro the victory will
be won by Gen. Davidson because we
feel sure our argument has not been
and cannot be answered.
The geographical centre of the State
is somewhere about Lexington. A
line through Mount Airy Mocksville,
Salisbury. Concord and Monroe, cross
inc the state, is about as near the
centre of the white population of
North Carolina as it is possible to
calculate When we consider the fact
that the eastern portion of the State
is much wider than the western part,
! taken as whole it is all the more re-
markable that the centre of the white
nonnIotion should be as far west as
caiisbTrv. We select Martin as typi-
cal eastern country; with an area of
soo SQUARE miles, it has a white pop
uIo+ion in round numbers of 5000.
TaLa Jackson county the home of the
pannhlican nominee for Governor, as
+Iyne of the mountain counties; with
%, araa of only 200 square miles, the
wbita population in round numbers is
~ noa Pender, an eastern county,