The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-21
INDEPENDENT BAIT
The Catspaw and the
Hot Chestnut.
A Republican Scheme to Work Labor
Unions That Should Not Catch Any
Who May be Unwary or
UnsuspeCting.

There's a story that people have
read which has to do with a catspaw
and hot chestnut Likewise the bait
that entices the unwary fish to nibble.
Which is also a reminder that the
county campaign in Wake is beginning
to simmer at the top, an evidence that
there is fire beneath. The political pot
will boil later on as fresh fuel is added
and the emberS are 'chunked up"
In the Democratic party there is
promised lively contest for most of
the offices, but these will be in the
party lines, and when the smoke OF the
primary is cleared away and the bat
tie there is over, the dead will be sat
isfied with being laid away with due
decorum, while the victors will take up
the fight to roll up big majority Tor
the ticket from edge to edge, and all
the way down from President to con-
stable.
But out in the wild and woolly camp
of the Independents-at least so they
call it while it's Republican in fact
there is a hen on, or several hens, so
far as that goes, but one particular hen
has clucked and is a-cluckin so that
it reveals the whole of the egg laying
plant.
Mr.. V. c.. Terry, of this city, good
printer, wants to go to the Legislature.
The bee has been buZZing round his
bonnet and he has heard it, His eff
fort now is to have it alight and to
do this he is fixing for all kinds of
landing places, making them pleasant
to the sight, soft and enticing to look
at. This is the first thing that the In
dependent begins to prepare for, and
he does this assidiously.
Mr.. Terry is a Republican, and
makes no bones about saying that he
is one and has been one for ever so
long a time. But Republican votes
don't elect in Wake. and the Independ-
ents are a scarce commodity. But Mr..
Terry is a member of a labor union,
and in that he sees great possibilities.
The labor vote is good, strong,
healthy vote.
1t is said that Mr.. Terry is after this
vote and wants it given to an indie
pendent ticket. 1t will be recalled
that once Mr.. John Nichols went after
the knights of Labor vote, and that
the knights went into politics. But
now the knights are no more. They
were used as catspaw to pull the
chestnut from the fire. Likewise did
Marion Butler and his crew work the
Farmers Alliance into politics near to
its undoing. Another catspaw while
Marion and company fondled the
chestnut. And now Mr.. Terry wants
the labor vote of Raleigh!
Well, it hardly seems that he will be
able to land it. The men in the labor
unions in Raleigh have plenty of
brains and plenty of sense. They
amt going to be played for keeps.
They know that in the Democratic
party there is plenty of the best ma
terial and the sturdy members of the
unions are going to take their chances
with the other good folks of Wake in
the pot luck of the primary and pick
q winner there.
But look out for such roundabout
Republican routes. They will be pre-
scented very cleverly and smoothly, but
the Republican party is back of them
all. Just keep your weather eye for
all such promised fruit as Independ-
entism and let an early frost nip it in
the bud.