The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1904-03-17
"ENEMIES OF THE STATE"
North CaroIinians May Differ Among
Themselves as to What Ought to be
Done and How 1t Ought to be Done,
but They are Not Enemies of the
State.
Charlotte Observer.

Under this caption the following
editorial appears in the Raleigh Times
1t is SO good as to deserve to be
copied in full and to be circulated
widely:
It's not pleasant to be called an enemy
of ones State An enemy means man
who is bent on mischief, one who wants
to do harm, and who is not particular
as to the method he shall use. An enemy
| is a man who seeks to betray the good
name, to despoil the character and inflict
ruin upon the object of his wrath. These
| are about the Inildest definitions we can
| get of one who is a real enemy.
There may be some reason to be an
enemy to an individual, because an indi-
vidual may, under certain circumstances
incur, and justly SO, the enmity Of
another person, but how any one can
deliberately be an enemy to his State is
| hard to conceive.
Some of US saw, long time ago, our
dearest friends and natural protectors
| go away to face the cannOn's mouth, to
protect the honor and good name of our
State and country Some of these never
returned to tell the stories of camp life,
the hardshiDs of war, and the perils of
| battle. They sleep in the dust of death
/ in the fields of strangers. The representa-
tives of these men, these heroes, may
say, would follow their worthy examples
if the occasion should arise
North Carolina has no enemies in the
ranks OF her own people. They may
differ among themselves as to what
ought to be done and how it ought to
| be done, but they are not enemies-nOt
by any means.
At Ieast 80 per cent of the people in
the State want to see the Atlantic d
| North Carolina Railroad leased. put into
the hands of responsible business men
: who will SO manage it as to develop the
| property and at the same time pay the
| individual stockholders and the State a
! reasonable interest on the money in
vested.
The average good citizen does not care
a christ who gets this road, SO he Sc
cures the State and the individual stock
holders against loss to their property,
and gives a fair rental for it's use. This
is business proposition, pure and simple;
and ought to be so regarded
! The past record of no preacher, the ac-
ton of no board of trustees in reference
to college professor, can reasonably
have anything to do with the leasing OF
a railroad. This is a public matter upon
which every citizen who has an opinion
ought to be allowed to express it, with
out being recorded as an enemy to the
State. The men who oppose the States
running a railroad in the interest of a lot
of ''dead-heads' who ride on free passes
are not of it's enemies, but its friends.
NOmOre are the men who oppose making
the Stnte hotel-keeper it's enemies.
The idea of a State running a 'hash-
house. superintended by the directors
of the road. These are the things that
some men in this State would not stand
for and some of them are not afraid to
say so.
I'VE are all one mans sons. We are
true men. Thy servants are no spies.
This is capital, but we have two ex-
ceptions to file against it: (1) To be
called an enemy of ones State when
one thinks that when advocating a
certain line of policy he is advocating
that which is best for it, should not
be unpleasant-it shouldn't make a
particle of difference; and (2) to say
that about a ''public matter every
citizen who has an opinion ought to
be allowed to express it without be-
ing recorded as an enemy to the
State, . is to imply, again, that this
objection to free expression makes
some sort of difference-it does not
make Il particle in the world. You
are too brave a man. Caddell, to
allow such a thought to enter your
head, if it has. Your Scriptural quo
tation is exceedingly apt. I'VE are
true men," We"are no spies The
forefathers Of a great many of us
were here in North Carolina before the
Republic was born. Some of them
gave their lives, and others their
blood to the Republics establish
ment, and their descendants have
given their brain and brawn to the
development and uplifting of the
State. As to the progeny OF these
they have lived here and expect tC
die here. and expect their children tC
live and die here. What little stuff
they have is here and upon it they
pay the tax assessed against it.
Where resides the power to say that
they may not express themselves, il
their discretion. upon matters OF pub
lie concern? Who assumes a sOver
eighty over us, to direct our thought
speech and conduct? You are not
going to be bullied or coerced, Cad
dell: we know you we'll enough tC
knowthat; but you ought not ALLOW
yourself to be worried by efforts tt
bully and coerce you.
Enemies of the State'' Wha
boots tt? 1t used to be the wors
!, thing that could be said Of a man tt
: say that he was Republican. Lat
| terly whenever a North Caroline
; newspaper, having rebellious notion
that its soul is its own, expresses al
/ insurgent opinion, it is classed as -;
: Republican paper" Time was whel
that characterization would hav'
hurt its feelings and hurt its business
But that time is no more. Now
snaps its fingers, laughs and goes OF
getting new subscribers. SO it Is de
nounced as "a corporation paper, ;
seeker for Federal favor, foe tt
Righteousness, and all the rest. l
: doesn't make a particle OF difference
.. Caddell-it keeps right on, doing bus
: mess. So, therefore, it is not wha
, YOU are called but what you are. |
{ YOU are not an enemy of the State
. nobody is going to believe you are
: for long, no matter what they ar
told. If you mean right, even if yo'
are wrong, the great, just public
and final public opinion is alway
iust-will size you up with ab
solute accuracy. You mean well
Caddell, by your people-mean wei
by them in all matters. Never mino
therefore, about being set down a
, their enemy. Let not your heart b
troubled. "We are all one man
sons" and one North Carolinlar
whether native or adopted, is a
| L1. :e,o@o n l;tflo botfor