The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-04-15
Chr Wlessrngrr.
PARTY FEAITY.

The New Bern Journal Of last
Sunday contained an editorial under
the headlines. rs State Democracy
Going Blindly to Destruction? 2"
There is a heap of good horse sense
in the article. and it sounds a timely
note of warning to the leaders of the
democratic party-that is. to that
coterie of self appointed leaders who
seem to think that they compose the
party, n that they alone have the
right to say not only what the mem
bers Of the party shall do, but also
what opinions they shall have as to
the most trivial matters concerning
the party. What they say must be
taken as h gospel OF democracy,
and any man in the ranks who dares
to differ with them is Immediately
cried down and denounced as anti
democratic, a traitor to the party,
a renegade and a spy in the ranks.
These men who dare to express opin-
ion on party asu in conflict
with the p~reconcerted order of things
as outlined by the s~o-called leaders
are at onc read out OF h party, no
matter how staunch democrats they
have been in the past; no matter
how faithfully they have labored for
the party in a gone by, and not
w~ithstanding that they now take the
position they do for the sake of what
they conscientiously believe to be for
the best interest OF the party.
The only way to keep the demo-
cratic party together in this state is
to establish a broad, liberal principle
of freedom of thought in nonessen-
tails The time was when for the
purpose of keeping state and county
affairs out of the hands OF negroes
and a few white men who preferred to
associate politically with negroes for
the sake of securing Office, to allying
themselves with their white breth-
rem, there a to be strict party
government in this, as we'll as in
other southern states. White men
felt bound to vote the democratic
ticket, no matter who were the can
didates presented for their support,
or what the platform for their en-
dorsement. That day has passed.
The adoption OF the franchise
amendment to our state constitution
sounded the death knell to ring
rule" in the democratic party at the
south, In fact, this RELOCATION to the
past of party lash as to minor
matters was one of the arguments in
fau0r of that constitutional amend
ment used by the party leaders in
that campaign, and now the very
same men are trying to rule out Of
the party those men who took them
at their word four years ago and are
exercising that liberty they were
promised if that constitutional
amendment were adopted.
In this state the democratic party
has no opponent worthy of the name
of political enemy. The party has
everything in its own hands. 1t a
keep control of the administration as
long as it chooses-unless the arro-
gance and o~verbearing assumption
of superior party fealty by some does
not wreck it and build up an oppo-
sition party, which will wipe it out
of existence.
The rank and file of the party are
willing, yes, anxious, to still stand by it,
as it has On many a lark and threat
ening occasion in the past, and the
sturdy yoemanry of the party-those
who roll up the majorities for the
officeholders-will continue to stand
by it for what it has been to the state
in the past, for what they expect of
it in the future. if they can do so
and at the same time maintain their
independence of thought and their
political se~lf-respect.
If there is in store for The demo-
cratic party in this state defeat at
the hands of the white people Git can
come from no others), such defeat
will lie at the doors of these men,
who now ~arrogate to themselves the po-
sition of keepers of the party con-
science and dictators to the thous-
ands of voters of the state, who are