The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-31
OPENING GUNS
OF CAMP A|GN
Words Of SpruiII and Pou
Fire Democracy.
A SPLENDID SUCCESS
Over Fonr Hundred People Take Part
in First Great Rally of the Parker
and Glenn Club at Metro
poIitan Hall Last
Night.
A SPLENDID SUCCESS

| NiSHls
Applause rang solid and frequent
in he Metropolitan Hall last night
when two of North Cardinals great
speakers addressed the Democracy OF
Wake and the opening guns in the
campaign of 1904 were fired
/ The meeting was a success in num-
bers, in enthusiasm, in argument and
| in eloquence. over four hundred OF
the best people of Wake met to sig
nalize the organization of the Parker
and Glenn Club here. and the splendid
attention they gave the speakers
Hon. E. W. Pou, of Smithfield, Con-
gresham from this district, and Hon.
Frank S. Spruill, of Louisburg, Presi-
Dental Elecor-at-Large-w proof
of the deep interest taken.
A band of music added to the en-
joyment of the occasion and this
rendered several selections while the
audience gathered. AS the speakers
invited by he club and their escorts
entered applause and music marked
their passage to the stage. On it
with the distinguished speakers were
Mr.. William b. Jones, president of
the club: Mr.. Victor H. Moore. vice
president; Mr.. John c. Drewry, treas
urer; Mayor A. M. Powell and Mr..
w. A. Edgerton, of Smithtield, Reg
lister of Deeds of Johnston county,
who came with Mr.. Pou to attend the
meeting.
The address of both Mr.. Spruill
and Mr.. Pou We're strong. logical, elo-
quent and convincing. If there were
Republicans in the audience they
must have had their effect. The adj
dress of Mr.. Spruill dealt largely with
the question of the imperialistic
policy of the Republican party, while
Mr.. Pou. after a discussion of Demo-
cratic and Republican State records
dissected the negro loving policy OF
Roosevelt Republicanism and the
Iiniquitons Republican tariff and other
Republican misdeeds.
Both speakers were gracefully IN
troduced by the president of the club,
Mr.. w. B. Jones. In presenting Mr..
Pou he felicitated the Democracy OF
Wake upon the organization OF the
Parker and Glenn Club and congratu-
lated it that this first meeting was SO
largely attended, urging that the
membership be SO Increased that
Wake should possess the banner club
stating that he congratulated his fell
low Democrats in having two of the
strongest speakers in the State to ad-
dress them, he presented Hon. Frank
S. Spruill, of Louisburg.
SpruilI's Able Address.
AS Mr.. Spruill arose he was greet
ed with applause He is an easy ora
tor he speaks with a smoothneSs and
grace born of familiarity with the
platform, there being an utter alb
sence of straining after effect. His
words just flow on, and strong argu-
ment couched in the best language
follows strong argument.
In opening his address the speaker
said that every recurring four years
brought the nation to witness strug-
gle between two great politlcal part
jes and in the future, as in the past
there would be two great parties, Tor
others come and go--Greenbackers
Single Takers, Notwithstanding a
political forest field full of the graves
of those who strutted their little day
and died with none left to give them
decent burial, with unmarked graves
and with no remembrance of their
names except by those who once
were members of their organizations.
in distinction to these he drew the
picture of century old Democracy,
with recurring youth, going forth to
battle, and in this year of 1904 en-
tering with fresh spirit, filled with
the hope of victory, into the greatest
fight of it's history
"For the first time in thirty-five
years" said Mr.. Spruill 1--WE can dis
cuSs policies and measures, freed from
that body of death'-the negro vote
and appeal to reason. So it is that
tonight L do not come to appeal to
prejudice, but to present reason and
argument why no patriot, no man who
loves his country can afford to be
a Republican. What does that party
stand for? It is an autocracy opposed
to the wishes and aspirations of the
people. 1t has for it's leader a PreSi
dent who is an autocrat. and die
tator. taking as his model Nicholas
the Third, the Car of Russia and
William, the Emperor Of Germany,
man even more autocratic than the
Gar, and more corrupt than the vel
low ruler in Pekin."
Here Mr.. Spruill held that the Re-
publican party was an autocracy in
that it held sway not by the consent
of the governed, but that it assumed
to take for the Federal government
every right not specifically reserved
to the States, and following this he
referred to its tariff, which sold goods
higher at home than abroad. He
spoke of Roosevelt who before he
was President had pretended to stand
as a civil service reformer, but that now
for partisan purposes, he overrides CT
xii service Then as to the question o.
imperialism, he said that Thomas JET
ferson had purchased Louisiana Whco
he felt it was the peoples wish, but
that a hundred years later Roosevet
purchased for $20,000,000 islands in
the sea- without the consent of the
people, and now over colonial de-
Tendencies floats the flag of this coun-
try.
This government" he SAID, mas
not the right under its constitution 70
acquire foreign territory. 1t is opPos-
ed to imperialism"
Here Mr.. Spruill in eloquent terms
described the causes which led to the
war with Spain and which brought IN
dependence to Cuba, and then re-
ferred to the aid of Aguinaldo and the
Filipinos, those events leading to Gu
ba's freedom and to the perfidiouS
treatment of the Filipinos, the islands
bought because the lust of territory
was in our veins. "To them the Re-
publican party has given no freedom,
he said, "for in those islands they car
red on war for absolute conquest.
A dream of empire, a craze for lmpe-
rialism. And how great has been the
cost with the end not yet in sight.
Blood and treasure spent, hundreds of
thousands of Filipinos killed, fifty