The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-23
mo ACTION TAKENN
BY THE COMMITTEE
After Hours of Hot and Bitter Debate the Result
is a vindication of the Ward
Bill.

/
/ latter was allowed TO vote.
Mr.. Gillian, Mr.. Woodland and 9TH
erS then moved that the committee &c
| into executive session, this being oD-
posed by Mr.. Scales and other friends
of Senator Simmons who declared that
all Democrats in good standing be al
lowed to remain. Again it was evil
| dent in the discussion as to where tho
voting strength Law. but finally on mo-
| ton of Mr.. McNinch. the executive
| session prevailed. as he said as g
| concession" only Governor Glenn be-
| ing allowed to remain by the terms
of his resolution. Governor Glenn
who was in the hall, here arose and
stated that he was nothing but a
| private citizen as far as his appear
ance went and was going nome. leav-
| ing the hall amid applause.
The discussion of the executive ses-
sion further brought out the tense
| feeling which prevailed. Mr.. Watson
| in particular claiming that the COM
mittee should be free to act without
/ the stimulus of applause from the
galleries and Hobbies. and Mr.. Gillian
stating that it would be suicidal to
| the interests of the party to discuss
| such great differences as prevailed In
| the presence of outsiders and under
| the influence of sentiment or Iassion.
| During the discussion of this mo-
| ton Mr.. Plato Collins created a di-
version by announcing from the lob
| bieS that the spectators would march
out two by two.
After the House had been cleared.
Secretary Field read the call of the
meeting and Senator Simmons stated
from the chair that as it was very wei,
known the meeting had not been
called on his initiative and that he
did not know the purposes of the call
except in so far as had been outlined
in the request Of members of the eyee-
utive committee who had signed the
request. He would therefore ask
, someone to state the objects which
it was intended for the committee tn
meet and he called on Hon. O. il.
Watson. asking Mr.. John n. Wilson,
of Greensboro. to take the chair.
When Mr. Watson arose To speak,
there was the stiffness which can al.
most be felt as a quality OF the air
at dramatic situations. There WAS
the look of a crisis in his fnein. He
got up slowly and spoke at the first
whit a quietness which was evidently
forced. AS he proceeded he met at
times with Slight applause. but for
the most part was listened to with a
strained attention. The members OF
the executive committee, the proxy Of
one of whom he held. had been placed.
he said in very awkward position.
by legislation which was pending be-
fore the General Assembly. He spoke
of the meeting held in the Yarborough
House at the time the chairman was
requested to call the meeting and
stated that there had been there
members of the platform committee
of the Greensboro convention who
had stated that the deliverance of the
party on the subject of the Watts law
10 int n
the members who had opposed an
endorsement of the law. and that the
speakers of the Darty had been lead
thereby to go out and tell the peoDie
that no amendments might be ex.
pccted save such as modified and lib
eralized the law instead of rendering
it more stringent. 1t had been
charged, he said that the action OF
those who had signed the request foc
the meeting had been taken as fight
on Senator Simmons. That was not
true. The members of the committee
knew what he had said on the hust-
ings and what. he had put down in
black and white. There was 40 at
tack on him; it was merely a request
to him to come to Raleigh and tell the
members of the committee whether
they were right in their understanding
of the platform; whether they could
go back and tell their people that
while they had been mistaken in
what they had told them on the stump
they had not been lying to them.
Mr.. Drewry then stated that there
was no inclination on his part to par
ticipate in any attack on Mr.. Sim
mons. There was, it appeared to him.
an honest difference OF opinion as 10
whether the plank in the platform In
tended to direct the party TO stop in
liquor legislation at the Watts law
or whether it justified further legis-
1ation. Whether it meant the one
thing or the other he desired the COM
mttee to say SO in its opinion.
MIR. Drewry having concluded. MI
Morton sent forward a resolution pro-
viding that whereas the platform had
been considered by the members OF
the committee concession to the OPP
ponents of the Watts act that it was
the sense of the committee that no
bill more stringent than the Watts
act ought to be passed.
In speaking to his motion, Mr.. Nor
ton made the statement that he sign
ed the request because he knew Of
the unrest of the people over the
Watts law; that the platform had
been explained to them by the speak
ers 70 the effect that they might ex-
pect nothing more stringent; that the
chairman of the committee in a let
ter TO a newspaper had so stated That
the platform was not intended to be
more stringent and that there were a
large element of his people who sup
ported the nominees of the party only
after that assurance.
Mr.. Woodland suggested that the
committee had no right To speak to
the Legislature, and Mr. Morton
agreed to leave out that portion of
his resolution, saying that he had no
desire to dictate to anyone, but that
the committee certainly had the right
to indicate what the platform meant
in it's opinion.
Mr.. Llewlyn offered as a substitute
that the executive committee construe
the platform to mean that the Watts
act might be amended to make it more
lenient, rather than more extreme.
At this point Mr.. Watson was again
recognized and stated that the com
mittee ought to hear from the men
who made the platform; that their evil
dence ought to be taken.
Mr.. Hackett moved that the MEM
bers of the platform committee be re-