The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-04-09
HAD RATHER TOO MUCH OF
THE GOVERNORS RECEPTION.
BY III. WHITAKER.
BY REV. r. II. WHITAKER.

the old Mansion. which stood where
the Centennial Graded School is, to
which the Legislature. and. as | re-
member the size of the crowd. almost
everybody else in the city were invit-
ed. The crowd was immense. the re-
frcshments were abundant and the
cheer wss royal. Little Davy'' was in
his glory, for he dearly loved to shake
the peoples hands, and. as he was
pretty sure of his election and would
go from the gubernatorial chair to
seat in the Senate. he was, of course. in
fine spirits. If there was an individual
there. that night, with whom he did
not shake hands two or three times. it
was because he couldn't find him.
The Governor was about five feet
and a half high, and, the boys said.
the long-tails of his dress coat, when
he leaned back, came very near reach
ing to the floor. 1t will be remember
ed that he was the first Democratic
Governor ever elected by the people
in North Carolina; and he was. the au-
thor of the doctrine of Free Suffrage,
which had much to do in changing
the politics of the State. The young
reader does not know, perhaps. that
prior to that time. while every man
above twenty-one years of age could
vote for all other officers, only those,
who were free-holders, could vote for
a Senator. Free Suffrage was, there
fore, a very popular movement, as it
gave thousands of good men, and even
wealthy men. who hitherto had been
debarred, the right to vote for Sena-
tors as well as for members of the
House of Commons.
The Wing party opposed Free Suf-
frage outright, as being a dangerous
movement; and quite a number OF
Democrats gave it a very lukewarm
support: they did not fight it, how
ever, as they wished to wrest the State
from Wing control.
But, l am wandering away from the
Governors Reception, which l am free
to confess was the biggest social func-
ton that a boy, raised in the country,
had ever seen; and, l will add, the
most democratic. The Governor with
his wife did not back up against a
wall with uncles, aunts and cousins
about them, and have the crowd march
around and shake their hands. That
was not his style. He pulled off his
gloves, spit in his hands, figuratively
speaking, and launched out among
the sovereigns. reaching for them,
right and left.
Refreshments, as already stated.
were abundant and, unlike the hand.
around affairs of the present day and
time, one large room was filled with
tables. which, as fast as they were
cleared off. were repleniShed. vita
barbecue, turkey and oysters, and all
the ct ceteras, one could call for l
am afraid. lest my statement might
be doubted to tell how many pigs
turkeys and oysters. report said, We're
consumed there that night to say
nothing of the loaf bread. cakes and
crackers.
In another room which, by the wa.
was always crowded, there were all
kinds of liquors, and, from what the
bows told me, the punch bowl held
about a barrel of the most insidiouS
Stuff that could be concocted. 1t
looked and tasted as if it had been as
innocent as molasses and water; but,
it played the mischief with some of
the boys: and, from the noise some of
the girls made. / had a suspicion they
had received a punch or two, If not
several. On my way up Fayetteville
street that night. as | was crossing
Davie, | heard the groans of man.
who seemed to be in great distress, at
the intersection of Davie and Salisbury
streets. l fastened to the point. and
found an acquaintance of mine, down
ON his all-fours, heaving and vomit-
ing. and. between times, saying 80
Lordy, I'm so sick!" 1t was quite
awhile before he could speak to me.
but when he did he mumbled out:
Them nasty oysters; | do believe they
were split o, I'm so sick"
do you reckon the oysters made
you sick ?'' L asked.
The only answer l got to that aues-
ton was: 30 LOrdy, I'm so sick"
| suppose it was an hour before he
would try to move. And when he did.
l found that he was too weak to walk
alone. I got him to his room. at last,
but he was too sick to sleep and did
not want to be left alone: so | spent a
most miserable time from then, until
day, hearing him groan and bewail
the probability and almost certainty
that he had a virulent attack of bilious
fever.
But the truth was he was drunk
drunk through and through, and stay
ed drunk several days. / reported his
illness to some of his friends. and
some of his lady friends sent such de-
licacies to his room as they supposed
a sick man would relish. But. until
he got all that punch and champagne
out, he didn't feel like eating anything.
He was very much afraid his sweet
heart would get wind of the true ma
ture of his sickness: but l don't think
she did.
/ heard there were quite a number
who had spells of sickness. of like
character, after that night. and the
cause. as L learned from one party,
was they mixed their punch and
champagne too freely.
An old liquor seller who used to
sell lager beer. mostly. said to me
one day: Il don't let the boys get
drunk in my saloon. | tell them l
sell lager beer and there's no danger
in that; but, if they go to mixing their
liquor they must always drink their
beer first and drink the whiskey on
top of the beer to hold it down. Ii
they drink whiskey first and put the
beer on top of that it will be sure
to make them drunk, because there's
nothing to hold the beer down"
/ expect that's about the way the
boys did at the Governors reception;
drank punch first. then the champagne
and. as there was nothing to hold it
down, it made them drunk.
A friend told me the other day there
were only two questions to be discuss
ed in the present municipal campaign
Water and Whiskey." The city al
ready has control of the whiskey bust
ness. and hopes to keep it: now it
wants to control the water. l am in
favor of that. / think it's nothing
more than our duty when we sell a
man vbiSkeV RI he able tO give him