The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-16
OPPOSES FuRTHEI, LEGISLATION
Thinks ii Conflicts With the State
Democratic Platform.

To the Editor; You SO often say
those things and advocate these meas
ures that I believe to be right and en-
pedient that | dislike 10 find myself
taking issue against anything You 50
ably champion. But there is at pres
ent such a c!amor in the name of the
people for the enactment of certain
measures by the present Legislature
upon which the people have not ex-
pressed themselves; or if expressed, the
eS preston is against such steps, and
not in favor--that wish TO state what
| believe to be the position Of the vast
ocdy OF thoughtful, conservative men
who voted FER the members t9ho new
constitute the General Assembly: and
especially so along the line Of what is
called temperance legislation.
At tho time OF the meeting of the
Democratic Convention in Greensboro,
there was 4 Widespread impression or
opinion among the delegates that there
was among the people serious dissat-
isfaction, amounting to a, solptc obs
lection 10 the Watts law enacted by
tho previous Democratic Lcgislat dre.
II has been claimed, and SO far as !
have sc@a, never denied eyer by the
Republicans themselves, that this was
the largest and most representative
bo,ty men who had ever assembled
at the behests Of the people of North
Carolina. The primaries that preced-
cd the county conventions were made
up of the rank and file Of the party IN
ali sections of the State. The county
conventions were comparatively free
from bossiSm and political chicanery
Hence / see no reason to doubt that
this great body Of the best citizenship
of the STATE We're echo!ng the demands
Of the people when they were assem-
bled in that mighty convention.
At the beginning Of the conH ention
few among the delegates but believed
that outspoken sentiment in favor OF
modification of the Watts law should
be necessary to insert in the platform
or in resolution TO secure the old time
vote of the people. So strong indeed
was this idea intrencned in the minds
OF the delegates, that not even the
great eloquence of Senator Simmons
and Governor Aycock lacked up by
what each man felt as party allegiance.
could prevent this idea being instl ted
in the platform.
If there were men in that conYen-
ten who at the time did not bclieye
that the reference made by the as
ST mbly 10 the Watts law pledged the
pal ty to modification lessening it's strin
gency they were Of the class of poll
;icians who get their power and use i,
the will of the people. These dele
gates vent out from t,7at convention
and told the people that their COM
paints had been heard by the great
Democratic party ard that they could
depend Upon no moro general reatric-
tive legislation along these lines at the
present time; md that The platform. in
effect guaranteed almost that those
counties that were so much diseatIS-
fed with the present law. should have
1t SO modified as they desired.
You may ask can this be true? Cc
to the men who made The party can
vass that followed and ask them what
they said to the people. They will re-
member--and so do the people. Does
anybody believe that this great cry for
the repeal oftown charters and null
ification of the peoples will. simply be-
cause the authorities license the LIQUOR
traffic would have been heard Of. Aif
the Democratic party had carried the
state by only five thousand majority
instead CT fifty thousand? Aid yet
that fifty thousand majority was only
tie result of the confidence the peo-