The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-02-24
OH mcssrmrr.
THE DEMOCRATIC MEETING To-
DAY.

meets in Raleigh today pursuant 10 d
call by Senator Simmons, chairman
of the committee, to take some ac-
ton regarding the attitude OF the
party toward the pending legislation
on the liquor question as embraced
in the Ward bill. From the time the
legislature first met up TO a few days
ago the cry from the self-constituted
organs of the party and some self
imposed leaders was: Stand by the
democratic PLATFORM" THE Ward
bill is simply carrying out the intent Of
that document" All democrats who
do not stand by the Ward bill are
traitors TO the party" Such was the
substance of the cry of these men and
editors. But in the last day or two
a mighty change has come over them.
1t is no longer what the democratic
party stands for or what its platform
said. The cry now is hat the exec
utivc head of h party in the state
has nothing to do with the matter.
According to these people and these
papers, who heretofore have been de-
nouncing as traitor to the party every
man who raised his voice against any
action or declaration Of h party
leaders, every democratic member of
the legislature must in the matter of
liquor legislation throw off party al
Iegiance and vote as these dictators
20 the legislature direct. We are now
told by these men who were SO re-
Gently crying out to all legislators to
toe the party line, that h real party
representatives have nothing to do
with the course to be pursued by the
party members of the legislature.
This would be as astounding as it
is absurd if we had not grown accus-
toned to this kind of political somer-
saulting on the part of one of the
se1f-appointed democratic leaders in
the state who tries through the col
umns of his paper to rule the party
anu ~ "ACldNS = IcAASJ Nto
to the balance OF it's membership.
When it was thought that the adj
~vocates of the Ward bill would be able
to carry it over the opposition of what
was supposed to be a minority of the
party the cry was raised, as we said
above. nat it was q party
ir,rt o- tho Watts hill haI hnar ,oo1a
and a mans party fealty was gagged
by his attitude toward this bill. When
it became known that there was dan
ger of this bill being defeated in the
house and that q call had been issued
for q meeting of h party's govern
ing board in the state to declare
ure and to express the sense of the
party through this governing board
otherwise. the state executive commit
tee-these howlers for party fealty
changed their tune n now arc de-
claring hat the. party's true epre-
sentatives have nothing to do with it:
Ildl ucIlOCTdlS IlllSL not De governed
by the declarations of the representa-
tives of the party. These fellows dis
count old Noah Webster's OK and bull
story Ivy q per cent. greater than any
the Standard Oil Company has ever
declared.
The claim is made by some of the
editors of the state that those who.
see danger in forcing this class OF
legislation are they who wish to bring
about danger. Lets see about this.
Opposed to this Ward bill movement
are uch men as Hon. Cyrus B. Wat
son, ex-Lieutenant Governor r. A.
Doughtor, ex-Speaker Walter Z.
Moore. ex-Judge Augustus w. Ora
nam, Hon. Julian S. Carr, the Oft
elected leader of the confederate vet
Grams of this state; Major f. J. Hale,
Inc several others Are these
men and hundreds just as good dem-
ocrats, as moral men and as strong
advocates of temperance and good
government traitors to their party
and recreants to their duty as good
citizens Of their state just because
they do not happen to agree with the
advocates of the Ward bill? Is ex-
Lieutenant Governor Doughton pre-
tending apprehension on this matter
that he does not feel when he writes:
ut does seem that some of our
friends have lost their balance and
are determined on a course that will
weaken if it does not disrupt The
democratic party. I had a talk yes
terday with Mr.. Finney, who has been.
home but has now returned to Raj.
eigh. He will vote and work against
all this proscriptive asd dangerous
legislation. The worst feature or all
is the reckless and defiant attitude of
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