The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-02-21
Tuesday February II. 1905.
NOT EXPERIMENT, But PERTI.
NENT.

Inc "NHHnSIOIl AESESlISeI 40 SN
imp rtinent IN it's demand for light on
certafp matters connected with the
Ward bin. Doesn't it know that 1t is In
danger sf embarrassing the paTuy?-l
Charlotte Chronicle.
Wr4t we are trying to do and what
we have for a long time beer ~endeavor-
ing to accomplish is the saving OF ihel
party frcra embarrassment Of so ser1ousI
q nature as to enddnger its continuance
IN power IA this state. We nave beenl
trying 10 war seine Of the leaders
anil organs against pushing ring rule
tco far. We wan the democratic par
ty to be what it's name implies and
what it is intended to be-the party of
the rcope-and that is the view the
people take of it too, and what they VIII
have.
The few men who have undertaken
of late to run the panty and to dictate
its e3rry action and policy and who
d%enounce as traito, S those who dare to
oppose them will frd i'm the end that
they have made a big mistake. They
can fool the people and lea them in
their way for a while, but they cannon
drive them or make them yield by de-
ElLnciatSon and abuse. The white men
Of ~ nth Carolina are not built that
way
The Messenger always stood for
the principle of government of THE par
ty by the people as against ring rule.
Many times our language has been
construed and misconstrued by those
Who purpose1y twisted it into meanings,
for their purposes, foreign to our inten-
tons and contrary to the plain intent
of the words used. This mas bee done
by men who felt the Justice Of OUT
words and the sting of the criticism,
and whose eonsciences applied our re-
marks to themselves, though often
these persons may not have been in
the mind of the writer att the time of
preparing the article.
The latest instance of this attempt at
b~ulfdozing by some of h SO called
party leaders is the heaping of abuse
on those members of uhe democratic
state executive committee who signed
a letter to the chairman asking for a
IIStIIllS VI lbe luH COllllilAuLSo W IOL-
slider the ATTITUDE of the party toward
the Ward bill now pending i'm the legis-
lature. They are trying to muddy the
waters and to draw the attention Of the
people from the main issue by pretend
ing that this movement lis an attempt to
down Senator Simmons. They seem
to be afraid to let the matter come up
on its own merits, but are trying TO
side-track 1t into a personal tight
against the chairman of the committee
and cur senior senator.
The issue and the only issue in this
case is What are the tellets of the
democratic party regarding liquor leg
~islaTtion enacted two years ago ana
that now pending in the Legislature?
There is divergence of opinion as to the
meaning and intent of the Watts law
plank IN the democratic platform. if
the chairman of THE executive omnlit-
tee constructs that plank differently
from some twenty odd members of the
committee have the lauter got 70 STR
render their personal views to the opin-
ion and will of the chairman? Have
not they the right to request the chair
man to a the committeeman together
in order that the opinion of the full
committee may be ascertained on this
important! question? Even suppose NJ.
Simmons mad done soIne act as chair
man of which these twenty odd MEM
bers Of the committee disapproved, have
not they the right to have the commit
tee NEE. and consider. the maatter? NJ.
Simmons should court discussion by
the committee of this matter or any
other differences of opinion or party
measures which may arise among the
members of the committee, and no
doubt he does. We do mot believe he is
a party to this vicious and most absurd
attack on the members OF that commit
tee who have asked for this meeting.
The absurdity of the a1tack on these
men as rsot being true democrats IS
patert to every one who is acquaint-
ed with tine political records of those
twenty a.alwart democrats, whose
name we published yesterday and with
the past political history of some of the
men who are attacking them.