The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-04-10
TOM SETTLES
PLAIN DIAGNOSIS
Carnival of Crime and
LawIessness' by Fed
eraI 0fficialdom.
BOSSES PlLlORlED
Republican Party Injury Commenced
When in North Carolina the Lead
ers Regulated the National Plat
form in Advocacy OF The Gold
Standard. Wobbly Attitude
On Other Questions.
By ANDREW JOINER.

Settle. who is here attending Federal
icourt. is u~ncommonly outspoken
concerning the situation, prospects and
peril of the Republican party in North
Carolina. Asked by this correspondent
toda-- to give his opinion of the pres
ient status. and prospective chances of
his party in this State. Mr.. Settle kind
y prepared the following dignified
but toIerably warm" article for pre-
sentation to the readers Of the sunday
News and Observer, which is fast gain
ing the reputation of printing ali thai
is tit to print, when the situation de-
mands it.
Mr.. Settle declares:
The condition Of the Republican
party in North Carolina is at present
such as to demand anxious and earn
est thought by every member II SYM
pathizer thereof who is interested in
maintaining and strengthening the
party 50 that it may be of some prac-
teal use and benefit as q part of the
national party organization, and as
somewhat of Il check and restraint
he rampant Democratic party of
the State.
1T must in candOr be confessed that
the party is more dI~sorganized, dis
Ic~ouraged, disheaurtened and democrat
lied than it has been for many years.
This condition is not accidental,
can it be traced to the attitude
of the party on any n great public
question, national or state; but is in q
measure due to the Vacillating curse
OF the organization on almost every
issue in the political arena. The first
element of decentralization came when
the State party was committed to the
cause of free silver in the campaign
when the national party was for gold.
The party in the State has never yet
recovered the ground lost in that cam
paign. 1t is true the leaders of the or
Sanization' after the election became
converts. and 'Out-heroded Herod' in
their prOteStatiOnS of allegiance to the
gold standard, but the seed of diSOr-
ganization had been planted; the State
party had refused to tight under the
national party banner on the leading
issue of the campaign. Differences of
opinion amOng members of the party
Oh this issue were not met by the or
ganizatiOn' fairly, frankly and with a
just spirit of liberation. The 'Organi
zatiOn' actually fought the nomination
Il election Of Republicans who dared
to proclaim their allegiance to the
national party platform. A premium
was placed upon party d~isloyalty. The /!
Republican who had fought the cleo
ton of the nominee of his party who
on the national platform n ad-
vOcated the gold standard possessed a
passport to the inner councils of the
organization and was rewarded for
his valiant services. This was the
morale impressed not only upon the |
leaders but on the rank and file of
the party, and the end is not yet.
"a similar V~&cillating n proscrip-
tive policy was pursued by the or
in reference to the Consti
tutional Amendment regulating Suf-
frage. The same may be said as to
every other public question.
No policy can be justly said to have
been given the party in the State by !
the organization during the past ten
years save and except the policy of in
dividualism. nepotism and the policy
of ~reWarding party d~isloyalty.
7 these causes chiefly may be
traced the present deplorable condi-
ton OF the party.
"Had the Organization even after
the last election, devoted itself honest
Iy to the task Of building up the party.
retrieving lost ground, learned wisdom
from past experience. adopted a lib
eral policy Of liberation. abandoned h {
hat the fee simple to the party
itself was in the organization there
was u magnificent opportunity to vl-
list recruits.
''The assertions in the Democratic
party We're and are such that it is
past comprehension how the 'organiza-
ton if it desired to build up the par
ty. could have failed to see this chance
and al advantage of it.
THE opportunity IS not vet alto
gether lost, provided there is a COM
plete reorganization of the party at
the party at the next State conven-
ton.
IN a~nalyzing the present conditions
of the party and assigning a position
Oh partE questions to numerous mem
bers thereof, il is not accurate for our
friends and fellow Repub-
licans to say that our differences are
simply a contest between the ms and
the outs over Feleral patronage
the party is simply a pie-hunting 1
regiment. Such a charge frequently
iterated may impair the dignity of the
and lnjure its prOspectS-p-Ovi-
one does not stop for q m l.
and think. If a counter charge could !
attain the dignity of an it
would be sufficient to silence our Dem
ocratic friends to remtnd them of their
office seeking p~ropensities. In this
they are no better and no
worse than we are. 1t is safe to say
that they have as many candidates for
offices, elective and appointiye at
most instances. It is no crime or
to aspire to office under
the government, national or State. 1t
is no offense of any character. save
perhaps to the machine in each party.
a citizen to so aspire.
The contest within the :
party in his State is not altogether
a scrambl for the Federal OFFICES be /
tween individuals. the one set sup
ported by the organization or ..ins, {
and the other by the outs. There 5