The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1906-08-09

Protest Registered.
Mr.. Charles E. Fuller Has a Griev
auce About Which He Writes.

Enron GOLD LEAF:-NOW that the lie
nublieans OF Vance county have met in
convention and elected a "bOss," and the
Republicans OF various other counties
have in turn met and chosen their boss,
and all these by proxy have had a State
meeting and chosen the biz boss, and
now. whereas, the smoke OF all the
battles has cleared away, your writer
would venture from the undefbush long
enough to remark a little. 1T may be
wise on my part to withhold forever
what am about to say, but being noted
for acts of unwisdom in matters politl:
cal, that same fault cOnstralns me to
speak right out ''in meeting" 1T seems
to me the exercise of great patience to
have waited so long, and indeed, l have
been often reminded of the lamented Bill
Arp" in that, | have thus often had to
walk out into the garden ''to let nay
chOler down"
Would you hear the cause OF my
wounds? 1t is short and simple story.
Having as much OF the good OF the
party at heart as he could afford to
pump into that organ without proyok-
ing O revolution in that other very i'm
portant one (the stomach) this writer
felt called upon to offer flew suggestions
to the convention already referred to.
We asked that the party, as such, com
NIT itself to a policy that would limit
the terms OF Federal Office to one term,
and further, to resolve among ourselves
that no discrimination should be made
against the country and in favor of
urban voters in making recommended
tions and appointments to these posi-
TONS We believe that at least eighty
per cent. OF the delegates to the cOnven-
ton were in favor OF these resolutions
and had thus expressed themselves, and
yet they failed to carry. When they were
read out by the secretary there were
many cries for Peace! Peace! when
there was no peace What!is there any
thing concealed about the business OF
politics in Vance county? Your writer
was forced to wonder. One man said,
"why that sounds like Democratic doc
trine to me-" And this same man under
took to explain that the post office au-
thOrities at Washington had established
forever, the precedent of keeping good
man in office at least two terms Is that
SO? Then why not keep Pryce Jones in
office at Henderson another term for he
is a man, than whom, no more faithful
and proficient servant the county has
ever had? Yet, so far as my own con-
victiOns are concerned | feel that the
present incumbent is more deserving as
O party man and for this reason favored
him. But this man did not undertake
to tell us why the country man had not
the same right to appointment in the
Henderson Office that the town man had
| and until he shall find time to do this
satisfactorily he will find it an uphill
business to keep a solid organization in
| the county. | pronounce it the merest
| tommyrot to say that a man living in
| the remotest niche OF the county has not
| the same right to Office that he has who
lives upon the lot adjoining the court
house square, other things being equal,
excepting geographical position, it mat
| ters not what government or authority
| may think and do to the contrary.
And now to the heart of the offense |
! am not so much offended at being honest
| ly considered Democrat but to be open
ly accused by a supposed friend, of I'M
| faithfulness without apparent cause was
a little more than | was prepared for
| Much serious thought in this matter has
| led me to wonder about several things.
The first is why my critic and accuser al
| lowed me to find fault in and withdraw
| from the Democratic party seven Oreight
| years sooner than he did, especially since
| his cause and mine were identically the
| same. The next is, how we can consist
emily take up the cry and clamor for
"hOnest elections with party whose
great predominance has been seemingly
established by the lavish use of election
| "bOOdle.''
| Personally and most candidly | would
like to be Democrat as between the
two old parties, for | am Southerner
and white man, but | cannot endorse
a policy that requires me to falsify re
turns or stand aside and let some one
! make the figures who will do SO. But
maybe they will come to despise sucl
methods some of these days and | hope
they will. There is no great difference
between platforms now, especially since
they have borrowed from the Populis1
creed until that party has almost become
a bankrupt in the matter of doctrines
The question of the tariff stands at thu
head of the list Of differences with great
| shall not be at all surprised if within
a few more years great Independent
party will be built upon the stronges
planks of the two old ones when we may
all be POpulists again-who want to-
| anu WIZ siHCciely ucsiIe TIE universal
prevalence OF that most sacred of all pc
litical dogmas, Equal rights to all ant
special privileges to nome For such
time | do hope and pray.
This is about the sum of my presen
complaints and in conclusion would lik,
to relieve the minds of any who hav
suspicious that desire to hold office b,
the simple statement that no distributor
OF Federal jobs within this county ha
anything to offer so tempting as to lur
me from this little home of mine SO clos
up to the bosom of nature, and sine
Providence has dealt go kindly with u
in sending the sunshine and the showers
it is in this sacred retreat that we nov
live, poor, but happy
CHAS. E. FULLER.
EnSOm 81 C. Anr & ,0R