The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-04-13

of the big fire with my own amusing
personal experience. Being a conval-
escsns, l was, I think. the last patsen.
to leave the hospital. At the foot Of
the stairway Miss v. c. F9ippo, the
head nurse. laying her hand on my
shoulder, said: Go On to the Martin
House. Mr.. Myrover." Yes. Ma'am'
/ replied obediently-but | had no idea
Of going TO the Martin House. | knew
that, once inside, | could not get out,
and the newspaper instinct q strong
in me. | was resolved TO make a
teleSraphic news scoop" and. besides
| had TO be put that day TO write up"
for the mails such a fire as that. By
the way, an artist should have been
on the spot TO take that weird. spec
tacular night picture; the long line,
through a silent lane of sympathiziag
people. of stretchers with attendant
nurses and physicians. the half-well
patients limping in the a back
OF them hungry fire tongues licking
at the walls they had just left a SOL
emn procession, lighted by the flames.
| moving slowly across Green into Bow
| street TO the Martin House.
Well, | walked along at the tall of
the column, until. under cover OF
| darkness, l slipped of, look the
| shadow OF a wall, got into Mr.. Hunter
G. Smiths Office on Green street, and
| grabbed a writing pad. By $50
TINES THAT TRY Two L.w Y
| o'clock Monday morning | sent a full
| general o of the fire 10 the
| Charlotte Observer and Richmond
| Times-Dispatch, tn only papers in
my bailiwick having Monday issues
or, rather, | wrote it, and Mr.. John
| Underwood, by great effort, very
| kindly got it off for me, for | vas
/ too weak TO get about. Then | wenl
to my brothers house, two hundred
yards away. DR.. Highsmith, When |
was missed from the Martin House,
sent an attendant TO look me up,
and carry me in; but as | was - be
discharged the neXt day. | was al
lowed TO remain out.
. =
The Old South and the New South
are pictures of contrast, very much
q do not aim to write ~iippantly) like
companion advertising newspaper
cuts, before and after taking"-the
great civil war and the revolution of
reconstruction. They are beautiful
l p1CtulSS, dld boIh poAAiay SAoA NS
shining epochs in the history of this
country. The men who made the Old
South were great in camp and court,
all powerful in the councils of The
nation, distinguished in the forum, in
diplomacy and in craftsmanship; and
from this illustrious galaxy for more
than seventy years were drawn the
majority of the chief magistrates of
the young, sturdy republic, The men
who have made the New South have
wrung order out of chaos Of war, and
devastation; have built great centres
of commerce and manufacture, erect
ed colleges and universities, laid the
earth with the iron rail. spun the air
with the electric wire, opened rich
mines, developed vast powers, set the
fields to poisoning as the rose, and
made two blades of grass o grow
where one sprang up before.
Yes, there are men, scores Of men,
yea. hundreds of men in the New
South fitted to guide the helm wise
ly, firmly, and successfully, Of this
now great, opulent and powerful re-
! public of eighty-fve million Of people
But, for all that there is not one Of
i the New South's great men, what
ever be his calling o. profession, whom
it would not be political suicide for
the democratic party to nominate FOR
the presidency. If we want a stirring,
brilliant campaign, all right-we can
take our pick Of a dozen men in the
south; but if we are after victory, II
we want a majority Of the votes in the
electoral college, We must go north
of the Mason and Dixon line for a
candidate for a while yet. A candi-
date from this section for president,
would get the electoral votes OF the
solid Southland that is all ne
would get.
The advocates of the southern pres
ident are asking: Is the war never
to be over? Is the revolution never
to end? Are we never TO have I
common united country? Are section
, al lines always to be drawn? Be pa
tient. brothers; there is something Of
this, but it is not all. by any means
!. So far as sectionalism IN prejudice
are concerned, far more of this dis
turbing element exists at the NORTH
, than at the south. Down here people
, have been too busy for the past 3:
, or 40 years in getting out of tn:
woods since the civil war. and il
J DullQluS up tue WASTE piooeS' wv"
er their heads with sectional mete:
, and bounds. Up north. the fires q
sectional prejudice are still sullenl1
| smouldering-I make no charge light
r ly-and now and then they breal
, out, as is plainly shown in the col
o umns of their own press. They ar
: Jealous of our marvellous materia
2 progress in the past four decades. o
our wonderful advancement in com
? merce, and especially manufacturing
of our rapid increase in population
r Above all. the negro problem stand
: as a solid wall between the two grea
sections. and it will be long, il ever
/ / before We get together across That
! The southern people know that he
. are right on the race question, an
n have ceased to worry their mind