The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-08-28
'hI GOVERNOR OF
WILMA IN 1905.

.aa mai d dozen Drorfnen,
"oi'hF gentlemen who are ma
Slood L" be considering cnta~fna
ace lof Governor in Martin
III I7'S- Personally every ara
hahled IS acceptable and vet ~.
Vi lhehi towers above the o,hr -
"pIlty ana party service 60
MN any ground to expect s,,ch
4hatloh as came to Governo, -,
anu governor Glenn. Thev u.., ut
loii'l because they led in the terriht.
IIshts from 1894 10 1900 when The NO
cesSlIy 10 strenuous effort to pree.r,,-
issue. ''hei
"" conditions and new issues hav.
ailSeh- The elimination Of the negro
'"7 ~ as some people mistakenly
supposed, resulted in giving us =
strong and respectable RenuhIican
party 1t is worse. if possible tban
wien the negroes helped to boss it.
III" It's policies are mapred out bv
men who's moral treason and enconr-
3emen to lawlessnese and want If
rove of state have Won th4rn the ota.
nal dlstrust Of the voters Of he Stat.
ne only hope of It respectable Pc
popilcah party in North Carolina j..
the Iolltlcal death of the one fhons-
ana leading office holders and DEM
so&ues WAC control it as absolutely -,
'eorse Nhlte controlled the second
ulStIlct when he was elected a dele
gate at large to the Republican Ma
llofal convention in 1896.
The suffrage amendment has opened
the way for contests in the Dem
ocfatlc party over questions of prin-
clple without the fear that the diyfs-
io1S caused by such contests would
turn the State over to the Renublican
party. We haze come to the place
Where the saloon-heeIers' threat OF
vengeance no longer has terror: where
railroad influence and money is pow
erless to defeat the party: where a
combination of selfish interests cannot
deter the voters from demanding
needed reforms. And yet there are
those who wish the Democratic party
to be the party of do nothingism"
and ''let We'll enough alone"-to run
with the hare and hold with the
SiNA'S Nh> pNopi1 81 vi
What they demand and smuggling up
to h public service corporations that
take active part in politics. They sue
coed here and there, but their success
must be short-lived.
The result in Georgia has a lesson
the candidates for Governor in
North Carolina. one of the cleverest
in hat State free from any tainJ
of corruption or Wrong-doing, who
had in an hundred ways helped nearly
every good cause in Georgia-Hon.
HoWell-Was q candidate for
Governor. His platform was Let Well
Alone" He was Speaker of
House, had served with great ac-
ceptability, was i'll line of promotion,
and had warm personal friends in
county i'll the State. The rail
in Georgia are M at only
forty per cent. OF their true value in
Howell had not demanded that
be taxed at their true value
though he had voted for a franchise
and he was not deemed in any
financial sense connected with railroad
interests, Freight and passenger
rates in Georgia are high-too high,
just as they are in North Carolina.
Howell favored reduction, but he
presented no clear plan and he had
handicap of the support of the
railroad interests which believed he
MIR. Howell had been a silver
man and a Bryan man, While Mr..
had DpOSe free coinage and
1896 was opposed to Bryan's Si.Ver
platform, though he resigned from
cabinet 10 vote for Bryan. And
yet Mr.. Smith won a sweeping victory. |
Because he announced hat he |
to WaGc war against high
and passenger rates, against
escape from just taxation, |
against railroad participation in poll !
against corporate influence in
public affairs. He backed up his po-
sitiOn by facts and convinced the peo-
pie that if elected he would make
Kings come to pass. He had cour-
age and ability and holiness and re- |
sOurces-thc essentials for a man to |
cad a fight against corporate owe
might have been ever SO honest
md but if he had lacked
he ability to speak and to convince.
ne would have failed. And though he
possessed ability, courage and bold
less, he could not have won unless
a also had the to or
raniZe the people.
The conditions in North Caroline |
are far better than in Georgia., but
public service corporations exert an
Undue influence, they "a tax on only
sixty per cent. of their true value IN
noney they defy the courts ana laws
If the State and use their Fedora
Iudge to ride rough shod over state
avs and restrictions. and they |
.harge excessive freight and passen-
ger rates. The fight is on, The Gen
,ral Assembly will give some measure
e no,;of If is to be hoped it Will |