Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1906-05-26
PENDLETON WILL REGR Ell VI

A personal friend of Editor Osca r MI
Rae, called our attention to the following eGl'
torial arrangement of Editor Pendleton by the
Editor of the Telfair Enterprise, and we like it
so well, and believing that it would be re ad with
profit by many of our subscribers, we reproduce
it in full.
Nothing in the present campaign for COVER
nor in Georgia has surprised the Enterprise
more than has the peculiar situation IN which
the Macon Telegraph has been found in the
matter of democratic loyalty and the party prl-
mary pledge.
until recently the Telegraph has generally
kept it's temper and met the arguments OF those
of the press with whom it disagreed in candid
and fair discussion on the merits OF the issue
between them. But the present campaign has
worked the telegraph into such fever OF excite
ment that it magines every democratic brother
who enters it's presence to be a mend bent on the
dishonor or destructionof the party unless such
a visitor can show that he has his hands bound
behind him and either wears the ring collar
with smile of pride or has a gag thrust be-
tween his teeth.
1.-THE Enterprise has not at any time asked
that populists, prohibitionists and republicans
who would come into the primary as wreckers
and party cut-throats be invited into the white
primary held under democratic management.
Before the meeting Of the state executive COM
nnittee we advocated allowing and inviting the
nartcipation in the democratic white primary OF
every white man in the state who would honest
" pledge himself 10 abide the results and in
good faith support the nominees Of the primary
in which he took part. We believe still that no
harm would have come to the party by such an
invitation but that instead of weakening it would
have tended to strengthen and build-up the
democratic organization in Georgia.
But the issue between the Enterprise and
the TELEGRAPH has been confined to the pledge
of LOYALTY to two years in advance to the nation
al party organizations is an outrage on the dem
ocratic manhood of the state-that, with pres
ent and past national party conditions and platS
forms staring the democrats OF Georgia IN the
face, pledge of future loyalty to the national
party organization nesessitates the surrender
of every principle in national matters and de-
mands blind loyalty to party name. We con-
tend that the state committee had no right to de-
mand of organized Georgia democrats such
pledge to the national organization.
Our condemnation of the action Of the exc
cutive committee for it's recent action has been
wholly because of the humiliating and danger
Gus outrage committed against the true and
loyal organized democrats of the state.
1--WE SOU in that pledge of future
LOYALTY to the national party not the
closun6 of the democratic state pri-
mary against the $4,000 podUlists
and independents 7Oho Voted for
Tom Watson in 1901, but ON open
attempt to drive out of the demo-
cratic primary thousands OF CON-
scientious and life long organized
democrats.
'Pendleton may take that pledge with the
avowed purpose of boiling the national organza-
ton before the next national election, and salve
his conscience over with the sophistry that the
boilers and himself are "our national democ-
racy." But he will find that many democrats
are unable to consider pledge as loosely as he
regards this one in it's bearing on his action as
an individual democrat. In fact, we believe
that so many of the pledgers will keep that
pledge to the letter that Editor Pendleton would
feel rather lonesome in the first election after
his national democracy" had been organized
should he bolt out before that pledge to
the present national organized democracy is
carried out.
IF Editor Pendleton feels justified in bolt
ing the national democratic party of 1908 after
taking that pledge, we fail to see why former
populist could be charged by him with dishonor
or bad faith, for taking like view and similar