The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-03-05
When Reid and Graham
CIashed on Rate Bill.
HISTORIC PENDULUM
Attitude Of Va ior Graham the Sumo
a. That Of the Old Wing Gov
rnor. Against Which lance
To Victory the Elder
Reid.

When. amid thunderous applause.
the Senate passed the Conference rate
bill on Friday night, there was closed
one OF those psychic circles which. re-
yolving through history. seems also
TO touch the forces of life itself.
Running through all the heat and
passion and eloquence with which the
moment was dressed: beck Of the line
of thought which divided the contes-
tants; instinct in the If
the men who were engaged in the
tfusgle ran u principle and was set
Tied an issue which has again snl
again marked the crises OF political
history in the State.
1t was the issue Of the people
against the class: the question OF pom
uiaf trust as against popular suspicion:
n question whether what the people
should be given by the law should be
what the people demanded or what
inc representatives OF the people were
wiling to concede.
Even more. it was the question Of
Democracy, of the right of represen-
tat!on. The old Wing spirit rose out
of the years and met the old Demo-
cratic spirit in new conflict Stubborn
Wing. devoted Democrat. they fought
the issue 70 i finish. The Democrat
Won. as in the end he will always win.
The Wing. defeated, will not and never
will admit that the battle is lost.
old men who watched the fight re-
called the days of their youth. remem-
bered the rising tide of Democracy,
n staunch wall of Wing resistance,
the flnal surge and wave and crash
when the people won their fight at
last.
Students of State history recalled
n names of Graham and Reid, of
Romulus Saunders and Michael Hoke.
And SO remembering, it was Il thought
full reflection to watch the battle
swing between Graham. Of Orange:
and Reid. of Rockingham. In them
h years tOuched fingers through the
generations. and the issue that was
arm and vital then was warm and
vital now. 1t was the old, the in
cvitable renaissance Of personality. At
ter nearly sixty years it famed with
n same fire, burned The same course,
merged at length into the same result.
Again has the circle swung oun
upon itself. And again, through the
years is started the impulse for an
other and yet unborn coincidence.
Life, indeed, is short but tenacious.
h happened Over the rate bill
has always been happening, Will al
ways happen,-NNhig and Democrat.
Democrat and Republican. King and
people. and property-the
issue is the same, the impulse that
draws the line lives like a peculiar
feature in the blood Of an insistent
race!
Prior to 1850 the Wigs in North
Carolina had been for years in the
a~scendancy. In their strong grip, the
snstinct of class and property held
the people fast. They were able men.
bold men. more than all tenacious.
dogmatic men. h they believed
was more than a mental process. It
was in their very blood and habit
They more than believed IL: they
knew it. The Wings who made the
party were and are yet not to be
|scOnvinced. and not to be deferred.
They made n Of the noble phalanXes
of history around which people are
prone to gather. one of those riril5
concentrations that will never lack
the support Of weaker minds. And
SO. for long. the Wings were prac-
tically invincible. Their doctrines per
CO.'S. they pushed their advantage.
occupied further ground. The Wing
was the good. old conservative party,
its conservatism finally became radical.
The day arrived when. in fear and
trembling. it had almost come to pass
that anything which varied from the
Wing dogma was thereby, and there
fore, radical itself. When conserya-
tisnl became too radical, the people
took a hand Aghast almost as a
religious fanatic sees the hand of the
spoiler on his brazen Cod, the Wings
found themselves in the midst Of the
wreck of their principle and the peo-
pie in charge of their own affairs!
Today, in North Carolina, the pas
sage of the rate bill fills with dread
heart that can see in it nothing but
uin and was convinced rs long as
q undred years ago.!
Tho Circle Closes
The Wing downfall came in 1850.
What has been said of its radfca!-con-
servatism may be best illustrated by
saying that the issue in the campaign
was whether or not the suffrage for
a Senator should be that of manhood
or property. Upon the theory that
the people should be PERMITTED TO
elect the representatives -, but one
House the Wings went TO the people
with their old confidence.
Leading the Wings. dominant fig
nre of his day. was William y. Gra-
ham. Of Orange.
To lead the party Of the Demo
cracy came David s. Reid. of Rock
Ingham What Saunders and Hoka
had failed 70 do, he did. he WAS
elected to the Governoroh;p az d
Radical Democrat and took his seat
in 1851. The Radicalism upon which
he won was that the people should
be allowed to elect their representa-
tlVes by manhood vote.
In the Senate on Friday night. Ora
ham, of Orange. battled till the end
for his own conviction that the peo-I
pie should rot be permitted to affect
the legislation undertaken by their
representatives. The son Of Governor
Reid stood in the Senate and fourbt
the issue for the bill which the people
wanted. H
/. i Will not be deferred from do
lns what believe to be my duty by
any internal lobbyist. or mob" shout
gu senator Graham IS the galleries
"nS WIN applause for his opponent.
NO: retorted Senator Reid. won
can't deter the rest of us either 90