The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1908-07-02

waved his elegantly shaped hands
for attention.
He said:
Mr.. CRAIG s SPEECH.
81 thank you, my friends, for this
GREAT reception you have given me.
As stand here l realize that l look
upon the greatest body of Democrats
that has eyer assembled in any State
in the United States and | come be-
fore this body TO pledge to you again
in this hour when you have chosen
another to be your standard-beare.r,
that in the future, as for % years IN
the past, all of my talent, whatever
| it is, all my strength, is at the COM
mand of the cause Of the Democracy
of this State. Great applause). /
do not belong to the party for the
honor and emolumentS of office.
claim allegiance to that great organ
ization because Of its success is cock
tensive with the welfare of my State
and the good of the people that |
love, and for that reason, in victory
and in defeat, | always owe and al
ways give my allegiance to the party
that has saved and that is the saliva
ton of this State.
VICTOR IN THIS CONTEST.
"But my friends it is unnecessary
for mo to cav this | think that nv
record for 25 years in the past IS a
guarantee of my loyalty in the fu-
ture to the cause of our party. l
come before you especially to thank
the friends who have stood so Loyalty
by me in this, the greatest political
convention of the States history.
They have stood by me with the 10y
atty of a Spartan and with the devo-
ton and chivalry of a son of this
land of Dixie. And l wish to say to
you tonight, my friends, that
| though | am not the nominee of this
convention, feel a great victor in
this contest for | have the devotion
of the friends who have stood by me;
Their heroism. their intelligence and
their loyalty is to me heritage and
to my children heritage that is
more precious than the honors or
| the emoluments Of office; for the
honors and emolumentS of office is
in it's essence the loyalty and devo-
ton of friends, and | know that |
have this. l shall never forget their
support. The only regret | have
about this is that they have given
| me so much and l can give them so
little. (Applause). l can not ex-
press to you in words my gratitude.
| | hope that here and hereafter | can
be true to the cause that you love
and demonstrate in my after life
that your affection and your loyalty
have not been bestwowed upon one
that is unworthy We all go home
with the determination and with all
zeal to fight for the principles that
we love and for the land of our in
| heritance.
GREATEST STATE IN UNION.
81 believe that this is the greatest
State il the Union. | know that she
is not the greatest in wealth; ] know
| ,hat she is Tot foremost in material
development, but in the potential en-
ergies of her manhood and her wo-
| Inanhcod, firmly believe that she is
foremost in the great procession of
States, and l hope you will pardon
me for saying here that | believe
that the men who compose this con-
vention and who represent the De-
mocracy of this State are the energy
and tt G moral force that should guide
and that ought to guide and that
must guide the destinies of this Com
monwealth.
81 thank you all, my friends, for !
have among them men who have
supported me-the men whose lives
have been glory to this State and
whose great services and patriotism
and characters will live when this
generation and generations that are
TO come shall have passed away.
You are all my friends; we are all
Democrats here together, and
pledge again that for 25 years to
come, if necessary, without re-
ward or the hope of reward, nv SER
vices are at the command of the
Democratic party, if the exigencies
OF my State require it. 1t is great
privilege and great honor for me
to be servant for the principles and
the cause that love.
HOME PEOPLE THANKED.
| can hardly look upon some faces
here tonight and think of some men
who have come down from the
mountalns-my home people, saw