The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1908-10-08
Charley Z Toms /
ROaStS the
Radicals! !!

1IL lLLLU VI I'LL VI LLltVIV
RECORD OF DEMOCRACY
IN NORTH CAROLINA.
Following is the full text of speech de-
livered by Charles French Toms at
Rutherfordton. N. c., Sept s, 1904,
in accepting the nomination for State
Senator.
SPEECH or ACCEPTANCE.
Nh, CHAIRA1AN AND GENrLEA1EN OF
CONVENTION David B. Hill once said,
II am q Democrat" and that express
sion has become almost as famous as
Mr.. Hill himself If a man should ask
me If was a Democrat / would an
swer him like the old fellow in Texas,
In response to the same question. "Just
as good q one as have got sense to
know how to be-" But if man should
ask me If M. Z. Shipman was q Demo.
crat would answer him that he is
like one Of these live electric wires-he
is charged so full of Democracy it
would knock an ordinary Republican
down to touch him.
appreciate what Mr.. Shipman and
Mr.. Rucker have said in nominating
me, and desire to thank them for
their kind words.
Now, Mr.. Chairman, we will have a
great deal Of speechmaking here to-day,
and some of US may get worried; so /
shall take no great length of time in
addressing you. But few remarks
about our party will not be out Of
place.
We have to-day gathered as the rep
resentatives of the Democratic Party
party whose rule in North Carolina
has been so satisfactory that the peo-
pie of the State have no complaint to
make. This nomination comes to me
to-day In a twofo1d pleasant capacity.
IN the first place, am proud that /
have so conducted myself that the
grand old, county of Henderson could
say to the other counties 1.-The district,
"Here is a man who will carry out the
solemn trust of legislating for you"
And, secondly, / esteem it because Just
thirty-two years ago I first saw the
light of day, and hence it is a birthday
pie, and as such / receive it at your
hands, and ! pledge you. that the ban-
ner Of Democracy shall never trail In
the dust so long as ! am able to lift
my voice In defense of her principles.
PAST RECORD OF THE PARTY.
The record Of our party in the past
has been glorious. In the old days we
followed that leader Of leaders, Zebu.
Ion B. Vance. His word in North Caro-
lima was the law of the party, and his
loyalty was the loyalty of the party.
His record was as glorious in peace as
in war. He was elected Governor, and
returned from the battlefield, leaving
128.OOO patriotic North Carolinians
writing for North Carolina a page In
history that time will not efface And
when the war was over and the clouds
of battle had dispersed, he was found
yet in the forefront, reconstructing the
government of the State, in order that
the people might again be happy. He
delivered her from carpet-bag rule, and
when she desired some one with the
skill and ability necessary to steer the
ship of State in those troublesome
times, and later to represent her at
the National Capital, he was called
upon to serve; and when he finally
passed away, to use the language Of
Senator Ransom, "All North Carolina
was sad, from the mountains to the
sea"
THE ERA OF NEGRO DOMINATION.
Time passed on, and the Democratic
Party needed another leader. A dark
cloud rested upon the State; negro
domination cast It's black shadow over
the land. A cry went up from east
ern North Carolina, heard even to the
west, asking the people to do some
thing to relieve them in their intoler-
able condition. And so another leader
was needed, and, like Vance, he came
forth, and like great general he car
ried US once again to victory. refer
to the Hon. =. NJ. Simmons. We have
conferred upon him the highest honor
this State can confer, but that honor
fades into insignificance when we look
upon his great services. He is man
of saqacity, prudence and ability But
the Democratic Party had more gem
erals than one to fight its battles, and
when IL put forth the amendment It
called into service the matchless
Aycock, our Governor, who is, 40 you
all know, an orator and statesman,
and whose voice has been raised only
for the good OF North Carolina and her
inhabitants. The amendment carried,
but another trouble arose. The youth
who became OF age after 1908 and was
ilIiterate would be disfranchised. This
must not be so; and therefore Cow
ernor Aycock sought to educate the
people, and lifted his voice In behalf
Of education in every portion of the
State. be has stood by the sea and
upon the everlasting mountains, de-
claring that the people Of North Caro-
lina must be educated, and he has,
from his devotion to the cause Of edu-
cation, been knighted with the name
Of "The Educational Governor" which