The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1908-10-26
SLOCOMB-GODWIN DEBATE

Very Much Enjoyed by a Fair
Sized Audience-Col. Slocomb
Scholarly andSarcastic but Un-
convincing-The Crowd With
MIR. Goodwin, Who Was Hap
py in His Remarks.
Owing to lack of space in
Thursdays paper it was neces-
sAry to postpone an account of
the debate in the Lumberton
Opera House Wednesday evening
between Congressman H. L.
Goodwin and his Republican op-
ponent, Col. A. H. Slocomb. The
crowd was only $3.50, and it's a
pity it was not larger, for the
debate was very interesting,
barring little tediousness in
Mr.. Slocomb's opening speech.
However, the debate, on the
whole, was enjoyed very much.
A joint discussion gets the
boys interested and enthused
more than anything else. If
you want to get the crowds the
way to do it every time is to
have two good speakers digging
at each other and tearing each
others arguments all to pieces
right before you. But to the
speaking.
Mr.. r. D. Caldwell, president
Of the Bryan-Kitchin Democratic
Club, presided and he announced
in assuming the chair that the
candidates would speak an hour
each, Col. Slocomb speaking
first, and then there would be a
few minutes allowed for rejoin-
der. DR.. R. NJ. Norment, whose
appearance on the stump in the
days when he was a power in the
land was always a promise that
there would be something doing,
introduced Col. Slocomb. DR..
Norr4ent was full to the brim
and running over with argu-
ments for and defense oft
needs so much defense-the Re-
publican party, and he enter
tained the audience for several
minutes. He said that he was
glad to hear a joint discussion,
that he would be ashamed to
vote without considering and
posting himself on both sides of
any question. So he reads, he
said, both Democratic and Re-
publican more Democrat
ic than Republican, in fact-and
he was sorry to see the other
day in The Charlotte Observer, a
good Democratic paper, an arti-
Gle copied from The Concord
Times charging that the Repub-
licans stole the echool fund. He
said that the charge was not
true; that the Republicans never
stole any school funds but bor-
rowed and paid interest. He
dwelt upon the record of the
party back in the days that few
Republicans like to refer to,
claimed for his party many of
the blessings which we now en-
joy, and urged that it was wor-
thy of support. He declared that
bad as it was the Legislature of
1868 would compare favorably
with the last Democratic Legis,
lature. He said that Governor
Glenn's action in accepting the
money to pay the court costs
when the special session of Leg
islature was assembled bore al
the marks of a conspiracy, ant
that Gov. Glenn's advocacy O,
prohibition was nothing more
than a political move to become
the leader of his party in tn,
State. And more along tn
same line did DR.. Norment sub
nit and then in a few compli
mentary remarks he introduce
Col. Slocomb.
Col. Slocomb began with fey
complimentary remarks abou
, Lumberton, which he has visite
often, and Robson county, con
plimented Lumberton's grade
school, which lead gracefully u
to saying that he had a right
consider himself the father {
the graded school system of tt
> State, this title being his by re;
son of the fact that he drew u
a school system for Fayettevil
8 which has spread all over II
= State. He said that he had NJ
devoted much time to discussiC
Of State issues, because
d thought that rightfully belongt
to the candidates for the Sta
G. Legislature and that he and h
e, opponent ought to discuss n
tional issues. But he could n
get Mr.. Goodwin, he said, to di
cuss national issues. He declar'
that Mr.. Goodwin was making t
same old speech he made back
7 1900 and that he still thought
q. was running for the Legislator
1t required courage, he said,
face this Goliath, but he remel
bered howDavid of old smote
giant adversary with stones fro
the brook, and he hoped with a fe
smooth stones Of truth from t
sling of logic to bring down
. opponent.
, Col. Slocomb said that he car
to this State in 1868 to engage
= the distilling business, and tn
he Unt down to his knittino