Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1908-05-21
VOL. XXI
CRAIG LAST night.
Greeted by a Representative GoIdSboro
Audience That Thronged the Mes
senger Opera House to Over
flowing.
From Fridays Daily.

FIOh An11S
A great audience, indeed-a repre-
sentative Goldsboro audience was that
which confronted Hon. Locke Craig in
the Messenger Opera Honse last night,
when that distinguished Democrat
stood before them after the eloquent
and fervid presentation Of him by his
lifetime colleague in college ard on
the hustings for "a years, our own in
trepid and beloved fellow citizen Hon.
Chas. B. Aycock.
Mr.. Craig made such speech as has
seldom been heard here, if ever. 1t
was a great effort, but in keeping with
the determined policy of this paper to
maintain it's neutrality as to editorial
comment, we leave his speech, as we
did that of MIR. Kitchin, with the great
and intelligent audiences who heard
them both.
Governor Aycock III introducing Mr..
Craig said, among other things:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
am about to commit another i'm
prudent act. Il Fam about to present to
endorse his candidacy for governor.
am aware that many OF my friends
in this county and elsewhere In n North
Carolina have criticised my writing
letter in behalf of the candidacy OF the
speaker who is to address US tonight,
and have said it was unwise in me to
do so, that it would hurt me in the
T wis 500 n
did / ever stop to count the cost II the
interest of the Democratic party and
the State of North3 Carolina were in
volved? WhensEhave I ever hesitated
to serve a friend, even if it did cost me
something to serve hiIn7 I thank God
that the wisdom to take care of my
self has been deniedRme, if thereby I
may happily serve my State the better
and prove myself more loyal to my
friends. After all,wa it not this want
of wisdom on my part which made me
the unanimous nominee of the party
in 1900? For certain am I that this
was the chief virtue which b ad if any
/ possessed, and certainly when 1 was
making the canvass in 1900 and seek
ing to disfranchise the negro, it never
occurred to me that I was likewise dis
tranchising myself. Have we come to
the time when because man has once
held high Office he shall be regarded
as a thing apart-too high and mighty
to take pot luck with the people; who
has SO many honors that it is dishon-
orable in him to serve his State further
in a private capacity, and so many
friends that he cannot serve any one OF
them without offending the rest?
Surely this is theory Of government
which does not belong to genuine De-
mocracy. A man gains no rights by
having held high station nor does he
lose any. He is neither the better nor
the worse for having held the position,
and his influence, if he have any, is
due, not to the position which he has
held, but to the service which he has
done and the character to which he
has attained. Shall any man be de-
MED of this right? What is it that
makes it proper for presidents of banks
and lawyers and merchants to espouse
letters in his behalf, and makes it little
short of criminal for another, who is to-
day but private citizen, to support
Craig?
Shall a congressman,w while still hold
ing his office, be permitted to urge the
people to vote for him for governor and
it be made an offense for one who has
been governor and is now private cit
izen to urge the nomination OF another
equally worthy and with more service?
That appears to be the doctrine that is
openly avowed, to which, as man
believing in the equality of all the peo-
pie, will never assent. I claim no
more rights than belong to every DEM
ocrat, and I will not, through fear OF
injury to myself, forego that liberty Of
speech, without which republics cannot
exist. 1t is not worth the considera-
ton of the people that advocates of the
nomination of any candidate should
feel called upon to attack the support
ers of any other candidate. The respon-
sibiIity for this sort of thing must rest
somewhere. 1t is certain that the peo-
pie do not naturally make warfare on
private citizens, and when we find such
a condition existing we may be sure
that the fault rests with the candidate
and not with the people.
Something was said last night in the
address delivered in this hall about
the ''Big Four. OF course the speaker
disclaimed any intention of an attack