The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1909-11-18
PEONAGE OF FEDERAL OFFICE
HOLDERS.

Washington dispatch to Raleigh I
News and Observer: Republican
State Chairman Adams is here. He
saw Postmaster General Hitchcock
and other government officials about 6
peonage matters
"Peonage is good. A man holding a ,
Federal job, not under the civil SER
vice, is always in state of peonage."
The editor of the Gazette News
states boldly and without any quail
fication that a man holding a Job
under the Adams patronage machine
lis always in a state of peonage."
We do not believe that the condition
of Federal Office holders is quite that
bad, because we know some Federal
Office holders who are men of cour-
age and who would give up their
jobs before they would become the |
abject political henchmen and slaves |
Of the machine; but, on the other |
hand, there Is enough truth in this
statement to attract the serious at
tention of every Republican who is a
Republican from principle and who
desires to see his party grow and
carry the State. We also believe that
it is true that when the machine doles
out an Office to a man that they ex-
pect him at once to put on the ma
chimes collar and obey orders with
out question or give up his job;
but occasionally a man is appointed
who has too much manhood and
character to submit to such a system
of peonage.
The last Republican State Conven-
ton at Charlotte is a notable Illus
tration of how much truth there is
in the statement of the Gazette.
When the Republican State platform
was read and it was seen that the
machine bosses had straddled the
great and fundamental question of
local self government-an issue on
which more votes could have been
gained by the Republican party in the
last campaign than any other, on
account of the treachery and betray-
al of the Democratic party of that
principle-those who wanted to see
party growth at once started a fight
to amend the platform. While
speeches were being made in sup.
port of a proposed amendment tt
declare unqualifedly for the right Of
local self government, over two
thirds of the delegates to the con
Vention loudly applauded thu
speeches in support of the amend
ment. While this debate was in pro
gress, we are informed that some O
the machine bosses on the platform
became alarmed at the evident over
whelming approval by the delegate
at the convention, when one of tn,
others that they need not be excited
on account OF the applause becaus,
a majority Of those delegates wer,
postmasters and revenue officers
and that when the roll was calles
they would not dare to vote the wa,
they were cheering on account O
their fear of the patronage machine
When the vote was taken on tina
amendment the result showed tina
this machine boss was correct, be
cause only few of the federal offic,
holder delegates who had cheeree
the speeches dared to voted for tn,
amendment. That amendment, how
ever, in spite of the fact that tn,
convention was packed with Fedora
office holders as far as possible, db
receive over one-third of the vote.
OF the convention. We think it i,
safe to say that. if each delegate il
that convention had voted accordin,
to his conviction, the amendment
would have been adopted by oye
tWo-thirds majority.
- What does this teach? It show
that every Federal office holder VIII,
is true to his party and wants to Sc,
it succeed must make I'D his min,
that If he goes as delegate to tn,
next State Convention he must q,
there determined TODD his duty an,
stand for what is right and take tn,
risk Of losing his job, or else he mus
determine not to go as a delegat,
and place himself in such a position
but, on the other hand, to work t,
send the best citizens of each neigh
borhood as delegates who hold n,
Office and who are free to vote an,
act for the best interests of thei
party as their conscience and judg
ment dictate. The Federal . Office
holders, however, will have difficult,
even in doing this, because the pat
ronage machine knows that their mis-
cradle Encouragement of the part,
cannot be endorsed at the next Re
nuhlican State Convention rnIo,