The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-10-27

Ing of North Gmruiina-->osnetaaan :
He Accomplished for His state
IT. rvey. n Greensboro Daily Sews-
Perhaps the most used term in
North Carolina today. certainly the
most mIsused. Is the newly coined -
word. ''ButIerIsm." By those Hho
employ Utmost il Is made n eynonym
for trlckery. traitor. treaehery. ;rea-
son, imposter. migrate, false leader.
boss, and every other evil term OF
which q wicked imagination can con-
ceive. By some IL is made cam
paign issue and all sorts OF guns and
explosives are leyeled upon IL
When our next photographers and
the compilers of encyclopedias write
the term, all Of this froth and mis-
statement will have vanished and the
true definition. IL written at all. VIII
be manhood, honor, virtue. patriot
ism. courage, steadfastness, \endur-
ance: and history connected with the
term will be such as any North Car
Gilman may well covet-
Unwilling to take froth for, sub
stance and abuse for history, and
wishing to reassure myself and to
set forth the facts in the matter, /
have gone to the public records and
there discerned acts and the facts
which throw a radiance upon the
term "Butlerism."
| And now in a strictly non-parti-
san way, and in order to keep history
straight, I wish to give few of them
as they relate to the Hon. Marion
Butler, and which are ineffacably
written in the history Of North Car
DINA and of the United States. The
data given here are reliable and any
one can easily verify them.
Mr.. Buffers first public act, per-
haps, was being elected to the Legis-
lature of North Carolina, as Senator
from Sampson County, in the year
1890. He was, therefore, member
of the Legislature of 1891, and no
one in that body was more agrees
sive that he He put his impress
upon, or "Butlerized," if you please,
many good measures of Statewide
Importance. In his candidacy for
the Legislature he advocated strong
IL the establishment Of a railroad
commission and his popularity at the
polls was chiefly on account of that
feature of his canvass. In the Leg
islature he was it's chief promoter,
being chairman of the joint commit
tee on railroads, and never let up
until the North Carolina Railroad
Commission was established. Our
present corporation commission is
the same thing with enlarged duties
! and a new name.
He was an advocate and strong
supporter of the measure establish
ing the State Normal and Industrial
College at Greensboro. Drs. Alder
man and McIver had for several
years been urging, without result,
the Legislature to appropriate money
to authorize the establishment of
State school for higher education of
girls and young women. Mr.. Butler
| took up the measure for them and
was instrumental in its establish
ment, taking a leading part as its
champion. He also championed the
establishment of the new deaf and
dumb school at Morganton and in
creased provision for the A. &. M.
College.
He was the leading advocate of
6 per cent interest law and against
much opposition succeeded in get
ting the same enacted into law. 1t
was during this session when the
University of North Carolina was fac
ing a crisis that threatened a crush
ing defeat by the withdrawal of State
aid. The whole faculty has given
Mr. Butler credit for saving this
State institution in that instance. OF
this act DR.. Kemp P. Battle, then
president Of the University, said:
you can not go further than / do
in expressing the magnitude of Sem
ator Buffers service to the Univer-
sity."
If Senator Butler had passed
through this session of the Legisla-
ture- and done nothing else than to
have pressed to a successful conclu-
sion a single one Of the measures
above mentioned, he would have de-
served well at the hands of his fell
low countrymen.
His record in the United States
Senate was no less brilliant. Turn
ing to the Congressional Record it
is found that Mr.. Butler introduced
in the Senate the bill 70 establish
rural free delivery and succeeded In
getting it placed on the postoffice
appropriation bill, and it became a
law that year, 1896. The vote in the
Senate was 80 in favor of the propo-
sition and % against it, Mr.. Butler
} making the only speech in favor of
it, one Of his strongest points being
that it would work for the uplift of
the farmer and tend to keep him on
: the farm. Each year after this he
made fight to continue this system.
increasing the appropriation from