The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-10-10

al
the theme of historians
- and the great actors
+pirb whom he moved have one by
.onc silently passed into history, the
|ereat central figure around whom
Eraeed the fercest contests in the his
|tory Of North Carolina, breaks the
[sIience of the years and speaks in
his own behalf. / can think Of no
other North Carolinian whose Me
n0irs" would be opened with greater
eagerness.
William w. Holden occupies an
unique place III the history Of North
Carolina. No other public man in our
history began life SO obscurely. no
other overcame such obstacles in his
rise to power. place n fame, ard no
other has been h subject of such
intense personal hostility, such fierce
partisan hatred, such righteous patri-
otic Indignation. Trained to his pro-
fes5ion of journalism within h ranks
Of the Wing party, he deserted that
party at the height Of it's power and
success to the leadership Of a
Tiva! ~arty, disorganized, dispirited,
distrusted, within less than a decade
he had welded it's broken fragments
into a compact fighting body, breathed
Into it the spirit OF victory, and won
for it a popular confidence which
wars and revolutions, nay, even he,
himself. have never since been able
to shake. For above a decade Of
fierce party struggles he possessed the
power, within its ranks, to kill n
make alive, and having led it on from
victory unto victory, until it had
crushed it's ancient rival completely
out Of existence. he deserted it, in its
turn, in the very hour of it's triumph
for the alluring embrace Of a younger
competitor who tempted his ambitious
soul with richer and more giittering
rewards BY this party he was raised
to that dizzy height from which he
was so suddenly and SO violently
thrown in a way that has eft him a
solitary figure in our history.
Governor Holden was trained in the
ranks Of the Wing party, was an ar
dent admirer Of Henry Clay. and in
his youth made Wing speeches. Dur
ing the decade following the Cenven-
ton Of 1883 the Wing party III North
Carolina dominated the affairs Of the
State. In 1910. in 184z. in 1874. and
in 1916 it elected its candidates for
Governor by decisive majoritieS, rang
ing all the way from 5000 to 5000.
the latter figure indicating, in ante
bellum days, a sweeping victory. The
Democratic party was depressed, dis
organized and dispirited. Their news
paper organ the Raleigh Standard.
was Improbable and without agrees
sIve force. Prominent Democrats
We're casting about for some leader
Who could revive their organization
ana breathe into it the breath of life.
James +. Shepard. afterwards the
democratic candidate for Governor.
suggested Holden as the man. Though
ne was q Wing. Shepard was con-
Vlnced that he would agree to take
charge of the Standard and assume
the leadership Of the Democratic par
". He opeWd the matter to Holden.
But, said the latter. 4 have never
heen a mi of the Democratic
party" That may be &c." replied
but you are d Democrat in
convection n in principle, though
You may not realize it Shepard had
his way. and in June. 1S43. Holden
assumed control of the Standard and
became the leader of the Democratic
party Of North Carolina
1t is at this point in his career that
ne begins his Memoirs" II one an
tcipates finding in these Memoirs
any of the trace of that vigOr OF
thought and style which soon made
the editorial columns of the Standard
and hope, disappointment will be the
result. 1t isn't there. Governor Hol-
oen was seyenty-one years OF age
when he began his Memoirs" he had
already suffered a stroke of paraiy-
SIS. and he was SO feeble that he was
compelled to dictate his Memoirs
to an amanuensiS. DIR. Boyd, in his
Introduction" tells Us that the
morning after he had com pfeted the
Memoirs Governor Holden vas
again stricken with paralysis which
completely shattered his faculties"
on the other hand. he who takes UP
THESE "MemoirS' expecting to find
mere any trace of bitterness or vim
Cictiveness oward those who opposed
niin. fought him, and politically de-
Stroyed him, will Iik ewise be disap-
pointed. Il am innocent of any pur-
pose TO do injustice to anyone" writes