The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-10-12
Simmons Achievements Are YividIy
Recorded.

l have read with pleasure the COM
munication of Hen, Cameron Morri-
son, of Charlotte, in the Charlotte OBJ
server of August Is, giving in part
the splendid record of .achiement
which our senior senator Hon. F. M.
Simmons, has made in the senate of
the United States. l endorse every
word which Mr. Morrison has so we'll
written. 1t is a record of which not
only the senator's friends, but the en-
tire people of the State, may well be
proud, and shculd insure his return
to the senate, not only as a reward
for duty ably and faithfully perform
ed but for the best interests of the
people of the state who will be more
efficiently served by a representative
of experience than by a new man.
But splendid as his eccrd in the
senate has been, we people of the east
hawke a greater reason for our sup
port of F. M. Simmons. 1t is his
matchless record of services to the
Democratic party and the white peo-
pie OF the state in the hour of their
greatest need.
We all recall the ill-starred CAM
paigns of 1894 and 1896, when a COM
bination of Republicans and Populists
carried the state overwhelmingly, the
later year by 10000 majority. We re-
member when Russell Twas governor
and Pritchard and Butler were sena-
tors an dthe fusion legislatures OF
1896 and 1897 with their records e.
inconpetency and viciousness. It's
still recent and vivid to memory how
these fusion legislatures tore down
the safeguards which their Demo-
cratic predecessors had thrown
around the white people of the east
ern counties and the consequent cleo
ton and appointment of more thar
1000 negroes to Office in the state
The shame n degradation of it al
is yet a horrible nightmare. Such
were the unbearable conditions whic+
obtained in North Carolina under
fusion rule.
The coming of the year 1898 found
our party counsels divided Some Of
our leaders and newspapers, fearin-
our ability to- overcome the immense
fusion majority of the preceding cleo
ton advocated fusion with Marion
Butler and the Populists on the basis
of a division of Offices, while others.
with f. NJ. Simmons at their head.
favored a straight party fight on the
race issue. This contest within the
party ragged for months. The fight
against fusion was conducted from
Mr.. Simmons law -cfice in Raleigh.
while that for fusion was carried on
fro ma nearby newspaper office.
the convention met the straightouts
won and the fusion was defeated.
From this contest within the party
can be traced several CT the Demo
cratic antagonisms which even now
confront our senator, and it is to this
he rs indebted for the undying hatred
and malice of that traitor to his state.
Marion Butler.
After the convention Mr.. Simmons
was commissioned as chairman of the
state committe to lead the fight, which
all conceded to be desperate, to dis
lodge the f~usionists and restore the
|, government CT the state to the white
people. Simmons plans were con-
ceived in wisdom and carried on with
a determination and courage un-
t equalled in the annals of American
politics. Deaf alike to. the fears OF
the timid in his own party and to- the
threats of the enemies, S%enthroned in
complete power in state and nation as
it was, Simmons dared to do those
things needful to be done.
The state was redeemed. A legis-
{ lature t~hree-fourths Democratic wee
elected. When the legislature met il
was determined to SO amend the state
constitution as to disfranchise all thc
negroes an drender further negre
! rule in any part of the state impossi-
BILE. 1t is no detraction to others t.
r say that Simmons did more to brine
about this determination than anv
) other man. When the amendment
was submitted to the people it was
Z found that thousands OF Democrats
feared it would disfranchise a large
> number of white men along with the
/ negroes and render further negrI
: paign of education in 1900 was neces-
sarv for its adoption. With one ac-
coed F. M. Simmons was selected tc
. conduct it. and with the same un-
annalled ability of matchIess codragr
of two years before he led the party
? to it's greatest victory. The amend