The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1912-03-07
|Rt PUBLICANS AT
DINNER
Continued from page u

T,dge Robinson spoke out though.
senator Butler followed soon af-
,erwards and came out strongly
aqain for local self-government. NJ
hody knows yet what the banqueters
thought all this meant.
Il Is impossible with a stream OF
running events to get on the inside
and keep up with everything. The
Marlborough Hotel served the guests
and did 1t handsomely. There was
hut the barest wait between the serv-
ing and the speaking began exactly
on the dot.
POSTMASTER Tom Settle in well
rome INDUCED but little of his
large powers of speech. When he
presented the chairman OF the COM
nlttee, a big ovation was given him.
Mr.. Morehead's Speech.
Chairman Morehead toasted Our
Political independence" He began
by paying a great tribute to the par
~ and declared that the country,
unapproached in greatness, Ia his
martyrs monument Declaring that
North Carolina Is more Independent
than any of the States, and that
there is no blind following blind
leadership as once there was, he took
up the question of party control.
Slap at Bossism.
Mr.. Morehead continued to dis
cuss the matter of patronage and
said:
seriously, however, this question
OF patronage has been, in my opinion,
one of the hindrances to the growth
OF our party in the South, where,
quite naturally engaged the attention
and the consideration Of the Ma
tional leaders of the party, not from
the standpoint of electing Republi-
cans at the polls, but the concern
of these leaders has been as to how
the delegations from the South
would line up at our National Con-
yention. We Republicans of the south
know only too well to what has been
practiced the exchange of the vote
OF Southern delegations for the con-
troll of Federal patronage.
I'VE know too we'll that in practi-
cally every State South of the Po-
tomac when you find the man or CO.
terie of men who can swing the vote
of their States delegation in the Ma
in i'm in no
you will find vested the control of
the Federal offices in that State, and
in that State you will find the weeds
and thistles of bossim in their fullest
and most luxuriant flower.
Convention vote was the only in
terest we have aroused in the coun-
Gil of the party and we have suffered
and submitted trafficking in that.
us it small wonder that we have
staggered under this incubus and
have failed to make our party domi-
nant, deserving and commanding the
respect of independent thinkers,
when We have bartered our freedom
of thought and action to our craving
for mess of pottage?
Most truly it is not-and it is a
splendid tribute to the soundness Of
our principles that we grew in spite
of our burden.
Gentlemen, what do we read in
the great metropolitan dailies and
even in our own State papers?
There is practically no issue Of
any important daily which does not
in every article dealing with politics
emphasize the fact that we Republi-
cans Of the South are regarded as
mere chattels led here, there, or any
where by the halter of Federal pat
ronage.
Il have seen numberless articles
and editorials in the leading jour
nails, both Republican and Demo
cratic, within the last month to the
effect that the South will line VI
solidly at the dictation Of Mr.. Hitch
cock, because forsooth in him was
lodged the jobs, and this, too, in face
of the fact that the position Of thi:
nimble and shifty individual was
seriously questioned and PRACTICAL!
undetermined.
lis it not sickening spectacle tt
all who belong to the party from
principle that the South has to the
slightest extent given basis of fac
to this state of affairs?
That we have to the smallest de
gree suffered ourselves to the CAPT
talized as the personal political asse
Of some scheming, self-seeking poll
tician and that we allow our man
hood and independence to be so pros
stituted for the bones that may b,
thrown to US from the politica
board?
Gentlemen, I confess to a yer,
sympathetic disposition and leanin,
70 the old-fashioned theory: To tn
victor belong the spoils.'
This theory is entirely logica