The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1912-03-28
THE DUTY OF FEDERAL OFFICE
HOLDERS TO THEIR PARTY.

ers saying that federal office-holders
in certain parts of the State are al
ready at work for themselves as dele
gates to the National Republican
Convention. These letters have asked
us what we thought of the advisable
ity of federal office-holders going az
delegates, and have further asked II
this was the policy of the party I'M
der the reorganization effected at the
last State Convention.
In reply, we desire to say that one
of the things that is pointed to, not
only by the Democrats of our State,
but even pointed to by Republicans
of the North, to the discredit of
Southern Republicans, is that every
Southern State has it's State commit
tee packed with federal office-hold-
ers and sends delegations to the Ma
tional Conventions composed solidly
of federal ofice-holders. This con-
dition is pointed to as proving that
there is no Republican party in the
South worthy of the name, and that
the party simply exists in the South
for the purpose of distributing pa
fronage, and that such delegates
stand for no principles but simply go
to the conventions to vote to perpet-
uate their jobs.
The sneers thus made at Southern
Republicans are very CALLING to every
self-respecting man who believes in
the principles of the party and who
wants to see them triumph because
he believes it best for the State as
we'll as for the nation. Unfortunate
ly, in the past, there has been so
much truth in these charges that it
has not been possible to make denial.
The time has certainly come, how
ever, as Chairman Morehead said in
his speech at the Raleigh banquet,
for the Republicans of the whole
South to give the lie to this charge by
our actions, and he appealed to the
Republicans of North Carolina to
take the lead in branding this
charge and at the same time in show
ing our independence and self-re-
spect.
The Caucasian realizes that there
are many men in North Carolina
holding federal Offices who are as
good men. as there are in the State,
and who are as patriotic Republicans
as there are in the nation. Such
men are as worthy as any other men
to represent the party as delegates,
provided that they do not feel bound
to vote a certain way on account of
the fact that they hold a federal po-
sition.
But let that be as it may. 1t is
clearly in the interest of the party,
not only from the standpoint of self
respect but also in the interest of
party growth and success, that the
condition above referred to should
be changed.
There are thousand upon thous-
ands of young men in North Carolina
who believe and know from expert
ence that the triumph of Republican
principles is better for both the
State and Nation, and yet these men
have been prevented from joining our
party largely because the charge has
been made by the Democratic press
constantly that there was no in
eent1ve to the man who believed in
Republican principles and who was
not candidate for office to Join the
party. Young men have been twitted
who expressed independence of SEN
timent by the question, what Job
are you after. why do you wish to
join the party unless you are a can
didate for Officer" and they have fur
ther been twitted with the state
ment that the close corporation of
federal office-holders that make up
the party do not want you or any
other man to break into the ranks
because there are already more men
in the party than there are offices for
them.
There is no question that thous-
ands Of men have been kept out of
the party in this State and the whole
Cnuff1 nv li1~o