The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1912-05-02
A PICTURE OF THE BLIGHTING
EFFECTS OF BOSS REFEREE
RULE.


Caucasian for over twenty years.
When you could not stay longer
in the Democratic party and gave
your reasons for the same,
agreed with you and left 1t.
When you decided to support the
cause of the Republican party
and gave your reasons for 1t.
went with you. But / want to
say that / have not always found
myself welcome In the Republi-
can party.
II was not an offlce-seeker,
but 1t seems that every Office
holder and office-seeker in the
party thought ! Joined the party
TO get Office, and, therefore, they
have always been expecting me
to be a candidate for something,
and have always been watching
me and been against me.
II joined the Republican par
ty because / thought it's princi-
pies were best for the Nation
and for the State, and, therefore,
my greatest hope was to do what
l could for the success of Re
publican principles at the polls.
found, however, that the men
who were running the party, as
a rule, were simply fighting to
fees for themselves and their
small clique, and when they had
done this, they seemed to care
little or nothing about making a
fight for the principles of the
party at the election.
"Soon after / joined the Re-
publican party | attended Con-
gressional convention. l was
permitted to go as delegate,
though l was for the minority,
because the office-holders and
those who were seeking office
or who had been promised office
by the bosses were in the major
NY III NY COuAIy, CAu put lllS
unit rule on me and the few
other private citizens who were
permitted to go as delegates.
When l got to the Congressional
convention, found that the con-
vention was packed with Federal
office-holders in the same way
from other counties, and that the
minority had no voice. Two Of
fice-holders were elected as dele
gates to the National Conven-
ton, and every place, of COM
mitteeman and otherwise, was
also filled with a Federal office
holder or one aligned with their
ring.
They did. however. to my
surprise, nominate good man
for Congress-, who, like myself,
had been raised in. the Demo-
cratic party, and who was not
hunting Federal Office. found
later, however, that this nomina-
ton was given to this good man,
not because they wanted him
elected to Congress, but because
they did not want him. When
these office-holders had gotten
themselves elected delegates and
had assured themselves Of the
control of the patronage in the
future, then they seemed to take
no great interest in the success
of the party, and our candidate
for Congress was left to drift
by himslef, with no support, and
of course made but little head
way toward his election.
This so Disguised me that ]
had not since taken much inter
est in politics until two years
ago. Then I saw that an effort
was being made to get rid of the
boss patronage machine meth
DDS, which had disguised me
and which were keeping other
men from joining the party.
then got active again, as did q
number of the rank and file Re.
publicans, and went as a dele.
gate to the State Convention
The action of the last conven
ton put new heart and hope In
me, and l began to feel thai
there was a chance for people
who know that the Democrat,
party and its policies are not bes
for the country, to line up fol
the Republican party and carr!
the State and help carry the Ma
ton.
ST am no doubt firing you Will
this long recital, but I am nov
coming to the point, and it Il
this: That ] now see that tn,
same old Federal office-holde
bosses, who were repudiated b.
the people two years ago, ar
now again very active in m,
county, and / understand tina
they are generally, and that the,
are trying again to capture tn
party and restore the rule Of tn
old ring bosses. I notice tina
all these patronage machine fel
lows are saying that they ar