The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-03-04

v kcIn u liz w.
gospel Of surrender and silence ana
yokabea ring OF the oppressor, the
people followed them with ceserNed
sarcasm and denunciation. The De-
mocracy of that generation came oUt
OF great tribuIation and was tire-tried.
are the heirs OF those men VINO
helped 10 make Democracy fn2ior-
tai"
Thirty years from now. when
will meet TO do honor to an
eloquent governor, an able sena-
tor and d national committeeman,
will they De able TO look back with
pride upon the leaders OF this gen
Grafton and rejoice in a political n
cestry that achieved as gloriouSly for
the party and country in their day.
as we look back 10 rejoice to be the
descendants in political creed of the
men who MADE Vance's generation
the most illustrious in the his
tory OF our commonwealth? Glori-
u as were the days hat gave
US Nathaniel Macon and Will
lie Jones and CasWell and
Dayie. the days that gave us Vance
and more glorious. Fifty years
hence will people say OF this genera
ton, as too often happens in families.
that they must go back TO their
gr~andfathers to trace their claim to
political ariStOcracS?
Theirs was the day when the talent
OF obstruction, Of resistance, OF war
fare against uSGrpation, was chiefly
needed The destructive geniuS@ use
the word in a high senSe-of Josiah
Turner was more needed in the early
seventies than the diplomacy of Ran
som The need was for 9 Son Of
FNt yt3Sor y-hn lii Not EfSnup a9u aud
who cOuld give TO men in power cog
nomens that wrought their undOing.
For such a day as that the Almighty
raised up Josiah Turner as truly as
He raised up Moses to lead the Chill
dren Of Israel into the Promised Land,
But, when the day Of constructive poll
cies came, the mighty editOr-warriOr.
who nad rendered greater service in
tearing down the ramparts of the
enernv than any other one man rem
dered in subsequent rebuilding, WAS
not suited for the task. Because Of
this others took up the work ne had
begun. However,. when h history of
that decade is written, the name Of
Josiah Turner Will be written large
and high.
This ganeration-to which Aycock,
Glenn, Kitchin, Craig and most Of US
helong-will be known as the AycOck
period" for, us the former period will
be known in history after Vance, its
foremost captain, SO the period that
gave us our governor and both senators
will be called after the Wayne man
| who received and wore Nance's mantle.
AScock and his associates had no
smaller questions TO settle than were
wisely settled by Vance and his asso-
ciatcs. And they did not settle them
more wisely and periodically than did
a scS~ ~
leaders OF the Aycock period.
IN 1898 and 1900 there were grave
issues-issues that touched the very
life and mud sill traditions Of our
commonwealth. They were very
like those that called for the wisdom
OF the men of the Vance era. Vance
had gone to his reward and all who
had led with him were either in the
better land, or they were not young
enough to bear the heat and burden
Of another campaign that called for
the same sort of stuff that North
Carolina showed in 1865 TO 1875. But
the Inspiration Of the fight of 1888
came largely from the counsel Of the
Older men, who had been with Vance
and Jarvis and the older leaders OF
that period. Their counsel strengthened
and supported the younger men, who
reflected that if the Vances could win
AA tAlOS uoSS VI UlillAdflSIO. the
younger generation would be degen
crates if they failed in the second
great struggle for the rule Of De
mocracy in this commonwealth.
h men Of this glorious era, rhs
made possible the passage OF q 81,
months school term act by this LegiE
{ lature,-the leader whose voice j,
the monlertous struggle first reach
cd the heart Of North Caro-
ffY9 fn1f- NJ MO n~, 18th F..
Quence born OF sincerity and patriot
ism, was that of Charles Brant
: ley Aycock. His was the yoic,
! crying in the wilderness. To hi
persuasive pleas. as eloquent a
$ were heard by the Greeks in tn
days Of Demosthenes, North Carolin
ians could not turn "A deaf car. To
t night, as we ono our Senator. VIII,
e was the captain-general and resource
full and able leader OF the history
= making campaign, and honor on
Governor, who literally compelled. b,