Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1914-09-02
The People can be Trusted.
II cIay.footed Idols are bad for S. c.
Perhaps so Also for n. c.

The Gaia xaba County News says the
elevation of a man of the type OF Blease
by the people causes some voters TO
be afraid to trust the people. The
fear is not justified, thinks the News,
for when the people make a mistake
of this sort they are quick to rect ty 1t,
whereas if the matter is left with a
few politicians the mistake is probably
never remedied.
That is about right in u judgment.
The people necessarily cannot always
be right. They have to learn from
experience just as ~lndividuals do.
sometimes they seem a little slow in
learning, but sooner or later they will
get down to brass tacks and correctly
locate the milk in the cocoanut.
Perhaps what the average voter
needs more than anything else is not
to be willing to stand for too much OIL
his candidate. Too many insist on
standing by their man no matter h
he does to forfeit support. This is
prejudice rather than logic and reason.
The voter has what the candidate
needs, a ballot that counts one. He
should value it and not give 1T away
thoughtlessly. He should be from
Missouri to a greater degree than he
ordinarily is.
The South Carolina voters found
out that the feet OF their IDOL were
made of clay, but they could just as
we'll have found it out sooner as later
News AMI Observer.
This idea of trusting the peo-
pie is all right provided the peo'
pie are properly informed, that is
to say they know all there is to
know on both sides of the subject
being considered. Some people
think it Is a newspapers business
to give this information. but few
of them dare to do it and as a con.
the Intelligent voter is
a pretty scarce article, aad they
all live in South Carolina
either. Such men az Blease are
not the worse type that can afflict
q State or community, there are
diplomatic sneaks and smoothe-
tongued scoundrels much more to
be feared than Blease. yet stand
higher among a certain class.
Few men are elected to Office be-
cause of their good qualities, but
generally because of the party
collarisnd their political machi.
nations Yes, "too many insist on
standing by their man no matter
what he does to forfeit support
and some of our so.called Every
best" people are guilty. We see
men today acting just as Peter
did of old, denying their own con-
victions and associates without
half the provocation, we see them
praying for the uplift of human.
ity, the welfare of the State and
salvation of sinners and yet in
business aud political matters
stand ~squarely and persistently
shoulder to shoulder with the
forces of evil.
What, by the way, is necessary
for q candidate to do to forfeit
the support or the voter? We
are told that TO bring charges, no
matter how true, against a candi.
date, really helps to elect him.
If n crys aloud against the
criminal who seeks political Office,
he is 'howled down. prosecuted,
and ostracised for his
trouble. We suppose a newspaper
may ease it's conscience by deal.
ing with such matters in a general
way as does the Observer, but by
getting down to ''brass tacks,"
call names and specify deeds, the
Democratic party's nominees in
this State would certainly present
a differnt appearance to the voter.
THE WAToHMAN thinks it was a
good thing for the people of South
to learn that 1.-The feet
of their idol we're made Of clay"
and believes that they could have,
rather should have, found this
out earlier, and would have done
80 had the newspapers given them
the proper information. If clay.
footed idols are not good for
South Carolina perhaps they are
not much better for North Caro-
lima, therefore why not investi.
gate some North Carolina candi.
dates and make report. The
WATcHMAN is ready to go as far
as the farthest, in fact it will
show the Observer some spots on
men it is daily whooping up that
will make Cole Blease look like q
gentleman i'll comparison. Lets
give the people the facts and try
trusting them.
First Tar Heel Confederate Dead
Washington, Sept. Capt.