The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1917-11-05
RJCKETT TO ALEXANDER

a letter mentioned in a news Item
in Mondays Robesonian, that the re-
cent appointment Of DR.: ID. Y.
Alexander as a delegate to the Ma
tional Farmers conference was not by
way of endorsement by the Governor
of DR.. Alexander's public utterances,
as friends of Alexander had claimed.
The Mecklenburg man has been pres
ident of the State division Of the
Farmers union for many years, and
is member of the State board OF ag-
riculture. His name was sent IN with
batch of names Of men appointed
as delegates, and in the Governors
office, during his absence, rubber
stamp endorsement Of the appoint
1nents was made, as is customary, the
rule being that when delegates are to
be appointed to conventions OF TINS
kind the head Of the department OF
the State government. that IS chle1!y
interested in the subjects that will
come before the convention suggests
a list of delegates to be sent and this
list is rubber stamped in the office
of the secretary to the Governor with
out being brought to his personal at
| tention.
The Governor makes it plain That
| he never dreamed of endorsing Dr..
| Alexander's attitude toward the gov
| eminent under which he lives, IN this
supreme crisis. Con the other hand, ~
the Governor writes in a letter to l!r.
| Alexander which was given to the
press, II think, and have not hesltated
| to saw, that you are fundamentally
and, it appears, hopelessly wrong.
Your views on economic questions are
as unsound, and, in my opinion, al
most as hurtful as your views upon
the war. Instead of devoting your
splendid energies to constructive pol
icies, tending to improve living con-
ditions among our population, the net
result of your speeches is to create
bitterness and strife instead Of g
spirit of mutual sympathy and help
fulness between the farmers and 9TH
err citizens of the State. Indeed, Yet
seem to have fallen completely undel
che influence of those two arch ia
natics, Tom Watson and LaFollette
and in this way have destroyed YOU
power to effectively help the people
whose interest you have at heart.
The Governor does not question thu
doctors sincerity, but adds that "th'
? fact remains, as sad as it is certain
that you have simply thrown away ;
great opportunity to be a construc
, tive leader in the thought and life O
the State
AS the Monroe Journal pointed GU
some time ago, DR.. Alexander seem
: to have fallen into such a sad habl
t of criticism that he cannot get tn
! right slant on any public question
! He and others like him seem Away
t to start with the assumption that ev
\ erything that is is wrong, and whe
a any public question arises that call
n for clear thought and willingness
q to follow where reason and facts leae
@ he cannot do otherwise than denounc
i tit as wrong because his mind is al
r ready made up, even before the ques
+ ton arises There are men like tina
: scattered all about. Some men VIII
q were soliciting subscriptions for tn
!. Liberty loan found man of tia
i kind in Robson last week, man VIII
q said that this is rich mans war an
: the rich men ought to put up til
= money to pay for it. He did not wal
o to buy a Liberty bond for that res
f son. The attitude of such men is hur
It full They could do their fellow-r1e
= vast amount of good if there wei
10 any "sweet reasonableness" in the
attitude toward any public question
,e but there is not. They look at ever
,e public question through jaundict
e eye, "eye to which all order tester
" all things here are out of joint"
e. and by their urreasonableness destrt
ut all chance of doing the good that son
1e of them are really anxious to do.
l. It does not take brains to knoc
n any man who is able to build up
ne stack of words can knock to beat t
s. band; but when a mans mind
nd trained to do nothing but root arou
We in bristling discomfort he cannot e
81 en- knock effectively.
o9 | --O-