French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1918-03-14
THE GOVERNOR AND POLITICS

Governor Beckett started the
tongues "a-wagging" by a speech he
made in Goldsboro several days ago
n which he advocated a campaign OF
patriotism rather than of politics in
forth Carolina this year. The gov,
rno said that the ons of republi-
cans and the sons of democrats were
fighting side by side and would go
"over the top" together and he did
not feel like the folks at home should
be snarling over petty Offices while
their boys were dying for a, common
cause. We quote:
"The boy sover there, country,
the civilization of the world, the des-
tiny of the race ,all call to the men,
women and children in North Carroll
ma to make one supreme. effort to put
forty-eight million dollars over the
top and hurl it as a living thunder
bolt against the foe. These forty
eight million dollars will be worth
more to the winning of the war than
all the Offices involved in the next
election. Can we put it over? We
can, but not with a divided mind. We
can rise to the greatness and glory
of thetask, but we must be one in
purpose, one in action, and one IN
love. To bicker is to fail, and to fail
is to perish from the earth.
81 earnestly hope that this year all
over North Carolina partisanship will
be buried in patriotism land just and
wise ways will be found to give each
party it's fair proportion of the offices
according to its present strength, that
each party will then select it's strong
est men, men who have shown the
greatest willingness and the great
est capacity to work for the winning
of the war, and then instead of scram-
bling for office over the dead bodies
of our sons, let's unite in a glorious
joint-campaign to roll up these forty
million dollars. This may not
be politics, but it is patriotism; it is
craftsmanship; it is ultimate saliva
ton, for after all, what will it profit
a man if he shall be elected unless
we shall win the WARP"
1t would be most c~ommendable if
democratic and republican leaders
over the state should agree to vie with
each other in patriotic ~utteranees
from the stump this year instead of
discussing political issues. But there
little likelihood of such a
course being adopted for it takes two
to make a bargain: However, we
pass the suggestion along for the en-
of the local committees of
the two parties who may, or may not,
take the matter under advisement.
Under the plan proposed by Cover
nor Beckett the democrats would re-
tain the Offices they now hold in the
democratic counties and the re-
publicans would hold on in the large
counties. In the doubtful
counties he would divide the Offices
N proportion to the strength of each
He proposes no machinery
for. putting the plan into effect and
while the idea appears to be a-good
one in theOry-it may be rather diff
cult to put in operation. There is
absolutely no way out of the congress
fight in this district, or of
avoiding primary contests in a num-
Der of counties for local offices, un-
less the "outs" shall indicate a will
ingness to let the Gins" alone this
time. Speaking for itself, this paper
is in sympathy with the governors
suggestion and would like to see some
workable plan put incorporation in
this county "just this once" affecting
only the local Offices.