Newspapers / The Weekly Star (Wilmington, … / Nov. 4, 1898, edition 1 / Page 1
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Jht Weekly j&ter. rvaususa i -I JVIUMINGTON,!, N. C, i ' ' " - , 1 1.00 A YEAR. IN ADVANCE. 88888888888888888 4.uow si I 8 3 SS8S 8 1 IflllSIH -"-""88888888898888888 788888888888888888 38888888888888888 82888888388888888 88888858888888888 8S8888SSi8888888 888888888888888 . 5 t QOO O 0O K5 g TO c ipso J ?M S 7T. s ft; ; . -J -W f) ntered t the Pott Office at Second Claat Ma ilmtgton, N. C, aa SUBSCRIPTION P ifcE. The subscription price of tbVWV -IT Btftx ia aa tloo to so .. Smonthi " " .... A COWARDLY CAMPAIGN. The two characteristic features of the Uep. -Pop. campaign have been deception and cowardice. The fu sion between the , Republicans and Populists was conceived in deceit, for not one of the manipulators of that trade had the candor or the honesty to acknowledge its real in spiration. The alleged object was to preserve '"present election laws, which in sure the 'present system of county government, but the real purpose tfas to hold the; power .they ave and thus retain U the offices they secured by fusion. 1 Princliple never entered into me mougnts iu any ot them. It was a pure j matter of spoils, ill though the Populists who workeu up the fusion, i finding it 'necessary to give some excuse for, it, pretend that they did it jto preserve the present system of couhty govern ment, which enables the; people of . Central and Western counties to elect their own commissioners, mag istrates;' ice. , but they failed to re veal the fact that this system, with which they are so much, enamored and- tjo' preserve which they are so ansions, puts about thirty counties more of less under negro rule, ana some of) them absolutely ; so. They didn't think the people would dis cover that and hoped to practice the decejUo the end. . When this fact was made known to the people of the Centjer and the West, and the true condition of the East was described, illustrating the practical workings ,of tikis . county government system, td preserve which they fused ifcith a party which has no more affinity with the Populist party than Oil has with water, they pronounced these repre sentations "Democratic lies" in vented for campaign purposes, There they played deceit again, for every mother's son of them knew- that this county government system put more negroes in office in North Carolina than were ever before in iffice at one time, more than there irefin any other State in: the Union or injall the other States.' combined. Why did they, and why do they stUJ, endeavor to conceal or deny these facts, and when they can no longer deny them wrbf do they delve in the past, go back twenty years and rake up some negroes who held some petty positions and parade them as an offset to the thousand or so that they with their Republi can allies have put into Office within fourears Why if they are honest do they asert that it is the' purpose of the Democrats if they secure control of the Legislature to disfranchise "ne groes and poor white menj" when they know that in the twenty-four years in which the Democrats had contro! of the Legislature there never was the slightest movement made in that direction, and, moreover that this BBBJP " I I ; i could not be done, even ; if it were thought of, without amendment to the State constitution, whidh would be practically impossible? The sole purpose of this absurd fabrication was to deceive voters who might be deceived by it, when they knew there was not a particle of truth in iv So much for the deception o ? Which this is0nly a past and a smal part. - jf i But it has been a campaign cowardice as well as of falsehood jand sneaking deception One of the first things the f users who met for the purpose of working up their trade for the spoils did' af ter the bargain was consummated was to announce the opinion that it as not advisable- for the fusion campaigners to hold any iointdis- l cussions with the Democratic speak ers. This was the firajt time 'this Vs eyer done in our political 9&nl- ptijgns, the matter of joint canvasses -towgleft entirely in the discretion of the candidates. L: when they did that they simply confessed in advance that they were afraid to meet the Democrats in joint debate before jthe people, when they had every reason to be eve that such, joint discussions would be invited. r fruth is not a coward, and does jot run away when incited to speak lor itself. If they had such a just rT 1Itney were the defenders of 6 nnt as they claimed to be, and VOL. XXX. their record was clean and unas sailable, why fear Ito go before the people on that record, and manfully and boldly show it and defend it if assailed? If the Democratic party was as vulnerable as they say it was; if it was the progenitor of negro rule, as they falsely allege it was; if it is gold standard party, as Rocky Mount Butler and some of his pals say it is; if it was the tool of the money power and of the railroad corporations, as they lyingly assert, why didj they not seek and invite oint discussions, when they could show all; this up and dumbfound the Democratic speakers who under took to defend the Democratic party? ! They missed the opportunity of their lives when they didn't do this, but adopted this cowardly course of dodging and advising against joint discussions. II v J ft They may -have thought the peo ple could not see through this cow-' ardly dodge to avoid discussion', or understand why it was resorted to, but they were very much mistaken, or the people did see through it and understand it, and the people hate a Coward who aspires to leadership. They lost cast from the very day they thus publicly confessed and heralded their Cowardice, Their" latest,' but probably not their last, confession of cowardice is their whining about Democratic intimidation after they have as serted broadcast that they have an invincible ' majority and that they were going to carry the election by overwhelming numbers. Do men who are as largely in the majority as they claim to be thus advertise themselves as cowards by declaring that they are being intimidated and that through this intimidation they may lose the State? They do not believe these stories about intimi dation, and should be ashamed to utter them, or if they do berleve them they should be ashamed to acknowledge that they can be thus cowed by a minority. It isn't conscience, that Hamlet talked of, that makes cowards of them, but the knowledge that they have been playing a disreputable part and are doomed to defeat. MOEE OBJECT LESSONS. There was a race riot at Harpers ville, Mississippi, a few days ago another Ashpole attair, but on a larger scale and with more -fatal re sults, for fourteen negroes paid with their lives the penalty of resisting the law, and four white .deputies were shot, one fatally. This riot was caused by the band ing of negroes to resist the arrest of a negro who had got into an alter cation with his employer, a white man, whom he felled with a hoe and beat badly. Officers went to arrest the negro bnt he was not to be found at his home. .Next night a posse went when they found the man with about fifty other negroes who' opened a fusillade upon the posse, killing one and wounding three more, . and thus opened the war which cost these fourteen negroes their lives. In Chattanooga about the same time negro soldiers started a riot by trying to release a comrade who had been arrested by a policeman. In the melee a white man was killed and a policeman and several of the soldiers were wounded. Here are two collisions in both of which lives were lost, both resulting from the negro's defiance of law and attempts to resist it. Thus it is everywhere in the South. .where a negro is seldom arrested, (unless for an offence against some other negro), without some attempt being made by other negroes to prevent arrest or to take him from the officers of the law if arrested. In nine cases ont of ten this has been the cause of the col lisions between the races in the Sottth, and yet this is thirty-four years after their emancipation, with all the opportunities they have had in the meantime, with their schools and churches, for enlightenment and improvement. . RUSSELL OBSTINATE. There may have been some who believed that Governor RusBell would realize the gravity of the situation and show some disposition to meet in a concilatory Bpirit the committee from this city who called upon him Wednesday, but we were not of that number. Daniel L. Russell is naturally obstinate, and in spite the counsel of conservative Republi cans in this city he insists tipt a county ticket be run, although the principal names that "he mentions are of men who decline to run. , He has thus given another exhibition of his disposition to run counter to the best people of this community, and to aggravate the gravity of the situa tion instead of using his good offices to mollify it. He may put up a Republican ticket in New Hanover county, but the white men of this county are t-n narrrr if anil f hav ars croinc I to carry it inside of the law, too. The They are neither going to invite nor provoke trouble, but tjioy know their rights and will maintain them, and if trouble be forced upon them they will meet it like men. This State is as pertain to go Democratic on the 8th day of No vember as the sun is to rise on that morning, and all the frenzied efforts of the other side, and all the letters or proclamations that Daniel L. Rus sell may write cannot prevent it. The white men of North Carolina were never more thoroughly united than they ire now, nor4 more reso- utely determined to rescue North Carolina from the mongrel rule that now humiliates and disgraces her,. and they will do it unless the world comes to an end before the day of election. THEY KNOW WHAT NEGRO RULE MEANS. We have published in these col umns a number of letters from Northern residents of this State, formerly Republicans And still Re publicans in national politics, but see the effect of negro rule and for that reason .affiliate in State and local politics with the Democratic party in this State. Mr. F. W. Clement, a Northern man, has been for some years a resi dent of Winston, where he has charge of the street railway system and electric light plant, represent ing a capital of $150,000. He is in national politics a Republican, bnt in State and local politics, (like nearly every Northern man in the State who is not in politics for spoils), he is a Democrat, and-gives his rea sons in the following letter pub' lished in the Winston! Journal, un- der date of the 22 & in it : Editor, Journal For more than five s years l nave Deen a resiuent or me city T 1 W 1 J ! A of Winston, coming here from New York, ana I have always been a Be publican. Since coming to your State have seen Democratic rule in State and city and also Republican rule. I am thoroughly satisfied in my mind from observation and actual expert ence that the good of the community and State is best subserved by the white Democrats and have resolved to affiliate with them in future in State elections, although retaining Republi canism in national causes. . Yours very truly, F. W. McClement. These are the reasons of a man who represents a company which has many thousands of dollars in vested in the cities of Winston and Salem. They may be called dollar reasons, but they are good ones, for dollars as well as the peace, dignity and manhood of the State are at stake in this campaign. And yet mercenary office holders and hunters assert that there is nothing in the cry of "negro domi nation," that it is merely a Demo cratic invention for election pur poses. The lie ougnt to choke them and would if they didn't, like the snake, have elastic throats. TRYING TO FOOL POPtTLISTS. Home Rule is a Populist organ published at Raleigh, which rep resents the S. Otho Wilson faction, which is fighting the Butler fac tion. It is for fusion, and has been all along. Now it is trying to fool the anti-fusionists, or "middle-of- the-roaders," as it calls them, with the following rot: "Honest Populists who are not fu sionists, called "middle-of-the read ers." are dailv comincr to the support of fusion, as they see the only result ii. j. T l . .1 oi ineir course is bu ump put m wc party who reaped the ballot in '92 and f94. Wise course. The right to vote for what you please is of more conse quence to us than any mere party policy." This was not the inspiration of fusion at all, and it was never thought of as being put forward as a reason until fusion had been con summated and the I Radical-Pop stumners. led off by Office Hunter Dockery, put up the I "disf ranchis ingv scarecrow and tried to scare 1 - J CC iJLt''3W me negroes auu puur, nunc mcu by alleging that if the; Democrats carried the Legislature they would deprive the negroes and "poor white men" of the right to vote. But logically what does this Home Rule rot amount to? Simply: this That to preserve the present system of county government the white Pop ulists of the State are urged to vote with the Republican allies of the fusion Populists to keep thirty coun ties of North Carolina perpetually under negro rule, and make the race confliet endless, unless the white people in the negro-ruled counties migrate and give the counties up en tirely to the negroes, ,th very thing that some negroes leaders, wno ue clare that "Eastern North Carolina is the place for the negro," hope for and are workinir for. It is too late to play that kind of rot on the Pop- ulistSfc who see throu.h it, although Rocky Mount Butler has joined the Home Rule gang in trying to play it Child Burned to Death. Mr. C. M. Roberts, who was in the city yesterday, told the . Star of a fearful accident which occurred in Bladen a few days ago. Adalia, the little four-year-old daughter of Mr. Charles Pate, who lives near B romp- ton in Bladen county, was burned to death, the fire ha vine caught from gome matches which the little one wi nlavinc with in the absence of its mother. Wee WILMINGTON, N. C, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, AFRAID OF STATE TROOPS. A State's militia is its arm of de fence in case of invasion or of domestic turbulence with which the civil authorities are unable to cope. The militia of North Carolina has never been wanting in loyalty to the State, and has never yet never failed to respond to a call to support the civil authorities, and it has re mained for the present Administra tion to acknowledge that because they are white they cannot be de pended upon in this emergency to obey the orders of the Republican machine managers and help to fasten negro rule upon North Carolina. ' The Government of the United States could depend upon1 them to carry its Mag into other countries and plant it there and defend it, but the mongrel machine managers cannot rely pon them to help them carry out their infernal plot against the white people of North Carolina. This is a confession as damning to these conspirators as it is honorable to the white soldiery of this State. If troops are to be used to -eangf out their schemes it will not be JNortfc Carolina white troops nor from any Southern State, for the fact that they are white and are therefore supposed to have a kindred feeling with the white people of the State bars all Southern white soldiers, and they will have to rely upon soldiers of other States. If they should be sent and they be white, the mongrel machine man agers will probably not find them as serviceable as- they imagine. This game Was tried in North Carolina in reconstruction days, and in other Southern States then and later, and in nearly every instance the plot ters who invoked the coming of the Boldiers got very sick of them be fore they left, for they were white and it didn't take them very long to make that fact apparent. NUTS FOR PRITCH ARD TO CRACK In this issue of the Star we pub lish an open letter by Hon. F. M. Simmons , Chairman of the Demo cratic State Committee, "to Hon. Jeter C. Pritchard, U. S. Senator. In his recent interviews with U. S. officials at Washington, and with others, intended for publication and purporting to represent the situa tion in North Carolina, he has al leged that there is no good cause for the uprising of the white men of this State; that the race animos ities have been incited for political effect; that negro domination is a myth, and that there are but few Degrees holding office in North Car olina, and these all of minor impor tance. He asserts this on the word and authority pf a Senator, who should be presumably, at least, far miliar with such matters, and fa miliar with the actual condition of affairs, with which all intelligent reading people are familiar. For the information of Senator Pritchard and others who may have read his one-sided statements, Mr. Simmons wrote him this letter cit ing the counties and cities in which negroes hold offices, the number holding offices either by appoint ment of the fusion Legislatures, or bv election bv the fusion party, the number of negroes holding offices, and those running as candidates for office nominated by Republican con ventions, in all numbering over a thousand, and three hundred . of them magistrates to interpret the laws and to dispense justice. Of course Senator Pritchard will not undertake to answer ihesa in quiries, it is not .expected that he will, for he would have to acknowl edge himself a falsifier if he did; but there is no honest man who can read this array of specific citations and for a moment believe that negro domination in the East is a "myth and not an actual storm-breeding condition. Mr. Simmons very appropriately neludes his letter with some pointed inquires to Senator Pritch ard as to what he would do if these conditions applied to Ms county of Marshall, and negro officers were thrust upon it a3 they have been on some Eastern counties. These inquiries are peculiarly applicable and appropriate in view of the fact that not very many years ago Senator Pritchard was one the chief pro moters of the movement to organize a white Republican party, which the negro would not be per mitted to enter. He, with others who were in sympathy with him and co-operating with him, con tended that if the negro could be eliminated from the Republican party white men enough would join it to make it possible to con test against the Democratic party, The movement fell through, but this does not lessen the fact that Pritchard was one of its chief pro moters. and that he was then as strong a believer in white supre macy as he is now in negro rule, which he supports while denying its existence. Then he hoped to win office by white votes, now he holds office by virtue of negro votes, which accounts for the change and for his present position. kly FRANK LEAK COVINGTON. Died at His Home ia Wilmineton Yes. i terday Afternoon, Aged Thirty Years. I With the -deepest and most sincere regret, the Star chronicles the death of Mr. Frank Leak Covington, which occurred at his home in this city yes terday afternoon at six o'clock. Mr. Covington was a son of Mr. and Mrs. E. P. Covington and was born in Rockingham in the year 1868. While quite young, his parents removed to Wilmington and he has been a valued and prominent citizen of Wilmington up to the time of his death, holding the responsible and important position' of confidential clerk and travelling salesman for Messrs. C. C. Covington & Co. , wholesale grocers, of this city. He was popular and highly respected, not only by a host of friends and as sociates here, but by a large acquaint ance all over the State. For a number of years he has been a member of Han over Lodge No. 145, I. O. O. F., and for some time held an important office in that order. ' Some years ago he was happily mar ried to Miss Maybelle Sebrell, who survives him, together with his father, Mr. E. P. Covington, his brother, Mr. C. C. Covington, and two sisters, Miss Keith Covington, of "this city, and Mrs. H. D. Thompson, of Baltimore. The funeral will be conducted this afternoon at 2 o'clock 'from the Gqv- ington residence, Na. 712 Orange street, and the remains will be taken on the the 3.30 o'clock train to his old home at Rockingham, for interment NEGRO KILLED AT HAMLETi ,v , . an He Insulted and Assaulted a Well Known White Man Who Wore a Red Shirt. News was received here yesterday of an incident which occurred in Hamlet Wednesday evening, which is but another illustration of the inso lence engendered among negroes by the present Republican-negro regime and which withal resulted fatally for the negro who attempted to bull-doze i w auu w Mr. Brooks, who is employed on the Carolina Central depot yard at Ham let, had occasion to enter a business house where several negroes were loafing. They were apparently drink ing. Mr. Brooks was wearing a red shirt and one of the negroes stepped forward and demanded to know what he meant by wearing the shirt. He was given to understand that it was none of his business, whereupon he drew a large knife and attempted to assault Mr. Brooks, who drew his re volver and sent a ball crashing through the negro's head, killing him instantly. . 1 ? It is understood that Mr. Brooks has been completely exonorated by the coroner's jury, in that' the killing was clearly in self defence. ' f AND STILL THEY COME. Ten Populists Near Rose Hill Declare Their Purpose to Join the White Man's Party. Mr. Joe Merritt, the true blue Demo crat of Rose Hill, was a welcome Star caller last night and he brought truly cheering news from his neighborhood and Duplin county. Scores of Popu lists are renouncing that party and flocking to Democracy and white su premacy. The following gentlemen who reside in his neighborhood and have heretofore voted and worked for the Populist party, have authorized Mr. Merritt to announce through the papers that they propose to vote and work lor democracy and wnne su premacy at the coming election: J. J. Ko bin son. J. n. tsiackman, w. B. Hawes. T. J. Johnson. S. E. John son, L. P. Johnson, C J. Johnson, R. D. Register, T. S. Johnson and J. B.Johnson. '. : : Mr. Merritt will go to Goldsboro this evening to attend the great white mans rally. They're Scarce Just Now. A gentleman who lives about three miles from the city, in Harnett town ship, told a Star representative yes terday of a good joke on Wilming ton's Chief of Police. Wednesday after noon, in view of the fact that it is cur rently reported that several of the best members of the force are think ing of resigning, the aforesaid Chief made a tour of a good portion of Har nett township in search of Populists, upon whom he could bestow a police manship at a salary of $45 per month. .What must have Deen theUhiers consternation, when after riding for many miles he could not find a single" white Pop. not even when an office was in sight. The gentleman who related the in cident says the Populists of Harnett township are all swinging into line ber. THE CAMPAIGN IN NASH. Ren. Pop. Speakers Disappointed Dem ocratic Nominees Address a Large Gathering at Gold Rock. i Star Correspondence. Gold Rock, N. C, October 25. A Populist - and a Republican came to this place yesterday to speak, and when they arrived their hearts were made glad by seeing such a large crowd of ladies and gentlemen out to hear them, f But the crowd came to a baptizing which took place in Swift creek, and when the preacher departed with his nock of about two hundred. it left the poor Rep. -Pops to speak to each other, except a handful of stragglers around the Rock: m 1 T" a T1 T . . ro-aay mr. J. .a. w niiaser, demo cratic nominee for Register of Deeds for Nash county; Mr. O, F. Ellen, for the Senate ; Mr. .Larry Moore, Solici tor; Mr. Jno. P. Arlington, Sheriff; TUT TPA P.oomoll aaii r fir Twflooii maw spoke to a large crowd of white and colored voters. The negroes cheered the speakers repeatedly. Star. 1898. A GREAT MEETING. An Earnest Protest Against Ne gro Domination in Eastern North Carolina. GATHERING AT G0LDSB0R0. Eight Thousand White Men Present. Determined to Threw Off the Negro Yoke Patriotic Speeches. Resolutions Adopted. Eight thousand white men assem bled at Goldsboro yesterday to enter their solemn protest against the ex isting negro domination in Eastern North Carolina, and to show by their determined spirit that it must'' cease forever. Probably twenty-five coun ties were represented, but the meeting was made up chiefly pf white men from the negro-ridden counties of the East. It was a great meeting; great in numbers ; great in the attendance of Democratic speakers; great in the dis play of the invincible spirit of deter mination characteristic of the Anglo- Saxon race; greaHn its firm resolve to free North Carolina from negro rule. ' i But it was not strictly a Democratic meeting; for it was composed not only of members of that party, but of Pop ulists and Republicans who are sick of the infamy and disgrace that has been brought upon their State by the party of negro traders who have held high carnival within her borders during the past four years. :. L White taen of all ages and S condi tions were there, and from the grim determination depicted upon each face, it was clear that they were there, not for pleasure or amusement, but for the fixed purpose of throwing off the negro yoke which is threaten the every interest of the Caucasian race. They were there to discuss in a calm, dispassionate way means and measures for ridding themselves, their wives and their children, of the .weight of negro insolence and negro im pudence. 1 , 0 j J After the various special trains from all sections of the State, had arrived the crowd, which had assumed immense proportions resolved itself, under the direction of Chief Marshal George A. Norwood, into a vast procession, headed by the Second Regiment Band and the Wilson and Newborn bands. To the martial strains of music by our own Second Regiment Band, this great aggregation of Anglo-Saxon humanity marched enthusiastically to the court house yard, where seats for the crowd and a substantial stand for the speakers bad been prepared by the active leaders of Democracy in Golds boro. -The Goldsboro Rifles saluted' the procession by the booming of cannon and wild cheering as they ap proached the place of meeting. Chairman Simmons' Remarks. The meeting was temporarily called to order by Democratic State Chair man F. M. Simmons, who in no un certain terms explained the object for which this great meeting was held. He reviewed at some length the terrible condition of affairs in the East, giving specifically the exact status of negro rule in the unfortunate counties, all of the Federal officers being chargeable directly or indirectly to Senator Pritch ard: and President McKinley. In round numbers, he stated that 1,000 negroes are holding various offices in North Carolina, from Congressman down to school committeeman, and that for this reason it was only meet and proper that the white men assemble them selves together to thwart the im pending danger. Senator Pritchard was cansured for the threatened coming of Federal troops into the State; and Mr. Simmons' remarks pro testing against such a course, were greeted with loud and prolonged cheers. TJze emphatic statement that negro rule can and must stop was a signal for an outburst of applause. The Democratic party, he continued. was not an enemy to the negro, but proposes to treat him fairly, but there is one fact that he must remember, that this is a government which must be administered by white men. The time has come when the white men must rul3 North Carolina or leave it, and he declared that they are not go ing tb lfave but will protect it, their wives and daughters, with their " own strong arms; if need be, with their lives. He concluded by again refer ring to the Federal troops incident, signalizing it as the last measure re sorted to by the desperate Republicans, who see no chance of electingtheir ticket in North Carolina. Ma j. Wm. A. Outbrie. At the conclusion of his speech, in a few happy remarks he introduced Maj. Wm, A. Guthrie as temporary, chairman of the meeting. ! Maj. Guthrie was greeted with a storm of applause. He began his speech by saying that in exercising the constitutional privilege of consulting together for the public good, the white people of North Carolina had met to gether to discuss the one supreme issue of white supremacy and of giv ing information to the people of the middle and western sections of the State with regard to the deplorable state of affairs in the east. It was a meeting for the excBange of views and for the. purpose of prescribing a remedy for the deplorable state of affairs into which our eastern counties have unfortunately fallen, i A remedy proposed, it then becomes the duty of every white man to meet the issues promptly. The speaker ex tended thanks to Mr. Simmons for calling upon him to act as chairman of the large organization present and said that he had come with the inten VT- o i J O j nm ! tion of laying aside party differences and coming breast tobreast with his fellow citizens, for the rescue of the State. Prejudice must be laid aside and the issue of white supremacy must be met. Parties and prejudice caused the present unfortunate conditions. It is manifest to any man who has common sense that if white men come together in solid phalanx for the removal of the exist ing conditions they have the pdwer in their own hands. He declared that in the last election there was found in the Populist ranks 5,000 professed Populists, who cast 5.000 votes for a renegade Governor, and he was elected. The remedy is- in our hands and that without violence to the constitution. Let white men come together, elect members of fine General Assembly, who want a change. Let the Legislature elect magistrates in certain Eastern counties and let these" magistrates elect every other officer in the eounty. " Continuing, he said that, he had rather live under a good government as a private citizen than to be Governor of North Carolina, if inconsistent methods had to be em ployed in his election. Eighteen Pop ulists in the Legislature had deserted their party and sold the flag of the People's party to Senator Pritchard and got for it negro postmasters, cus tom, house officers, etc. He declared they had turned their flag over to 120, -000 negro voters, and these negroes hold it now, and until they give it up, he said in emphatic terms, that the white man's flag was good enough for him. -.Prolonged applause. He left the Republican party when it became the common enemy of the country, and he was proud that he belo'nged to the Anglo-Saxon race the race which carries the Bible and civilization in one hand and a sword in the other. When you attempt to put your heels on pur necks, we will wipe you from the iace oi ine eartu. nere he very rev renty read from the Bible the story of the Israelites, and drew a parallel case, with the condition of affairs now. The people must oestir-themselves as in olden times and free themselves from the shackles. The Bible he referred to incidentally as a book very few fusion candidates were familiar with and cautioned them not to go a way and say that he had read a "pack or Democratic lies." The fusionists in their desperation he said, had called on President McKinley "For Good Lord's sake send us down some federal troops to keep the people down He resented this as an insult to the white people of North Carolina. L He en treated everybody to arm themselves with the ballot and fight for the honor of their wives and daughters. If they are still threatened and it comes that daughters and wives have to accept insults from the Africans, the, white men will show them the effect of shotguns and Winchester rifles. ' , ' At the conclusion of his speech, he was given three hearty cheers and unanimously elected permanent chair man, with Mr. J. W. Granger, of Kins ton, as permanent secretary, assisted by members of the Democratic press. Ex-Governor?T. J. Jar vis then, with a brief introductory statement, read the following resolutions: We, . a ! portion of the citizens of Eastern North Carolina, in mass meet ing assembled, being mindful of the obligations we are assuming and being desirous of informing our fellow cm zens of the condition of affairs iu our section of the State, do publish to the wofIdhe following Plain Statement of Pacts. First. The population of this section of our State is divided into two distinct races the Anglo-Saxon and the Af ri can. Second. That in some counties the whites exceed in numbers the blacks and in others the blacks largely exceed the whites; but in all of them the negro is found in large numbers. Third. It is not claimed even by his white leaders that the negro is capa ble ot administering a government On the contrary the man who is the present Republican Governor of the State, has declared in the most em phatic language that he (the negro) is wholly unfitted ror it. Fourth. That in many of the coun ties, cities, and towns of the east the local governments have been turned over wholly, or in part, to the negroes. Among these we mention Bertie, Craven, Edgecombe, Halifax, New Hanover, Warren, Greenville, New bern and Wilmington. In these coun ties, cities and towns, negroes may be found holding the offices of register of deeds, deputy sheriffs, constables. justices of the peace, school commit teemen, town commissioners, police men, and the like. In several other counties many of these offices are "filled by negroes, and many of the postoffices are filled by them. Fifth. That counting the offices of register of deeds, deputy registers, deputy sheriffs, constables, justices of the peace, school committeemen, town commissioners, policemen, post masters, collectors, store-keepers. gangers and the like, there are now in office in counties and towns of Eastern North Carolina, nearly one thousand negroes ; there being nearly three hundred negro magistrates alone. Sixth. That as a consequence of turn ing these local offices over to the ne groes, bad government has followed. homes have been invaded, and' the sanctity of women endangered. Bust ness has been paralyzed, and property rendered less valuable. The majesty of the law has been disregarded and lawlessness encouraged. In many lo calities men cannot rely upon the offi cers of the law for protection, for they are known to be incompetent and cor rupt. Conditions have become so in tolerable in these communities that they can be no longer tolerated or en dured. v. Seventh. That this negro uomina tion was made possible and these de plorable conditions were brought about through a division of the white men at the ballot box. Had the white men remained together, as they did for many years, those things could not have been; , Eighth. That knowing these evils came about through a division of the white men, the White Man's Party has been zealously working for months to re-unite the white men at the ballot box, where these wrongs can be righted and these evils I remedied. In view of these things it ia resolved : 1. That the Republican leaders have a second time clearly demonstrated their inability and their unfitness to govern North Carolina. 2. That the time has come when those who have followed these leaders should no longer do so, and that all men who love their State and their homes should unite in one supreme effort to redeem the State and to place uontwi. ana capaDie wmie men 11 office, in State, county, citvand town nonest ana capable white men in 3. That our appeal has been, is now, and spall continue to be, to the ballot pox and to honest white men. We have contemplated no violence,, but we are determined to use all proper means to free ourselves of this negro domination, which is paralyzing our business and which hangs like a dark cloud over our homes. 4. That we declare it is not our pur pose to do the negro any harm.. It is better for him as well as for us that the white men shall govern. That while, we propose to protect and en courage him in all his rights and duties of citizenship, we affirm that North Carolina shall not be negroized. It is of all the States of the Union peculiarly the home of the Anglo Saxon, and the Anglo Saxon shall govern it. o. lhat we affirm that no such con ditions exist in this State as justify Senator Pritchard in calling upon the President to send troops to this State, or in the Uovernor in issuing his brutal proclamation, and we hereby condemn in the most unmeasured terms the conduct of Senator Pritch ard and Governor Russell in attempt ing to make it appear to the outside world that the descendants of the men of Mecklenburg. Halifax. Albermarle, the Cape Fear, Moore's Creek, of Ala mance, Guiifprd Court House and King's Mountain, need the military power of the government which they helped to create and organize, to com pel them to observe the law. The white-men of this State, above all others, are interested, in maintaining law and order, and for them to be charged by Senator Pritchard and Gov Russell with having a purpose to become insurrectionary citizens is a vile slander and we denounce them. They have been leaders in establish ing negro domination among us and theyre therefore responsible for the conditions now existing, and in ap pealing to the President to send troops into this State to aid them in main taining negro domination they have shown that thxcare less for the honor and reputation of their State than they do for their otncial positions. 6. That it is in the power of the Leg islature to restore to the white men of the East the management and control of their local affairs. That if the Democratic party shall be planed in control of the Legislature this will "be done; if the" Republican party is 1 placed in control it will not be done. We, therefore, appeal to our white, brethren in every section of the State to go to the ballot box on the day of election and vote for the Democratic candidates for the Legislature. ' , 7. That a learned and pure judi ciary is necessary to the., preservation of the rights of the weak as well as the strong. The Democratic candidates for this high position are men learned in the law and of eminent fitness for this great office. We, therefore. appeal to all men who desire learned and pure men to sit upon the bench to work and to vote for Democratic candidates. ' : 8. That the president and secretary of this meeting are hereby directed to cause this statement of facts and these. resolutions to be published in all the papers of the State, and that the Dem ocratic Executive Committee be re quested to give them the widest possi ble circulation among the people. ' Resolutions Adopted. Mr. W. E. Fountain, who js an ex- chairman of the Populist State .Com mittee, and a prominent State poli tician, was called for and said that the resolutions should be adopted and added that he most heartily endorsed every word in them as well as the ex cellent speech of Major Guthrie. He followed in a ringing speech for white supremacy, declaring that party strife must be laid aside and the white people come together as a unit for the restoration of good government to North Carolina. He said that he was under the influence of no politician and that his efforts hi the future will be for white supremacy. W. H Neal, Esq., of Laurinburg, and Donald Gil lam, Esq., of Tarboro, both prominent lawyers of their re spective towns, made brief, but elo quent speeches in support of the reso lutions. , ; Hon. E. W. Pou, the peerless orator and statesman, moved the unanimous adoption of the resolutions in one of the prettiest speeches of the day. His motion was seconded simultaneously by more than a hundred people audi without a dissenting vote the resolu tions were passed amid much applause and manifestations of enthusiasm. In the Afternoon. At 2 o'clock P. M. Col. A. M. Wadt dell, Wilmington's orator and patriot, made a splendid speech, in the Opera House, which was warmly applauded by the large crowd, which filled every available space in the large auditorium. . From a stand neatly and tastefully decorated with flags and bunting, erected in the spacious Farmers' Ware- - house, Hons. C. B. Watson, Chas. B. ( Aycock and E. W. Pou made ringing speeches which entirely captivated the large audieace assembled to hear them. They were speeches from white men to white men and were delivered with telling effect. Never has Goldsboro or Eastern North Carolina, for that matter, had a larger or more enthusiastic gather ing, and the effect of this great con vocation of white men will be real ized November 8th next. Brief Mention. The ladies of Warsaw presented the band boys with a gorgeous' bo quet. 1 , Jimmie Monroe was in bis glory, as he always is when the girls smile on him. That great leader of "the boys," Tom Jarvis, says, briefly,but pointedly: "We've got 'em.- The genial Griffin, of the Hotel Kennon, was among the busiest men in Goldjkoro. But he was equal to the occasion and gave the very best' ac commodations, both in "bed and board," to his numerous guests. The patriotic Democrats of Golds boro suspended business for several hours, in order that all might take part in the great gathering. 7-, Asked by a Star representative if the West was "afire," Cyclone Cyl Watson said: 'Thave seen nothing to equal it in thirty years" Pa vis, of the S. R. B., escaped this time with his pants and nether garments, but he had to sit up all night to make dead sure of it. 4- A i ft j 1BBBH
The Weekly Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 4, 1898, edition 1
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