Raleigh, July 14—At a time when it is plainly apparent to those how read even as they run that there are occasions when the Governor of North Carolina is not altogether tolerant it might be will to look at a side of Cameron Morrison which many of his oldest acquaintances probably do not know he has.
If history is to be trusted, Mr. Morrison is a white supremist of the first water. He was active, extremely so, in retiring the negro from politics in North Carolina, and it was said at the beginning of his administration he would never even commission a colored citizen as notary public.
Be that as it may, there are few, if any, heads of institutions in North Carolina which are engaged in working out a program of progress who receive more courteous and prompt response to their requests than H.B. Cheatham of Oxford, superintendent of the colored orphanage at that place, and a former congressman of North Carolina.
Supt. Cheatham came to the capitol this morning in search of an emergency appropriation by the council of state to enable him to care for the delinquent negro youths committed to his custody at the orphanage. He has 115 at present in addition to his regular supply of orphans. Funds are running low and there must be more money forthcoming or fewer delinquents. He asked for additional funds until such a time as the colored reformatory is established and his double burden is split.
With him came one citizen of Oxford, F.W. Hancock Jr. Cheatham could have had his pick of a thousand influential citizens of Granville county. The visit to the Governor’s office took up less than half an hour, the Governor called a meeting of the council of state, Cheatham was assured of support and left the office a number of the board of directors of the reformatory to be, succeeding the late Dr. A.M. Moore of Durham.
Difficult as may be the task which the former congressman has undertaken, he is getting away with it. The delinquents sent to him are not all made over, but many of them are taught trades and straightened out. Four former inmates of his institution, sent there for detention and correction, are now driving trucks in the city of Raleigh.
Speaking of colored folks, John Rowland, the Lincoln county negro about whom there was so much comment some weeks since when the Governor of Michigan refused to honor a request of the state of North Carolina for extradition, is home again. The job of bringing him back has been attended to quietly. Rowland is either an awful liar or he met up with an inartistic press agent; for first reports were that he was declared to have escaped from slavery in North Carolina.
It seems more likely that he ran away from some liquor cases in which he was involved himself and was needed as a witness against white folks.
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From the front page of the Durham Morning Herald, Sunday, July 15, 1923
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