The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1890-09-11
PERSONAL STATEMENT.
EVERETT TELLS GRAVES THAT HE
WILL ABIDE DEMOCRATIC
CAUCUS.

lEEOm nome tribune.
About ten days ago, a small but
earnest caucus OF DR.. Felton's polit-
ical friends met in Rome to further
the interests of his campaign.
By that caucus, | was asked, as
editor of the Tribune, to state the
attitude the paper would assume
toward the Congressional politics of
the district l answered, that, al
though my personal friendship and
admiration for DR.. FELTON,, as we'll
as my personal preferences, strongly
inclined me to his support, / did not
see my way clear to opposing what /
felt sure was and would be regarded
as the regular Democratic organiza.
ton.
1t was suggested there that Mr..
Everett was bound by his Alliance
pledges to seperior obligation to the
Farmers Alliance, and would obey
its mandates at Washington even il
they led him into opposition to the
regular Democracy.
| instantly replied that / would
make this issue the final test of my
attitude; that / would submit it to
Mr.. Everett in direct query, either
by public question on the stump or
by personal interview in the pres
ence of witnesses. If be should
avow a superior allegiance to the
Alliance when it came in conflict
with Democracy in caucus at Wash
ington, / should not consider him a
Democrat Who acted against Democ
rscy, and would teel my allegiance
to the organization dissolved, by the
confessed disloyslty of its nominee.
If, on the other. hand, Mr.. Everett
should pledge his highest loyalty to
the Democratic party and its organ
iEation, / stated my intention to vote
for him, and coupled.this statement
with the assurance that / would not
stand in the way of the Tribune's
financial interests, or prevent its
concurrence with what seemed then
the Overwhelming sentiment Of the
town.
Having staked my political status
upon this issue, I went to Cedartown
on Monday evening, September l,
and on the next morning TUESDAY,
Cd called upon Mr.. Everett at his
home some sixteen miles in the
country. With me went witness,
Col. ]. L. Gross, prominent attor-
ney of Cedartown, and as staunch
and true o Democrat as can be found
in the State. He agreed to stake
his future actions, IS | did mine,
upon the answers which Mr.. Ever
EFT should return to the questions
we propounded, and upon the dis
tinctness of his ayowal of superior
loyalty to the caucus of the Demo-
cratic party at Washington. We
reached his house at 2 o'clock and
within ten minutes after our arriv-
al, were engaged in conversation
with Mr.. Everett. MIR. Everett did
not know me as editor of the Tri-
bune until after the more important
part OF our conference was at an
end. led the conversation care
fully up to the central point of in
terest and Col. Gross afterward
expressed the view that the trend of
my questions tended rather to COM
NIT Mr.. Everett against Democracy
than to leave his answer tree. do
not hesitate to say that / would
have experienced some satifaction
in finding a legitimate excuse for
voting for DR.. FELTON,. From first
to last Mr.. Everett's expressions
was frank, distinct and manly, and
it became evident to Col. Gross and
myself that he had not in his mind
a shadow of disloyalty to the Demo-
cratic party. Finally l brought the
matter to a direct issue with the
statement;
"Mr. Everett, / will say to you
frankly that | came here to-day, as
citizen and voter of the Seventh
Congressional district, to ask you
some questions, which, as a citizen
and Democratic voter, l think /
have a right to ask, and to which L
think that you, as candidate for
high Office should return frank and
explicit answer. l will now ask
them:
First. If you 60 to Washington as
Congressman, you know that there
will Immediately upon the assemb-
ling of the next Congress be organ
lied a caucus of those m embers rep
resenting Alliance constituencies.
There is always a regular Democrat
ic caucus. Now l wish to know
whether your superior allegiance
will be given to the caucus Of the
Alliance members or whether you
will enter into and be bound by the
Democratic caucus?"
Mr.. Everett asked: "Do you
think of any case in which there
would be conflict between them?"
/ replied: Suppose for instance