Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-07-28
CAPT. FRANK BURKITT.
He Defines His Political Atti-
tude to a Leader Reporter.
He will go with the Peoples
Party and Vote for Weaver
and Field.
The Democratic Party Has
Broken faith with the People.
"Thc People too Well Informed
to be Longer Gulled by the
Force Bill Fraud"

Hon. Frank Burkitt, State Lecturer
of the Alliance. spent yesterday in
jackson, on account of having missed
one of his appointments. Appreciat-
ing the interest felt in Capt. Burkitt's
political attitude, especially by Ali
ance men, since his resignation of the
nomination of Presidential Elector for
the State at large on the Cleveland
ticket, LEADER representative asked
him to state for publication what
would be his position politically in the
impending canvass, and the reasons,
in brief, which governed his action. In
reply Capt. Burkitt said
~ have been a member of every
Farmers organization that has had an
existence in this State for the past 20
years. have advocated their princi-
pies and l believe sincerely in the
Ocala demands. had hoped the Demo
cratic party, which professed to favor
four of the seven demands, would in
time become liberalized sufficiently to
give the people all the relief needed,
and was content to accept what was
promised and wait patiently for the
others. But when it was manifest that
the party was completely under con-
troll of the money power, that Wall
street dictated its platform, that Mr..
Cleveland could compel Congress to
falsify its pledges to the people, and
that the Alliance was not only to be
ignored, but prosecuted for opinions
sake, felt that had spent twenty
of the best years ofmy life in the ser
vice of party, that had no fixed prin-
ciples, and that 1 owed it to myself
and the friends of my youth and ear
lier manhood to devote what energy
and ability l have left to cause that
promises more permanent results. To
have retained the position of Presi-
Dental Elector, I would have had to
stultify myself; renounce my so-called
heresy; defend a namby-pamby plat
form of principles formulated by gold
bugs at Chicago, advocate the election
of mugwump candidate for President
who, when grim-visaged war put on his
wrinkled front, permitted his patriot
ism to ooze through few dollars in
| to the body hired substitute, and his
mate, who hid from rebel bullets be-
hind little civil office, and when &C
cused of being Southern sympa-
thizer vigorously denies the charge,
but admits that, like Artemus Ward,
he was willing to sacrifice all his wife's
relations, to preserve the Union, and
vote against ticket composed of the
Blue and the Grey, representing re-
Cancellation, peace and fraternity, and
standing on platform in the main
identical with that / have for years
advocated and which 1 believe to be
right.
This I could not do and preserve my
own self-respect, for of course l must
have forfeited the confidence of my
friends and incurred the scorn and
contempt of those who would have
profited by my inconsistency.
To me the situation some weeks since
was similar to that which confronted
the honest Union man in the South
in 1861, before hostilities began. He
did not favor secession and did not
believe Mr.. Lincoln's election should
be made cause for war, but when
Sumpter was fred on, it was too late
to argue that proposition. The fight
was on, and the only question the
true Southerner could ask himself
was, will he fight for his home and
fire-side against an insolent invader of
the rights of his people?
l did think so long as the Demo
cratic party promised even partial re-
lief, we might march under it's banner
in this contest, but when Democratic
House, with 148 majority, defeated
measure to which the party was pledged
that had run the gauntlet of Repub-
lican Senate, it seemed to me it was
folly to trust such crowd any farther.
My truest and most loyal friends had
already decided Ito vote as they re-
solved" and it did not take me mo-
ment to decide that would not in fu-
ture advocate policy and vote for
men who oppose it. l shall support
Weaver and Field"
do you consider that the South Is
in any peril from a force billg"
"No. The force bill has been a scare
crow to brighten men into agreement
with, or acceptance of, the methods
adopted by the machine. The people
are too we'll informed to be longer
gulled by force bill fraud
Hon. Henry Loucks, who succeeded
Col. Polk, as President of the National
Alliance, is in Washington on official
business. He will stump the Southern
C{o<ae Il, fha ;nkar<cf - fha lEopoa