Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-23
A DOUBTFUL STATE
Hopes of the North Carolina Popu-
lists and Republicans.
FIGHT FOR SENATOR RANSOMS SEAT
Coming Convention of the Repub-
Leans.
THE POPULISTS ORGANIZING
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
RALEIGH, y. c.. Feb. 81 1884,


lima as doubtful state this year. That
statement was then questioned by some
persons who now frankly admit its truth.
There is no longer any doubt that the
republicans and populsts will fuse, and
this has been the course dreaded by most
democrats. 1t was dreaded in 1892 but il
| then failed of accomplishment. Now it
is a certainty. The coalition is on the
basis that the strongest party in any par
| ticular county or district shall make the
nominations and that the other shall then
support it.
This coalition will give a peculiar in
terest to the North Carolina campaign
| this year. The alliance is still in politics
1t claims to be stronger in Texas, South
Carolina and North Carolina than in any
other states. The election of Marion But
Ter of this state as president of the Ma
tional Alliance gives the populists an ad-
| ditional leverage here. Butler is the chair
man of the peoples party in North Caro-
lima and is far and away the brainiest man
in it. He is very ambitious. as he has
shown in the state legislature and in other
ways, and he wants to be United States
Senator as Ransom's successor.
1t is in regard to this seat of RansCm's
that the fight for control of the legislature
will be so exciting. There is a powerful
party in the state and this, il Is said, will
| favor Thomas J. Jarvis, ex-governor and
ex-minister to Brazil He is an avowed
candidate. Butler will certainly get the
republican as well as the popuiist vote for
| the position. That is all arranged. Here
| tofore Ransom has had things his own
way. His friends are now looking after
his interests and are publishing most
adroitly worded articles in the newspapers
| which tend to bring prominently before the
public his great services TO the state in
| times past. This much may be said thus
early in the year-it is doubtful whether
| Ransom can be reelected.
| 1t is useless to deny that there are two
factions of the democratic party now, the
one following Cleveland ana Ransom; the
other following Vance. 1t is alleged that
nine-tenths of the voters Of the party
are INSTRUMENTATION in their views at
present. The policy of the popuIists and
| the republicans will be to keep the breach
| between these factions as wide as possible.
| That is their strong card, of course.
| Feeling Against senator Vance.
| Vance, while IT is claimed he has the
| sympathy and support of the great ma
| jority of the democratic rank and file. is
yet in great disfavor with many earnest
democrats. This is primarily due to a
| letter which he wrote to the Mecklenberg
| Farmers Alliance in 1892. 1t has been in
| tensified by his opposition TO the confrma-
| ton of +. NJ. simmons as revenue collector
| of this district The Senator took occasion
| to publish a letter in which he reviewed
| his course in regard to his opposition TO
| Simmons. In this he used some unfortu-
nate expressions, twitting the press Of the
state and also intimating very broadly that
only Senators have any right TO choose
persons who are to be nominated for Of
| fee This letter of his drew the hot fire
| of the democratic press and only four or
five newspapers out of some 40 take
him in the plainest language 1t is al
| legged, to weaken these attacks upon him,
| that the press represents the town and
not the country voters. Be this as il may.
| the strength of the democratic party ever
since il began to exist in this state has
| largely rested in the weekly newspapers.
| Vance has therefore earnest friends and
| opponents. Some of the more extreme of
| the opposition go so far as TO favor
| Vances retirement.
The Simmons case, as can easily he i'm
agined, threatens to become a campaign
matter Nothing I'm years has attracted
so much attention in this particular way.
| Senator Vance is in Florida. He has the
| grip and does not improve so rapidly as
was hoped. In fact. not a few persons
think he is much more feeble than the
published reports state.
| The Republican Convention.
The republicans will probably hold an
early state convention and then decide
upon coalition with the populsts. The
| anti-coalition faction is led by John II.
| Eaves, the chairman of the party. Efforts
| on the part of the coalitionists two years
ago to defeat him failed. IT is claimed by
them that he wishes to hold on TO his place
merely to control the party patronage in
1896 One of his right-hand men init
| mates that he is willing to see coalition
this year provided DIR. Mott. ex-Judge Rus
! sell and ex-Editor Logan Harris are not
| given any hOnors, these men being Eaves'
enemies and the leaders in the coalition
| movement.
| c.orna of the democrats want thei- r,artv's
convention held very late, giving as reason
| for this the fact that there viii be no can
vass this year. A number of judges and
state treasurer and county officers are 10 be
voted for. Those who favor a late conven-
| ton argue that it will afford more time for
the healing of the party sores There are
some democrats who think a conference of
! all the leading democrats of all shades of
| opinion ought to be held here as early as
possible. They contend that ii will ne fatal
to the party to wait until the populists and
republicans organize and perfect their
plans. They desire to have both Vance and
| Ransom present at such a conference, ard
then and there have them make peace.
The fact that these two veteran Sena tors
are at odds is now perfectly plain. Senator
Vance in his published letter saying as
much.
Populists organizing.
The populists are already organizing. In
some thirty counties they have thus early
held meetings. At these the chairnel OF
1892 presided, and this shows that not
many changes in personnel of the working
force will be made. At each of these meet
ings letter from M. Taubeneck was read.
urging that populist clubs be organized in
each township. The presidents OF such
clubs have In nine or ten counties been ap-
pointed and are al work. They are directed
to fight to capture the legislature E-si Of all.
| I'm the Congressional Districts
The republicans are entirely willing to let
the populists manage the legislature and
elect their Senator, provided they them
selves get few congressional seats and
some county Offices 1t really appears quite
doubtful whether the democrats can carry
the first, second and third districts. 1t
may be that the fifth also is doubtful. Tie
democrats will put up new man IN the
fourth, as Bum will retire, according to an
understanding in 1892. The republicans
will assuredly renominate Thomas Seattle in
the fifth. Young as he is, he is the real
leader of that party in the state today lust
as Butler. also quite a young man, - the
head center of the populist movement. me
democrats will probably put up King or
Jake Long as Settles opponent. They will
| renominate Crawford in the ninth district.
His opponent. II now appears quite certain,
will be Richmond Pearson, a republican, a
son of the late Chief Justice Pearson. Pear
son is a man Of means and culture ard an
aggressive campaigner, and the plan is fo-
1 i'm To RIM Inv