Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-06-22
The Populist Representative-Els
From North Carolina.
SLVERS HOPE WITH His PARTY
No Confidence in Either of the
Two Old Parties.
ACCES SIONS EXPECTED

hepresentatVe-elect Harry Skinner Of
GreenVille. N c.. is in the city, stopping
at the Metropolitan. Since 1880 the first
district of North Carolina has been repre-
scented by members of one family, with the
exception of the two terms Of the Fifty
second and Fif,y-third Congresses, which
were filled by ex-Representative Branch.
Thomas w. Skinner, a brother of the Rep
resentative-elect, was in the House during
three terms since 1885, and Major L. c.
Latham, his law partner and brother-in-
law, held that Office couple of terms.
A Populfst Leader.
OF the ten popuists who will be in the
House of Representatives of the Fifty
fourth Congress Mr.. Skinner Is generally
looked upon as the most notable, and there
is little doubt that he will be the leader of
mis- party. The credit of winning the fight
in the legislature Of North Carolina, by
which county officers of that state are
elected rather than appointed by the
judges who receive their appointments at
the hands of the government, is given to
Mr.. Skinner and Marion Butler who will
represent the populists in the United States
Senate. Mr.. Skinner Is a lawyer, a young
man with a robust build and clear COM
plexion, clean-shaven face and an altogeth-
er energetic makeup He is called the
father of the farmers subtreasury PLAN"
as when that plan was Endorsed by the
Farmers Alliance at st. Louis the dele
among them copies of Frank Leslie's Week.
ly. which contained an exposition of the
plan liz an article contributed by Mr.. Skin
ner.
| No Confidence in Either of the Old
Parties.
II have no confidence" said Mr.. Skinner
to a Star reporter today, ''In the the hopes
of democrats and republicans who are in
favor Of free silver that they will be able
IN c;1,.
national conventions. Information received
| from Cleveland shows that the silver men
are greatly in the minority in that conven-
| ton, and the showing of strength there Is
| an evidence to my mind that the silver
| men will have no chance at their national
| convention. They will be no stronger than
they are in the convention CT the National
| League of Republican Clubs
IF this is the case. with the republicans
| it is so in the democratic party to a great
| err degree. The democratic national con-
| ventions have always held TO the rule that
| nominations could be made only with
two-thirds majority. Even in 1861 that rule
was not broken, though the democratic
| party itself split. 1t will not be broken at
| the next convention Of the democratic par
| ty, and the silver men cannot hope to win
| by a two-thirds majority. The silver men
| Of the codutry will not trust the carrying
| out of their principles to a gold man, even
| if they should be able to have silver in
| dorsed in the national platform.
The Chance for the Populists.
1T is in this view of the situation that
see the great chance fer the populists. AZ
ter the two national conventions have met
and have nominated so-called sound mon
ey' men to head the tickets, the silver peo-
| Pile Of both parties will look about to see
how they can vote for the white metal.
| They will find but one party that will be
| pledged to the free and unlimited coinage
| of silver at 16 to / independently of any
| other nation. and that party will be the
populist
Il believe the country will be greatly sur
prised when the populist party meets in
convention and adopts a platform. 1t has
become general in some parts of the coun-
try to regard the populists as indorsing q
lot of wild, impracticahle theories, which
would throw the nation into a state Of
chaos IL they were ever to be put into eff
feet. In my opinion there are but three is
sues that should be trea ted in the platform
| of the populists. They are for free and I'M
| limited coinage of silver a. 16 to l without
waiting for any internE tior al agreement,
| an amendment to the Constitution permit
ting the taxation OF incomes by the federal
government and a law forbidding the issu-
ance of COVER nment bonds except by the
permission of Congress. The financial
country, and these three plarks for plat
form would cover that question.
History OF the Reform Movements.
There is nothing strange in the fact that
the uprising of the populists should be ac-
companied by all sorts of propositions to
correct legislative abuses some of which
are visionary and impracticable. That is
the history of all reform movements State
ments of individuals should not be taken as
| representing the views Of the populist
party, any more than they should be &C.
| cepted as representing the views Of any
other party. Parties are Judged by their
national platforms, and 1t is only fair that
the populists should be accorded the right
Of being so judged.
THE reason 1 think that silver demo-
Gratis and silver republicans will come into
the populist party after the conventions
have done their work is that l cannot see
where else they can go. They need not
talk of forming a new party. What will be
the use of that when the populists are
fighting for just what they want. and will
be willing to subordinate every other Ques-
ton to the financial issue? The populists
have 1.So0 papers throughout the country,
and they are organized in every county in
the United States They have already
shown their strength by polling two million
votes
MIR. Stevenson's Lost Opportunity.
Il think Vice President Stevenson has
lost the opportunity of his life. When the
Illinois free silver convention was first
talked of it was thought that Mr.. Stevenson
was behind 1t. 1t has since been shown
that he rather opposed the work Of that
convention. When he was looked upon as
the advocate of free silver he was the most
talked of choice for the democratic nomina-
ton in the party in North Carolina. He
was one of thirteen men who in 1873 in the
House of Representatives voted for Hen
drick B. Wright for Speaker on the green
back Issue against Samuel j. Randall.
Once having been a greenbacker, IL was be-
lieved that he would favor the free coinage
of silver but he has failed to inform the
country where he stands on that question.
Had he headed the Illinois movement for
free silver he would have gained the sup
port of the democrats of the south
only time can determine who our cam
didate for the populist nomination for the
presidency will be. He must be a free sill
yer man above all else, but time will tell"