The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1895-05-23
lE1rsR fson SENATOR su1lER.

A LETTER FRon SENATOR suTlER.
n. vr,s~s 4. Mr. gin Givisg His ldes Of
the DaHereses Between shs' Atltsaes ana
Pe>p,s,s Psrsy--Ai.o the Idea Of the
Ceopsig. 81 1855.
ELLIOTT, NC, May 2, 1895.
Mr.. d. II. GiIi, H,Hdersoa, y. G.:
DKAR SIR: Yours Of April sth, ad-
dressed to me at Raleigh, WAS for
warded here, where l Am taking q
much neSded rest in the country. Be
fore could answer your letter, on &C
count Of not being very we'll ano hav-
ing more correspondence than i couio
attend to promptly, you took occasion
to attack me In the columns of the
Progressive Farmer which, upon
reflection. you yourself must admit,
Was unwarranted and unjust. i en-
dorse the resolutions passed by your
county Alliance, il I remember them
correctly. But you must remember the
Alliance and the Peoples Party are
two different organizations.T The former
is for education; but . political party
must consider many things when max
ing = platform. II the party is simply
to make q campaign for education, ad-
vocating with equal force all things
that are right and all reforms that
should be made, then the party would
supplant the Alliance and there would
be no further need for the latter organ
izatiOn, and besides such party would
never win . victory itself, but would
simply from time to time force the two
old parties to make just enough con-
cessiOns to fool the people and keep
them divided. But the Alliance should
continue to exist and the Peoples
Party should occupy the position Of
political party and not the position OF
the Alliance; that is, the Peoples
Party should, when it writes its next
platform, determine to what extent
the people are educated, should con-
slider the conditions of the country
and should then make the fight for the
reform, or reforms, that are not only
the most important, but also the most
timely-that is. draw from the old
parties the greatest number of voters
whose interests are identical, or nearly
akin, to those who already compose the
Peoples Party.
This is the only way for the Peoples
Party to triumph and the only way for
the Alliance to ever see any of its most
substantial demands enacted into law
However just and necessary q desired
reform may be, it is folly for a political
party to make a leading campaign
issue of it, until the people are ready
for it. During the heat of campaign
we are all governed more by our pre-
JUDGES than by our reason. just think
what little effect the most eloquent
orator the world ever saw, would have
had on you and me several years ago,
though he had advocated every plank
in the Omaha platform, which you and
1 today so ardently believe in. Today
everybody is talking about the finan-
cial question, and everybody wants a
change, except Cleveland, Sherman,
Ransom and their followers, and these
happily are diminishing daily. There
are more people awakened to the evils
of the present financial system than to
any of the other evils We are fighting
against, and believe that a majority
of the people of the country are edu-
Gated up to the business of the fiuan-
clal system which the Peoples Party
therefore, in my opinion, the
time is ripe for the patriotic masses to
rally under the banner of financial
reform and concentrate their whole
force in an attack on the goldbug plank
OF the enemy. Such line of battle
would smash the sentiment about party
ties, and draw the issue squarely be-
tween the gold trust and the people:
such contest must end in victory for
good government. With such an on
portunity, with the welfare of so many
millions at stake, would it not be worse
than folly, even criminal, for us to
throw away the opportunity of GEN.
fury, by pursuing such a course as
would keep from our ranks thousands
of men who would otherwise come
with US, and thus make it possible for
the two old parties to keep up their
sham battle in the interest of trusts
and monopOlies? In short, we can pur-
sue such course as will make it pos
sIbIe. If not certain, that one of the old |
parties will win in the next fight and |
continue to enslave poverty-stricken |
people with a rod of British gold, or |
we can pursue another course that |
would make it possible, if not certain.
20 crush both monOpoly-ridden parties
ana lnfuse new life into our dropping |
Industries by fresh supply of the |
pure blood Of commerce. Which shall |
it be? 1 may be wrong, but believe |
that l am right; therefore with all the |
power of tongue and pen that possess
shall strive to bring about the latter
result by making the financial aues-
ton the one overshadOwing issue in
the next great struggle between the
classes and the masses. Trusting that
you will agree with me and that we
may labor together to this end, l am.
Yours very sincerely,
MARION BUTLER.