The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-09-12

Editor Kestler says in his Con-
cord Vestibule: A party without
the Offices won't be a party very
long, it viii bust IT is just like
an engine without water Yes, but
a party that throws honest prin-
ciples to the four winds and gets
offices will "bust' too"
The deal tells the Populists to
throw honest principles to the four
winds" in order to "get Offices" The
Progressive Farmer predicts truly that
if a party accepts such dicker il will
"bust."
The following extracts from the Pro
gressiye Farmer will be interesting in
this connections:
"The overshadoving issue is fl
nancial reform and good times VS..
gold and continual panic.-Editor-
ial in Progressive Farmer, June .,
1896.
"Any combination with either
of the old parties as such means
the destruction Of the reform
movement. and we will not lend
our aid Honorable success or de-
feat, or nothing. Editorial In
Progressive Famer, June Q, 1896.
Cooperate to hold the present
election law" say the co-opera-
tionists, con any terms" Well,
wouldn't that call for perpetual
corporation, and wouldn't that
destroy the hope of genuine re-
form forever ?"-Editorial in Pro-
gressive Farmer May IL.
Ff4t ~. srrJ,A L al al
indefinitely. They rebuke the deal
made in stronger language than we
would care TO employ, and convict the
Populjst who helps to elect gold bug
CAS- the committee promised to do) as
untrue to the Populist principles.
1t is cooperation which the Progress
sive Farmer truly says would 'DES-
TROY THE HOPE OF GENUINE RE-
FORM FOREVER"
The issue of the Progressive Farmer
of April 21st, has a two-column edi-
torial which gives the new fusion ar
rangement the severest criticism that
could be put in words. 1t was an ac-
j
meeting of the Populist Executive
committee, called to consider fusion
with the Republicans on the basis of
the election law and county govern
ment. The Executive committee is
commended for not agreeing to CO.
operation that would require sacrifice
of principle" The editors present, it
is stated, "would never have entered
a political fight so thoroughly antago-
nistic to Alliance and Peoples party
principles, which would be propa-
eating gold-buggery instead of de-
stroying it." A few extracts from that
editorial viii show that it is utterly
impossible for any Populist who hon
estly favors silver to take the dose
prescribed for him:
ut was plain to all that ma
jority of the leaders are spoils-
men and are willing to swallow
Mckinley or Reed or any other
gold bug. We PREFER
DEATH TO DISHONOR. \
Let us fight monopoly sixteen
uOuIS Il odys anu NlCbOLy Will
sooner or later crown our efforts"
IF we will think for a moment
we can see that we voters on the
Peoples party are in exactly the
same position we were in 1892.
Then we left the Democratic
party mainly on account of the
nomination of Cleveland, whom we
regarded as a gold-bug and mono
polist of the worst type, and we
are now more than certain that
we acted wisely. After we did pull
out of the party our former Demo
cratic associates said to us: "Well,
you can vote our State and county
ticket anyway, for we have put up
silver men, and have adopted the
Alliance platform as our State
platform But we positively re-
fused because every State and
county nominee of the Democratic
party was going to vote for Cleve-
land and for gold-bug Congress
men. This year, with Populist-
Republican cooperation, and the
candidates equally divided, it would
have been one vote for a silver man
and one vote for gold-bug, I'M
less they had put up silver men,
and this they declined to do
THERE is NO SENSE IN IT. A
few Populists would have been abb
solutely certain of some office pie,
but where is the good government
the rank and file of us have been
striving for against fearful odds
for years? Instead of ADVANC-
ING, we would have taken STEP
BACKWARD-perhaps such a long
one that we would have lost every
thing that has been gained"
"Now is a good time to watch
Populists who were elected to office
in 1894. IL they protest against
fight for principle now they viii
be objects of suspicion"
These same officers, whom the Pro
gressive Farmer said were objects of
suspicion" not only protested against
fight for principle" but have secured
fusion to keep themselves in Office.
How much does it cost the Populists
to keep these office-holders at the pie