The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-12-22
AN OPEN LETTER.
Judge Whitaker Writes to Hon c.
Bellamy About Public affairs.
RALEIGH N. c., Dec. 10, 1896.

MY DEAR SIR:-l Wish TO give IuIler
expression to my opinion as to the
matters discussed in our hurried con-
versation this morning, and therefore
write this letter.
AS to my making speeches in the
Fifth, Eighth and Ninth Congressional
districts in opposition to the election OF
gold standard Republican candidates
for Congress, 1 have this to say in my
defence: The National Convention of
the Peoples party declared against a
protective tariff, a gold standard, the
issuing of money by the National banks,
and for the free and unlimited coinage
of silver as we'll as gold at the ratio OF
Is to 1 regardless of the action of other
nations. The government ownership
of railroads, telegraph and telephone
lines, etc, ard nominated for Presi-
dent of the United States Mr.. VIM. j.
Bryan, who had been previously nom
mated for the same office by the Ma
tional Democratic Convention.
Being a Populist because l sincerely
believe in the principles of the Peoples
party as declared and published in it's
platform, and desiring the election Of
Mr.. Bryan because he was the nominee
of my party and because he advocated
nearly, if not all, the things we con
tend for how can any POpulist Ia fact
as well as name, complain or think less
of one for opposing the election to Con-
gress of men who advocated the cleo
ton of Mckinley who favored the gold
standard. The issuing of money by
the National banks, O protective tariff,
and in fact whose platform did not
agree with our platform in any one
particular. Could there be any thiGg
more hollow and inconsistent than vOt-
ing for Mr.. Bryan and at the same
time aiding in the election to Congress
of men who would tie his hands and
prevent him from carrying out the
principles for which he was elected7
Can it be possible that a Populist is
to be blamed and punished because he
took the solemn declarations of his
party in convention assembled to be
sincere, and declined to fully abide by
the unauthorized trade" Of the State
Chairman giving to these goldbug can
didates for Congress his support and to
himself an ofice2
As to the conduct of the Populist
members of the legislature in the cleo
ton of a United States Senator: Now
that they have the power to send to
the Senate an avOwed Populist, it would
be strange and something new in the
-pnhhtS+ccaL world for them to pass by
their own party and select a man of
any other party even though he may
be IN favor of one of the planks of the
Populist platform.
l was much surprised at your asser-
ton that ''all the Senatorial PopulIst
timber had been exhausted" That ont
Of the thirty or forty thousand Popu
lists il North Carolina there was no
man capable Of sitting by our present
Senator, and that to find such a man it
was necessary to go into the Republican
party. I must take issue with you
here and inei5t that in the P0pulist
party there are many who are, to say
the least, fully equal in every respect
to Senator Pritchard, Mr. DOckery, DR..
Mott or any other Republican, and that
the election of any of these would
! materially strengthen party, where
IS, the election by Populists Of any
Republican or Democrat would seri
Ousiy weaken u party and would
tend to disintegraGe il.
IT the intention IS to permanently CO
operate with the Republicans, giving
to each of the two parties a United
States Senator, then it follows that the
Republican Senator should be named
by the Republicans, and this man is,
as every cody knows, Senator Pritch
ard. If such Is not the intention, why
select any Republican instead of one Of
our wn faith?
Must cooperation last forever? If
30, the co operating parties necessarily
become one, and should be rebaptlzed
under the name of the R3publicanpop
ulist, PopulistrepubIican, or any thing
for spOils party. But in all seriousness g
l must say that CO operation is only in
tended by our party as a temporary
mekeshift; was not intended to be per-
manent and cannot be; that we are not
yet large enough to swallow the Re-
publican party, and in the meantime
must guard against the danger of en-
tering into the capacious stomach OF