Evening star., 1896-09-12
4 GAME OF POLITICS
Three Parties Playing for the Control of
North Carolina.
The State Omcers aud the Lexislature
What They Particularly Desire
Fusion May Come Later.

The prettiest game Of state politics in
this country is being played in North Car
oiina and the leaders Of II are the shrewd-
est men to be found in their party. On the
result Will depend the electoral vote of the
state, the matter Of nine Congressman and
the election of a legislature which will Sc
lect a United States Senator to succeed
Senator Prftchard. republican, and a warm
supporter of Maj. Mckinley.
To an outsider the situation in the tar
heel state is simply a mess from which
there appears to be no extrication. Senator
Butler. who is credited with being the
sharpest campaign manager in the national
fight. finds himself with both hands full in
one little state. There is more difficult
work for him in his own state than in the
national campaign
Fighting for Supremacy.
In short. each Of the three parties is
fighting hard for supremacy. and the other
TWO are fighting against it. The matter of
the electoral vote of the state enters
largely into the Vaccinations, but the con-
troll OF the state is the feature to which
the MANAGERS of the three parties are d.
recting all their efforts. The electoral
ticket is involved in the state fight
1t is believed that ultimately there will
pe fusion between the democrats and pop
ul'sts on an electoral ticket but the two
parties may play each other until two
weeks before the election, and then ar
range the fusion. There is nothing To nre-
vent them doing this.
Play for the Offices.
While the effort to fuse is going on. how
ever. the contesting parties are playing the
best games they can for members of Con-
gress and for the legislature and county
officers.
The populists say that when the demo-
Gratis proposed an electoral fusion with the
popullsts they had great game behind
the scenes. The populists believe If thev
had accepted the plan for fusion it would
nave involved them in an informal under
standing to vote for democratic members
OF the legislature. This would have hem
equivalent to giving the democrats the leg
determined shall not he the case. They
know they cannot get the legislature them
selves. but they don't want either of tho
other parties to have 1t. They want to
hold the balance of power Thay want the
legislature dIvided up about equally. Then
when 1t comes to the election of a United
states senator, they can dictate the man
as tney dld when Pritchard was elected.
They intimate that they want the lep;s
lature worse than anything else
senator Butler denies that the populists
nave lndorsed any of the republican candi-
dates for Congress. and says that the pop-
ulists will run nine candidates in that
state He intimates that the republicans
Will support the populist candidates In o
majority of districts. For this sunnort tho
popuilsts will give the republicans the ma
Jority OF the county offices in the state.
An immense amount of bluffing has heep
done by both sides. Some time ago Senator
Frtcnard stated that the republican ms would
carry the state without the assistance Of
the populists and said he did not be elieve
the populists would carry 35uOO votes
notwithstanding this, he went into fnsion
arrangements with the popuIists the other
day. eA
Candidate Bryan's Visit.
Candidate Bryan will make a big displav
In North Carolina on his way east, and
the effect Of his visit will be watched with
q great deal Of interest. It is said that
great preparations are being made for Mr..
bryan's reception in the state. He will
cover about fifty of the ninety-six counties
OF the state. speaking at the four largest
cities, Ashevfue, Charlotte, Raleigh and
greensboro. At these places there will
De men from five to ten surrounding coun-
ties. Mr.. Bryan will enter the state from
the Tennessee side on next Wednesday
morning, and will be met by a committee
OF prominent populists and democrats. He
Will first stop st Asheville, and from there
will proceed toward Salisbury, making
snort speeches at Hickory, Morgantown.
Marion and Newton, reaching Statesville in
the evening for another speech. Thursday
he will be in Charlotte. Friday he will
speak at Raleigh and Greensboro. From
Raieigh Mr.. Bryan will so eastward and
Will speak at Wilson, Rocky Mount and
elsewhere, going from North Carolina to
Richmond, from which place he will come
direct to WashinRton