The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-01-14

they had one idea-just one. Tney
have deserted the ideas and principles
they claimed to cherish. Tney have
deserted them bag and baggage and
gone over to the Republican camp in
everything but name. Yes, if they
had stood by the teachings of Thomas
Jefferson and Andrew Jackson there
would have been no Peoples Party to
day. The Peoples Party came into
existence to defend and uphold the
very principles which your party has
deserted. 1t came into existence to
defend and to put into practice the
great true principles of Democracy
and Republicanism as represented by
Jackson, Jefferson and Lincoln, and
because your party, both old parties,
have deserted and gone over to the
side of the monopolists and gold bugs.
l hope the Senator from Tennessee will
show his devotion to silver and the
people when he votes for President in
the next campaign, even if he will not
help us to organize the Senate against
the gold bugs.
"Mr. Harris: Will the Senator allow
me to ask him a question:
"Mr. Butler: You may.
"Mr. Harris: The Senator speaks of
combining with other organizations.
l hope it is not impertinent if I ask
the Senator if he does not hold the seat
he occupies upon this floor by a com
bination between the Populists and the
Republicans of the State that he in
part representa-
"Mr. Butler: I will answer the ques
tion with pleasure. ! hold my seat by
such a cooperation for the simple rea-
son that the party in my State which
you belong to got to be so corrupt the
people in the State rebelled against it's
management. Your party could to
day be in full power in North Carolina
if it had stood by its pledges and prom
ises. AGO operation of all who opposed
its methods was made, but that combi-
nation could not have driven the Dem
ocratic party from power in North
Carolina if that party had been true
to its pledges, true to its promises, and
true to the people. 1t not only deser-
ted the principles of Thomas JEFFERSON
ard Andrew Jackson, and thereby re
duced to minority party, disgusting
the great rank and file of the party,
but it tried to keep itself in power by
stealing and perjury at the ballot box,
by ballot box ssufing and manipula
ting the returns. This made fair cleo
tions-the purity of the ballot box-the
overshadowing issue in North Caro-
lima politics.
"a large majority of the voters of
the State 1ined in a movement to cor
rect these abuses. The Democratic
party held the election machinery and
under a vicious election law determined
to count enough votes in the last cleo
ton to keep them in Pc wer But the
revolt of the people against the Demo
cratic machine was greater than the
leaders anticipated. They stole over
80, 600 votes, but fell 20, 900 short of
having enough. Yes, we freed North
Carolina, and, l trust, forever, from
such corrupt methods. This was done
with the help of men who had been
Democrats all their lives.
81 trust that 1 have given the Sena
tor from Tennessee a full and satisfac
tory answer to his Question
Mr.. President to return to the point,
this invitation was sent to the Senator
from Tennessee and to fifty-one other
Senators on this floor. FIfJy-two Sen
ators got that invitation. What was
the position of the Peoples party9 If
those fifty two men, elected as silver
men, men pledged to vote against the
gold standard, had accepted invi-
tation, we could have organized the
Senate and put every committee in the
hands of the friends of silver. This
would have enabled us to have brought
forward and passed a free coinage bill
and also to have repealed the law under
which President Cleveland is about to
issue more bonds. We were anxious
to do this. Bat only a few Senators
from the two old parties accepted our
Tee Senator from Tennessee declined
that invitation, Which u r was it
the duty of the Peoples Party Senators
to pursued We had to do one of three
things. I want to be understood. We
mad either to vote with the Democrats
to organize the Senate, or vote with
49, Il
or to stand alone. We decided to vote