The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-05-12

lonesome in the seemingly deserted
| headquarters rooms of the American
| Silver party, and so needed this little
| recreation.
During an hours conversation yes
| terday with Sentaor Butler in his COM
mittee room, | called the Senator's at
| tention to the fact that Representative
Bell, of Colorado, had told me in an
| interview that if the Democratic con-
yention nominated such man as
Boies, the Pcpulists would, in his
(BelTs) opinion, either have to endorse
such man or be out of job.
"Well, you know" replied the Sena-
tor, BELL is an old-line Democrat, and
might be willing to do personally
something of that kind"
/ then asked Senator Butler had he
not been a Democrat since Mr.. Bell
had.
He here flew the track, and said it
was because he was a Democrat that
he went to the Populist party, and then
the old Populistic story game, in the
old-fashioned way. Senator Butler
said that so far from agreeing with
Mr.. Bell. he thought the greatest mis-
fortune that could befall the Demo
cratic party would be for it to put up
a free silver candidate. He said that
the gold men would dominate the con-
vention, and that any candidate, free
silver or otherwise, would be up, there
fore, by their consent; that they would
put up a man, even though he were
for free silver, that they knew the
Populists would not endorse, for the
purpose of thus splitting the silver
vote. Mr.. Butler said that there would
LII n
Carolina and Indiana, and that the
gold delegation would be given prefer
ence in the convention.
l frankly said to him that | thought
that the man who was doing North
Carolina the best service now was he
who was trying to get enough votes
together, either by fusion with the
Populists, if they would come back
to the Democrats, or otherwise. to
keep the State from going into the
hands of negroes ana Republicans.
He replied that it was simply delu-
sion to think that the Populists would
ever come back to the Democrats a
gain, and led me to believe that there
would be cooperation between the |
Populists and the Republicans proYid-
ed it was in any way possible to set
tie the differences that had recently |
come up between them.
/ talked with Senator Butler some |
about adjournment, and he said all the
actions of the Senate lately pointed |
to an early adjournment. l then ask
ed him did not the Populists in their
recent conference agree that there |
should be no adjournment until the |
investigation on the PETER resolution |
had been completed. / had heard this |
from a reputable authority, and so ask |
ed Senator Butler. lie said it was true |
that at this conference it. was agreed |
that the PETER resolution should be |
passed. but that he did not think the |
resolution necessarily involved that |
the investigation should be completed. |
But there are others who think that !
Mr.. Butler is mistaken in his concep- |
ton of what was agreed upon then,
and that no adjournment viii take |
place until this investigation has been |
reported upon. To strengthen this |
view it NAV be noted that as yet no |
authority has been given the Finance |
committee to sit during the recess.
/ asked Mr.. Butler about the PACING |
Railroad question. the discussion OF |
which might delay the Senate, and ne |
said that he could not see that |
there would be any great delay over |
this. provided the majority, as' they |
seemed to be, were against Mr.. Hunt |
ington's plans in the matter. Mr.. But |
Ter puts down the adjournment of the |
Senate All about June 18th, saying that |
even after they have finished UP their |
business ii viii even then take some |
ten days more to get through with |
odds and ends.
The people of North Carolina are not |
aware of the fact that the greatest |
crisis in the history of their State since |
1865 exists now, and If the white people |
of the State want to preserve ITS gov |
ermmentto the white people there must
be tolerance. patience, wisdom, much |
counselling, and there must be many |
things bore for the sake OF the COM |
mon good that good Democrats would |
not otherwise give ear to. The time |
does not call for any yelvet-footed, |
stealthy step among public men and |
inasInuch as many believe that the Pop |
uIists, a great many of them, will Cor
operate with the Republicans again, as |
they did before, this should not take |
place before the Democrats Of North |
Carolina, standing for silver on the |
same basis as the Populists, had inyitr |
ed them to join battle against a negro, |
Republican issue, which, as far as the |
State is concerned, oyertops the silver
issue as Matterhorn overtops the
heights Of Asheyiile.
w. Z. CHRISTIAN.