The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-03-01
THE POLITICAL SITUATION

,,an,aa ;,,,,,e,4iateiy preceding the war,
Ia. there been such peculiar political
,,n,litions az now exist IN this country
ii il certainly true that nothing like
II has boon known 70 the voters of this
generation
we are in an element 90 uncertainty
and change, az restlcssoess aud agita
ton. of loose political ties aud strange
political combinations. Parties find
themselves 50 hopelesslF divided as to
make action upon important matters
almost impossible, For the first time
IN its history, the House voted down
an appropriation bin framed by the
party having a large majority. The
Senate and House are divided upon
tariff aud money; and the bond bill
and the tariff bill, which Speaker
Reed rushed through the House, are
both cas- dead as julius Caesar" TO
quote the remark Of a distinguished
Republican Senator, No legislation
touching the questions of paramount
importance Is possible with the sharp
division between the two factions Of
the Republican party. Referring to
the action of Senator Thos II, Carter
in defeating the tariff bill, the New
York Tribune says lit is dishonest
Rarely before in the history Of the
country has the greatest party paper
characterized the chairman Of the Ma
tional executive committee in such
terms. 1t shows that the line of sep
aration may not be far distant, and
that the incompatibility is so great
that it is with the severest strain that
a permanent rupture is avoided.
Stranger still and wider is the diyi-
sion manifested i'm the ranks Of the
Democratic minority in Congress. 1t
is not usually difficult for minority
to find common ground of opposition,
and the Democracy has won some of
the greatest victories fighting in the
minority But now the differences of
opinion and conviction are so great
that there is quite as much division in
the ranks of the minority party as in
the party responsible for legislation.
The differences of opinion are not
confined to the two old parties They
agitate the Populist party as well. In
the great cities of the North and some
sections Of the West, the anarchists
and socialists have gotten hold of the
party and committed it to socialistic
schemes that would destroy the basic
principles of our Federal structure.
In Georgia, Tom Watson is fighting
with much yigor and severe denuncia-
lions the anarchists who have, he says,
gotten so strong hold on the party
that its destruction is threatened. IN
the far West, they are trying to effect
a cooperation with the Democrats in
order to defeat the Republicans be-
cause they demonetized silver. In
Alabama there is talk of fusion with
Republicans, such as won in North
Carolina in 1894, while in North Caro-
lima the party is hating between
three opinions. Whether to continue
the fusion with the Republicans and
thus declare that offices are above
principles, or TO seek an alliance with
Democrats who believe in the free
coinage of silver, or to go it alone
these are the three plans that are agi-
tating the Populist party in this State.
The Republicans Of North Carolina
have only two horns to their dilemma,
whether to fuse again with the Popu-
lists on terms that advertise their
humiliation and dishonesty, or to go it
alone and monopolize Federal patron
age if the Republicans elect their
are the problems that con-
front them. Nobody who knows any
thing Of the history of the Republican
party doubts that they will weigh the
matter carefully, "scent what pays the
best" and Ego for it baId-headed.'
The Democrats are not without their
dissensions. The great body of the
party is for silver, and feel indignant
that the platform declarations in favor
of free coinage have not been carried
into effect. These Democrats would be
glad to give a welcome back into the
ranks to all honest Populists who
formerly trained under the Democratic
banners, and they lament that there
is division between men agreed upon
the two most important issues before
the people, tariff and finance. Ulti-
mately these men win be working
again hand in hand in the Democratic
party. Must it be delayed until the Re-
publicans have obtained the LegisIa-
ture, and brought further injury and
degradation on the people? There are