The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-02-11

| correspondence VI IL L OSA SC4 l. "AAAAS
LEWISTON, N. @,
February 1, 1896.
Senator Butler, in his editorial in the
last issue of the Caucasian, undertakes
to avoid the statement Of my letter to
| him by saving that it seem to him to
be very plain that some one, with a
more cunning hand than Mr.. Woods,
worded my letter to him, in part at
least, and that person is very anxious
to be Governor; and by saying that 1t
might be properly urged that the abuse
of confidence reposed in me is a euth-
Gent answer to anything I may say.
The great mistake made by some
people is the assumption that their
followers have no mental ability, edu
cation or independence.
l haveno quarrel with Chairman But
Ter personally, and do not intend to
be drawn away from my subject by
being laughed at by him as being IN
able to put my ideas into decent Ian
guage. Let me say again, as l did be
fore, by signing my name to it, that
neither any person who is very anxious
to be Governor, or any other person
than M. L Wood, Populist, of Berthe
county, is at all responsible for that
letter or this one.
Have I been guilty of a breach of
confidence Can a circular sent to
county chairmen and some individual
members Of the party, discussing a
question involving the very life Of the
party be so ''c0nfdentiap" as to make
it q breach of honor for a person re-
ceiving it to protest to other members
of the party against the propositions
therein c%ontained2
This is absurd upon its face, and
only made use of to avoid answering
the matter discussed in MS and letter.
Now, with the distinct understand
ing that I alone am in every way respOn-
sible for my letters, let Us get at once
to the question at hand.
In Chairman Buffers circular of the
3Oth of December, he says:
"A great deal is being said about co
operation for the next campaign and
the lines on which it should be made,
one wing of the Republican party is
understood to claim that they want
co operation on the State ticket, pro. I
Uided they can haze the candidate for
Governor, but that they want three
electoral tickets. Another wing of the
party is understood to want fusion on
the electoral ticket; that is that one
half Of the electoral ticket shall be
Republicans and pledged to vote for
the nominee of the Republican party,
whoever he may be, and the other half
Populist. This Wing is also understood
to claim thGt they Want the nominal
ton for Governor.
Your State committee is not ready
to concede the nomination for Gov
ernor But there is not 50 much prin-
ciple inUOlUed IN WhO shall be the nomi-
nee for Governor as there is with ref
erence to the electoral ticket"
His circular then goes on to advo-
cate a full electoral ticket pledged to
vote for the silver or Populist candi-
date for President, and says:
Our committee wants to know If
you endorse this plan for a non-par-
tisan electoral ticket, pledged against
any goldbug candidate for President.
The committee would also be glad of
any suggestion you can make for q bet
ter plan"
And he had not o. WOrd to sag as to the
Of both oUing8 of the Republican
party as to the Governor.
Now. I submit to any candid person
if l did not have a right TO assume
that, in the opinion Of the committee"
the claim of the Republicans for the
n0minee for Governor was not vet con
coded by the committee, because thew
(the Republicans had not yielded as to
the electoral ticket, and that. as there
was mot so much principle inUOzDed
1cbO shall be the nominee for Coz
it would be conceded in case of
cooperation, especially, as his letter
not ask for the expression OF any
opinion as to this.
Now, Mr.. Chairman Butler, in view
Of the very large influence you have
your people, and the great and
1lgni1ed Office you hold, | must, with
great respect, humbly submit, that in
your editorial in the last Caucasian,
it would have been much better to
nave frankly stated the opinion of the
committee" as to the ACCESSIBILITY of CO.
operation with the Republicans in the
of State officers, and If desir-