The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-09-10

hear the report of these committees
that the full committees met again
last night.
There had been during the day all
kinds of guesses.
For example, a prominent Republi-
| can said to the News and Observer
reporter: "You people are all wrong
in your predictions. Russell is not
coming down. But / will tell you what
will be done; the Populists will take
Guthrie down and endorse Russell.
These two committees did not meet
here on the same day by chance. We
have known all the time that the Popu-
lists intended to have a complete fusion
with us. Butler has been with us all
the time. The Populists are now con-
vinced that Russell will poll twice as
many votes as Guthrie will, and Rus
sell is the logical candidate. They
can put up who they please for Lieu
tenant-Governor, and fill out the ticket
just as they wish. Russell may not be
endorsed at this meeting, but the Popu-
list committee will now pave the way
for that endorsement. You may put it
down now, that the Republicans and
Populists win vote the same ticket in
November-silver or no silver"
This Republican had his theory of
fusion right, no doubt, but he had his
names badly mixed. Apropos of this,
Major Guthrie has, during the last few
days been making dying statements
similar to those of Russell made at
the Metropolitan Hall. He said to a
Democrat at Shelby that nothing on
earth but death could take him off the
ticket, unless he died the morning of
election, and even then it would be too
late to take him down.
Then here came another story: Both
Russell and Guthrie and Dockery were
to come down, and Cy. Thompson and
Jim Moody were to be put up respect
lively for Governor and Lieutenant
Governor. This story came from two
sources-from a Populist of Davidson,
and from a Republican of Buncombe
Moreover the Republican had some
thing to say about Col. Dockery. who
was on the ground. He said Uncle Oil
yer had come here in order to take
his name from both the Republican and
Populist tickets, and to help put Re
publican sure enough in his place, on
the Republican ticket. The story con-
tinued that Uncle Oliver had repented
Of his Wadesboro speech, and would
now do all he could to restore good
feeling, in other words, to use the
words OF this Western Republican,
''Doclery had renigged."
When Uncle Dockery heard this the
DRY of his arrival from the News and
Observer reporter, he said it was a
''dfng-dra tied lie" and the man knew
it; that as to his not accepting the Re-
publican nomination, he had spoken
plainly at Wadesboro, and added,
Didn't YOU hear me say, 1t would be
late in the day before / would accept
it? Sure enough you did. So you did.
! You reported me, and i am just the
same to-day as [ was there; amt
| changed a hit; / am a free silver Re-
| publican, and l am going to make my
| campaign on that basis. AS soon as [
| get we'll enough, am going out. | am
| here to see what / can do towards GET
| ting the Democrats and Populists to-
| gether for electoral fusion, because l
| am for silver, and there
| fore, / want to accomplish
| the only thing that win effect Bryan's
! election. AS to the State ticket / have
| told them all that / am not particular
about going on any ticket: L have
| thought that / might do more good
working off the ticket, but want to
| do what is best for the success of the
Populist ticket"
1t is proper to say that in the after
noon Uncle Oliver went before the
Populist committee and made prac-
tically this same statement, but no
one would then hear of his coming
down. More than that, it was thought
| that Senator Butler insisted on his re-
naming. But Uncle Oliver was EN-
| phatic about one thing-namely that
| Russell had to come down. He had
opened in Wadesboro a wa to the
knife with Danny Russell and he was
unrelenting.
And then came another phase. The
reporter asked Uncle Oliver would he
not state frankly whether or not he
would remain on the Republican ticket
in case candidate satisfac-
tory to him were put on
for Governor. He would not answer
this question, but it was later learned
that this was thought to be Uncle
divers position on this point. He
would be willing to remain on the
Fusion ticket in case Guthrie were talk
en- with him, but under no condition
would he remain if Russell were re-
tanned.