The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-11-01
WHY AVER DIDN'T INSIST ON THE
''TACIT AGREEMENTS"

The Asheboro Courier calls attention
to piece of information that has
peculiar interest just at this time.
1t says
THE voters in the Populist party
are demanding that Russell come
down in accordance with the agree
ment which Mr.. Strowd told some
of the Populists at the Randolph
convention He said that Russell
would come down and go on the
Supreme court bench. and that the
arrangement was already made;
that the reason Russell was still on
the ticket was in order that he
could canvass"
The Courier doubts whether such an
agreement as Mr.. Strowd says was
made. We can furnish the evidence.
After the Republican and Populist
committees agreed upon a division of
Congressman and certain other of
ficers. four members of the Populist
Executive committee told this writer
that no arrangement would have been
made if the Republicans had not prom
ised later on to take down Judge Rus
sell and vote for Maj. Guthrie, and
shortly after the meeting of the COM
mittee Chairman Aver sent out to the
Populists in every county circular
reciting the fusion arrangements, say
ing in that circular that there was
''tacit agreement that Judge Russell
was to come down. Acting upon this
"tacit agreement" the local fusion be-
tween the Republicans and Pop6ists
went on in fifty or sixty counties.
When these fusions had been perfect
ed, the Republicans had all they want
ed, and Judge Russell. who had agreed
to come down, said he was certain
of election no matter what he Populists
said, repudiated the "tacit agreement"
and fatty refused to come down.
What did the chairman of the Pop
ulist committee do when the Republi-
cans, by the testimony of Chairman
Aver and others, broke faith with the
Populists? Did he demand that the
agreement be carried out? Did he
denounce the Republicans for their
bad faith? Did he use his influence
to have the agreement carried out?
If so, nobody heard of it. On the
contrary, instead of taking Russell
down and putting Guthrie up, Chair
man Aver effected an arrangement
to let Russell stay up and for Chair
man Aver to be put on the Republican
ticket for State Auditor He sacri-
feed Guthrie and Dockery, and per-
mitted the Republicans to break their
"tacit agreement" in order to promote
his own candidacy for State Auditor.
The evidence would indicate that,
from the very first, Chairman Aver
was planning, by reason of a secret
agreement with Holton, for the cleo
ton of Russell, in return for his own
election as Stae Auditor, though we
were slow to believe it. 1t would have
been as easy for the Republicans to
support Guthrie as Aver, for Maj.
Guthrie has never abused them as
yiciously as Aver has done within the
six months. But Guthrie is sacrificed,
Aver is put up, and the ''tacit agree
ment'' quietly dropped. There may
be nothing scandalous in all this to
those who regard politics" as a
"game" to be ''played" by self-seek-
ers. but when the inside history of the
whole transaction is known to the
honest PopUlist voters of the State,
they will be shocked to think that
their chairman used his position to
elect himself to office, and that to do
so he Inundated, sacrified, and SANDER
ed their candidate for Governor If
they can get the facts between now
and Tuesday before them in their true
light, there will be such a Reputation
as has not been witnessed in North
Carolina since the Republicans were
driven out of power in 1876.