The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-03-17
THE REVIEW OF THE POLITICAL
ARENA.

Our friend Ell. Kestler OF Ca0arua
county, near IredeIi, where Chairman
Holton of the Republican party says
he has the Populists under his thumbs,
comes forth blameiDg il enc breath
and sometimes commencing III another,
the men who are casting about to the
best of their ability to preserve the
unity of our party and further its sue
cess.
IfMr KestIer possessed the judment
and wisdom Of his party, we would at
once make him supreme dictator, for
he is not wanting In fiery par isan zeal
and romantic enthusiasm. He quotes
poetry, too, at times becomes elcq lent.
All this does very we'll and would pass
by as a mastery effort of genius II 1t
did not proceed from a c ounty in which
Chairman Holton say he has the Pop
ulists all straight H3 says he
can vote them for President and his
Republican candidate for governor IN
exchange for their votes for local can
didates. This will bear reading be
tween the lines.
Mr.. Kestler is the first advocate Of
unconditional CO operation Ihave heard
of in the State; yet he says bis letter
in the goldbug Charlotte Observer,
favoring unconditional co op ration
with the Republican party meets with
general approval. Treasurer K9stler
ought to have acknowledged the fact
that nearly all POpulists are willing to
have CO operation and the only differ
ence of opinion is about the conditions.
He doesn't ask that the Populi5t party
have the candidate for Governor, like
Hon. NJ. L Wood, Of BERTHE, SO as to
make a set eff to the giving of the
republicans the S~snatorship. He
asks nothing; ne requires nothing but
please cooperate with US true Popu-
lists-''true blue POpulists." This
sounds much Of partysanry.
Treasurer Kestler calls the Execu-
tive Committee to taw for proposing a
basis of CD operation subject to dis
cussion and approval of the rank and
file of the party collected in its SOW
ereign capacity in convention. Why
did the Treasurer not contend against
these same gentlemen who, in like
manner formulated the basis of coop
GRAFTON two years ago and sling his in
situations to them theni No; they
did their work 80 well then that all
true blue POpulists" must follow and
continue in the same line, asking no
questions, teaches Mr.. Kestler. We
will inform him that most of the PEG
pIe's party down this way are a read
ing and thinking people.
To do justice to Mr.. Kestler, we
gather from his letter that the great
object of repeated cooperation is to
defeat the Democratic party. We
will ask him here: how long must we
continue to CO operate to keep it de
feated3 Four years, eight years or
twenty years.
Fix a time for this cot ~perati0n to cease,
Or else hereafter hold your peace.
We had a co operation last time on
principle and we are begging for CO.
operation again on principle. All Pop
ulists have the Omaha Platform as a
basis. All persons with whom they
may CO operate must have some prin-
eiple in comma to excuse co opera
ton. All Populists who may vote fora
Republican candidate without this
reason becomes to all interests
and purposes a Republican, and
the keen sense of the people
will soon see through it and in
time defeat the unholy combination
for its treachery and hypocrisy.
Here is q common basis of co opera
ton proposed by the committee on
which the rank AMI file of both parties
can agree. If not. let the Treasurer
of Cabarrus county propose a common
principle on WHICH they can make a
anvas To simply say to defeat the
wickedness of the Democratic party
makes the Peoples party and the Re
publican party Z IN soul and pur-
pose and both can be claseed Is vile
partisan for Office sake. There are
some Populists, perhaps not OF the
true blue" sort, who had rather run
this compaign alone on the Omaha
platform, or such as the national con-
vention may e~nunciate than to place
themselves liable to such disgrace and
shame. Most of the Populists are Pop
ulists from principle, not from party
expediency. If they were not, they
would never have left the old parties,
and they are now not going to com