Evening star., 1896-07-18
Political Situation in North Carolina
is Extraordinary.
HARD TO Size UP THE PARTIES
People Said to Be Overwhelmingly
for Silver.
POPULIST COURSE UNSETTLED
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence OF The Evening Star.
RALEIGH, N. c., July II, 1885,
The political status in North Carolina is
now most extraordinary. Not one Of the
three parties knows its own strength. Not
one of the three state chairmen will ven
ture an estimate and claim that 1t is aught
but the veriest guesswork.
The populist leaders are fairly dazed at
the action taken by the national demo-
cratic convention, and the populist papers
are filled with declarations that the demo-
Gratis have stolen their platform, have
treated them as the cuckoo treats other
birds and occupied their nest. The popu-
lists swear that the democratic platform is
their very own, save that the plank as to
government ownership of railways and tel
egraphs Is left out. They assert that upon
this general charge Of theft which they
make a jury would convict.
A veteran populist Congressman said that
the democratic state convention had terri
bly frightened the republicans. A republi-
can now declares that it also scared the
populists. but that what was done at Chi
cago scared them much worse. The silver
democrats are as joyous as Jay birds in
North Carolina these piping July days.
SO far, rot a democratic newspaper has
bolted the Chicago nominations. So far,
only one democrat has made in print a
positive u0CldTdllOn lldC ne Will not vote
for Bryan or any free silver national noni-
nee
POpulist QunrreIs.
The North Carolina populist leaders evi-
IDENTIFY desire to cooperate Cor is fuse bet
ter wordO with the republicans The ac-
ton of the democrats at Chicago makes it
little harder to do. even for resourceful
men, full Of expedients they are. Pop
ulist internal quaTrels are, and have for
some time been, numerous First, there
are those of the party who desire to get in
line with the democrats. No one can guess
the number of these. Perhaps 1t is not
great. Second. are those who want to fuse
with the republicans; far more numerous
band 1t may be. Third, those who desire,
as they term 1t, to keep in the middle of
the road;" in other words, nominate their
own ticket Fourth. those who want to
trade and to join the party which makes
the biggest offer.
There were some populists who went
about with hints that the democrats would
later On take down some of their state
nominees and put on populists No man
can trace the origin of this absurd state
ment utterly unfounded.
One of the populist quarres was regard
Ing the selection Of the delegates to St
Louis This caused sort of a breach be-
tween Senator Butler, who is state chair
man, and such populists as James NJ New
borne and Cyrus Thompson. These are
heart and soul in favor of fusion with re-
publicans, and dislike Butler for his Won
derful control of the party. They tried to
force him to call a state convention in
June. He declined. But now a sort of
truce is declared, because an ARRANGEMENT
is made by which the counties will elect
the delegates to the national conventional
very unusual proceeding indeed Delegates
are rapidly being selected in this manner
each congressional district being allowed
nine, save the ninth, which has only four
North Carolira will have more delegate
than any other state at the convention by
reason OF its large populist vote.
Yet no man can estimate this populist
vote. Republicans put 1t down at 10000
and say the recruits of which the populist
army is entirely composed came almost
equally from the democratic and republi-
can parties. But anything like an estimate
of the number is pure guess work W. A.
Guthrie, Slated to be the populist nomi-
nee for governor can't give the figures
The secretary Of the populist state COM
mittee says $1,000 populst votes were cast
Republicans ere SO rude as to assert that
the populists are afraid to go it alone as
they do not wish the world to know how
plies. with confident air. that the popu-
list party has control of the state and can
poll a plurality Of votes.
Senator Buffers Prediction.
Senator Butler says that the populists
must and will put up their own ticket at
st. Louis. He goes further and makes
another slap at Senator Pritcbard by say
Ing that If the latter supports Mckinley
he will get no populist votes. Pritchard
now makes the square announcement that
he Is for Mckinley out and out.
1t Is the understanding among well-in-
formed people in this state that Senator
Pritchard really managed the Mckinley
nomination campaign. 1t is the cur
rent opinion. too, that he is slated for Nc
kinley's cabinet
But for free silver at Chicago there
would have been, 1t Is asserted, a more
divided democracy In this state. There is
little question that 5000 would not have
voted for the nominee had he been a gold
man on a golden platform. This is a per-
fectly frank statement. An extreme silver
democrat said the other day he was glad
the gold democrats had to eat dog, hair,
hide and all, and sweer they liked it. But
the question whether had the nominee
been gold man he would have supported
him would have absolutely knocked out
this loud-.alking silverite.
What Silver Democrats Declare,
But the silver democrats declare they
represent the real heart and soul of their
party. They say that nearly as many gold
men will fail to vote the ticket as the
number of silver men who would have
jumped the game had gold carried the day
at Chicago. One of them volunteered the
estimate that $500 would not vote for
Bryan. But Of course all this is only guess
Ing, for even at the last moment gold dem
ocrats might decide, all, or nearly all, to
vote one way, that is. with the great ma
1ority. Few Of them have ever split
ticket or marked out the name of a presi-
dental candidate put up by their party.
IL Is no doubt true that all populists are
for free silver. rural populist often thinks
himself more than a match for, say, Car
isle In the discussion Of the silver question.
This Is exactly the belief. In this state of
affairs nobody convinces anybody else; peo-
pie do not argue, but quarrel. Argument
between democrats on this question has
ceased, it may be said.
In state matters the democrats are unit.
No one can give an estimate of the strength
Of the gold element in the party. 1t is not
large, but 1t is earnest Some democrats
are now, perhaps. in the mood to vote for
Mckinley, not as republican, but as the
exponent of gold, and as a sort of rebuke
to the silver element Of their party. Other
democrats can under no stress of circum-
stances make up their mind to vote for any
republican. This class may perhaps to a
large degree not vote for electors at all.
But the organ Of the gold wing or element
Of the party declares for the nominee, and
urges all Of its followers to pattern after it.
1t is a paper Of powerful influence, and is
using 1T to get all in line. The populist lead
ers have made suggestions to democrats
these many weeks, and some of these sug-
gestions had almost the air Of commands.
M rff IN