The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-05-12

beaten by. Settle in the 5Gh District, an
outspoken goIdbUg, because we put up
DR.. Merritt. In the Oh Pearson,
of your goldbugs, beat Crawford, an
avowed silver Democrat, with Popu
list votes. In the 2nd and 3rd we had
a.straight fight on principle, and be
lieve "free silver" by all-Democrats,
Republicans and P0pulists-every man
for himself, and the devil for the hind
most" and he got US Populists and
Republicans. 1 guess w chad too much
principle then. 1t was all right as it
was, for it was a good way after the
count for us and the Republicans to
show our strength" in the two dis
tricta, and we showed it too after the
Democrats got through with the bal
lot boxes. And in the 9Th District
| Lockhart, silver Democratic beat Mar,
tin, who had fooled with the goldbugs,
and according to you that was all right
for Lockhart had our ''principles' and
Martin fused" with the goldbugs and
thereby got out of the middle of the
road" and therefore lost his ''princi-
pies" and ought to have been beaten.
Martin has gained his seat since the
above was written. EDITOR And the
| last shall be the first.
Branch was an Alliance man and
also a free silver" man. Harry Skin
ner fused" with the goldbugs and beat
him. What a pity from your stand
point.
Well, Ignatious, you will have one
assurance, that Branch OF some silver
Democrat will beat Harry this time
and then you will get your 'princi
pies" All these things were done under
the eyes and directions of the State
Executive Committee, Senator Butler
himself being at the head, who are
now urging us to fuse only on ''princi-
ple7" What kind Of a figure did "prin
ciple' cut then2 Was it right then2
II so, it would be now. Did we make
q mistake then? If so, let us get out
of the Peoples party and go into the
new Silver Party" whittier we seem
TO be drifting and thereby hide our
shame. l, for one, do lot think we
made a mistake, because fusion gave
US Butler, Shuford, Stroud and Skin
ner, ard but for Democratic fraud at
the ballot box, Martin and Thompson,
four certain, and by right six of the
eleven representatives in Congress
from this State, and in order to get
these we helped to elect Pritcnard,
Pearson, and Linney, who are just as
close to our principles as Jarvis, Craw,
ford and Brown, their opponents.
And even our Railroad Commissioners,
Bro S Ohio Wilson, was elected on
principle by the help Of these very
same most prominent" goldbugs over
Thos. w. Mason, a capital good man,
who, go far as silver goes, had our
principles.
Fusion, my dear Ignatious, by the
action of our Stats Executive Commit
tee, is eff with the Rapuo leans, be
AUS they rel 2eted certain resolu
tIons in which was embodied only one
Of our principlcs-,ree silver-aDd one
OF theirs-protection -and in return
offered us certain offices instead, which
we RS 9cted, because, in a word, we
are not after offices, but after princi-
pies.
If "principles'' are the things we are
after, then why, in the name of "prin-
ciple" did they only embody q part Of
our '~'principles" and not all, and why
protection" a principle that never
has been in our platform9 By what
authority did you so emaciate and
mix our platform? l. seems to me in
your ''straight" march to Jerusalem,
you arrived at Jericho" | believe
there will be a fusion In this State with
the Democrats, Notwithstanding you
disclaim it. Why Because the qucs-
ton is now being hotly agitated among
them, and they seem to be ripe for it
now since they were 80 badly beaten
in the last election by our fusing with
the Republicans. and Il we offer them
the same principles we did the Repub
licans, free silver, which is one of our
principles and also one of theirs, which
they claim they have worked for for
years and years, and your State Elk
ecutive Committee will be flexible"
enough to drop from ''~protection'
another one of our principles by
adoption" and offer them free trade
or tariff reform, or something that the