The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-05-02
CAPT. kITcHlN ON FUSION,
Says PopuIists are Wiling TO Cooper
ate on Principle.

To the Editor: VIII you give Popu-
| list a little space in your columns to
state the political situation as | un-
destand it? | am sorry Col. Skinner,
DR.. Thompson and others felt con-
strained to publish a card for har-
mony's sake in the Populist ranks. In
said card they say the consensus OF
opinion in the evening meeting was
for cooperation on the county tickets.
/ was in said meeting, and | under
stood the prevailing opinion to be for
cooperation upon principle, ana not
upon a division of offices. The Repub-
Leans Indignantly refused to CO.
operate upon principle, but as a coun-
ter proposition proposed to cooperate
upon a division of the spoils and
piunder to be captured in the state,
they taking the gobler and we taking
the buzzard. j speak for myself only,
| should have felt that | had sold the
POpulists out to the Republican party
for less than a mess Of pottage and
disrraced nv name, had ] consented
to accept their proposition. The imam
cial question is the only issue in the
present campaign, to surrender that,
is to disband the Populist party. Is
Col. Skinner willing to accept the offer
of the Republican committee? He says
not. When we proposed to cooperate
for the free and unlimited coinage Of
silver, sixteen to one, the committee
rejected it with scorn and indigna-
ton, spit upon it and trampled it un-
der kheir feet in the slime beneath. If
we are not hypocrites, dissemblers,
plunder-hunters and demagogues,
what else could we do. but reject, ig-
more and repudiate the offer and terms
of cooperation? As a party, if we
propose to live we cannot afford TO CO.
operate on any less terms than The
unlimited coinage of silver, sixteen to
one, with any party, and that party
must cut loose from it's Northern gold
bug associates. We will never again
be deceived by either of the old par
ties controlled by their Northern al
lies. That game has been played its
last time. / would like for the minor
ity of our committee to tell us what
more could we have done, and preserve
our honor, consistency, manhood and
patriotism? And we would also like
to know how the issuing of the card
will tend to preserve harmony IN
our ranks? Are we honest? DO we
mean what we say? Are we standing
and acting upon principle? If we are,
loaves and fishes not for the multi
tude, but for the special favored few?
Shall humanity perish and die that the
few may roll in luxury, opulence.
abundance, and live in clover and
roam in pastures sweet?
What a predicament we would be
in as reformers, had we agreed to CO.
operate with an avowed and self-con
fessed gold party. should the silver
Democrats and silver Republicans
bolt their National conventions and
propose a union with all sixteen to one
silver men for common enemy! And
this from my standpoint is the only
possible chance for hope for financial
reform within the next four years.
The people who at heart favor silver
as money and plat il above party sue
cess, will not trust either of the old
parties on the financial question so
long as they cooperate and act with
the members of their parties i'm the
Middlin and New England States. And
the sooner financial reformers, III all
fali.ies, learn and understand this sol
emn truth. the sooner men who think
alike and believe alike on the financial
question will GET together. | believed
at the committee meeting and / believe
now we executed the will Of nine
tenths of our party when we declined
TO cooperate on anything less than
the free and unlimited coinage OF silver
and gold, sixteen to one.
If the majority Of the committee
was in error, ii was the duty Of the
minority to convince us of the error.
My sympathy goes out in mountain
torrents to our brethren who differ
with us, but my Judgment Is against
their position 1t IS said by some
that there is a wheel within wheel.
deep laid scheme to lead the Populists
back into the Democratic parry, to
break up the popnlist organization, to
put certain men in office and to keep
certain men out. Well, ] don't believe
such things. There never was slate
made that could not he broken, if the
people had the courage and desired
TO break it, Convince me that such
a machine exists in our party and |
will seize the bull by the horns, and
with all the sledge-hammer power in
me, will aid you in smashing the mon
ster into smithereens. But / do not
propose to fight in the dark or strike
at shadows. / want to fight a real man
and not dummy or an imaginary
man. / know such things have ex-
listed and viii exist but before we are
asked to charge the enemy, show US