The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-12-24
JUDGE WHlTAkER'S POINT.
WHY GO OUTSIDE OF POPULiST
PARTY FOR SENATOR?
In Open Letter, He Points Out Demon
salizing and Disorganizirg Effect
of Unnecessary Fusion.
Raleigh, N. c., Dee. 10, 1896.

1 IlolL u. y. w ~ -
| My Dear Sir:-I wish to give fuller ex-
preston to my opinion as to the matters
discussed in our hurried conversation this
morning, and therefore write this letter.
| As to my making speeches in the Fifth,
| Eighth and Ninth Congressional districts
| in opposition to the election of gold stand
ard Republican candidates for Congress,
I have this to say in my defence: The Ma
| tional convention of the Peoples party
declared againt protective tariff, gold
standard, the issuing of money by Nation
al banks. and for the free and unlimited
coinage of silver as well as gold at the ra-
ito of is to J., regardless of the action of
other nations the government ownership
OF railroads, telegraph and telephone lines,
ETC., and nominated for President of the
United States Mr.. William j. Bryan, who
had been previously nominated for the
same office by the National Democratic
convention.
Being Populist because / sincerely be-
lieve in the principles of the Peoples par
ty as declared and published in its plat
form, and desiring the election of Mr..
Bryan, because he was the nominee of my
party and because he advocated nearly,
If not all, the things we contend for, how
can any Populist in fact well as name,
complain or think less of me for oppos-
ing the election to Congress of men who
advocated the election of Mckinley, who
favored the gold standard, the issuing of
money by the National banks, a protective
tariff, and in fact, whose platform did
mot agree with our platform in any one
particular. Could there be anything more
hollow and inconsistent than voting for
Mr.. Bryan, and at the same time aiding
in the election to Congress of men who
would tie his hands and prevent him from
carrying out the principles for which he
was elected.
Can it be possible that a POpulst is to
be blamed and punished because he took
the solemn declarations of his party in,
convention assembled to be sincere, and
declined to fully abide by the unauthor-
lied trade" of the State Chairman Civ
ing to these goldbug candidates for Con-
gress his support and to myself an Officer
As to the conduct of the Popuiist mem
bers of the Legislature in the election of
United States Senator: Now that they
have the power to send to the Senate an
avowed Populist, it would be strange
and something new in the political world
for them to pass by their own party and
select man of any other party, even
though he may be in favor of one of the
planks of the Populist platform.
/ was much surprised at your assertion
that "all the Senatorial Populist timber
had been exhausted that out of thirty
or forty thousand populists in North Car
olina there was no man capable of sitting
by our present Senator, and that to find
"a xk-aN IN no ia
Rhe Republican party. must take issus
with you here, and insist th.t in the Popu-
Hst party there are many who are, to say
the least, fully equal in every respect to
Senator Pritehard, Mr.. Dockery, Di.
Mott, or any other Republican, and that
the election of amy one of these would
materially strengthen our party, whereas
the election by Populists Of any Republi-
can or Democrat would seriously weaken
our party and would tend to disintegrate
it
Ii the intention is to permanently coop
crate with the Republicans, giving to each
of the two parties a United States Sena-
tor, then it follows that the Republican
Senator should be named by the Repubii-
cans, and this man is, as everybody
knows, Senator Pritchard. Ii such is not
the intention, why select any Republican
instead Of one of our own faith!
Must cooperation last forever? IL so,
| the cooperating parties necessarily be-
come one. and should be rebaptized under
| the name Of the Republicanpopulist, Pop
ulistrepublican, or Anything for Snoils
party. But in all seriousness / must say
| that cooperation is only intended by our
party as a temporary makeshift; vas
not intended to be permanent and cannot
| be: that we are not yet large enough, to
swallow the Republican party, and sin
the meantime must guard against the
| danger Of entering into the capacios1s
stomach of the willy Republican whalei
We have the balance Of power in the
Legislature, neither the Republican ner
/ Democratic parties, in the nature IF
| things will come to the assistance of thg
| other. and / hope our brethren viii na'es
| some good Populist, in every way quaiiT
| fed and fitted for this high office, and
stand by him until the adjournment Of
| the General Assembly sine die. II the
| other two parties can get along for the
next two years with Senator Butler alone,
| / am sure we can.
| Cooperation, it cannot be denied, is
| demoralizing and dangerous, especially
| to the weaker party, and, if persisted in,
must inevitably end in the fusion of the
| two parties, thus destroying the autono-
| my and the existence of the weaker party;
| and therefore only the direst necessity
| can excuse even temporary co-opera-
| ton of a weaker party with one greatly
it's superior in numbers. This should
| be taken as a truism and needs no argu-
ment to prove it; but in proof of this
assertion, / beg to call your attention to
the fact that already many Populists
seemingly having lost sight of the aims,
purposes and principles Of their party,
have become contaminated with Repub-
lican ideas and principles and are illus
| trating that old idea that
"Vice is a monstre of so frightful mien,
AS to be hated needs but to be seen;
But seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace"
| 1t is rumored that there is battle in
| progress between two great leaders of
our party as to what Republican shall
/ be suppOrted by the party for the Uni