The news & observer., 1897-01-24
GOVERNOR UNEASY
The Fusion Split is Agitating
the Executive.
THE COMMITTEES MEET
AND ADJOURN TO MEET AGAIN
MONDAY AFTERNOON.
NO HARMONY IN SIGHT
And Split shrea ened in the RepubIi-
can tanks he Old Fusion
ard fnti Fusion fight
Looming Up.
Looming Up.

The coming OF Sunday was a boon to
the legislators Every one that could
has hied himself away to his home TO
forget, if he can for few hours, the
turmoil of politics. And dozens of them
| especially the Republicans and their
| that somehow or other the hours enter
yening between Saturday eve, and Mon
day morning may bring with them solu-
| ton of the question that is so yexing.
Senator Butler retired early last might
and was fast asleep at 10 o'clock. Chair
man Fountain went home to spend Sun
| day, but said that he would return on
Monday. Mr.. Lloyd is still here and says
| that the Populists have nothing else to do
/ or say until the Republicans act ON the
resolution submitted by the majority eau
Gus. The two conference committees met
yesterday afternoon and in an informal
way discussed the situation, and then ad-
journed to meet again Monday afternoon
| at o'clock.
| Gov. Russell is reported as being very
much exercised over the situation, and is
! doing all in his power to restore some
| thing like harmony between the warning
factions.
| He sees an inevitable and disastrous
split in the fusion ranks, a split that will
make it awful uncomfortable for him
and wreck many of his political and other
| plans, among others the Railraod lease
| question, and therefore he is pouring all
| the OIL of the administration on the trou-
bled waters.
| Marshall l.. Mott is still here nursing
/ his boom for United States District At
torney and 1t is said some things happen
! ed along towards the last hours of the
/ Senatorial fight that put him back in the
| lead for this position regardless Of the
| action of the Republican caucus endOrs-
/ ing Holton. Indeed it is learned that
some thirty or forty of the members OF
the caucus have since signed Motifs pet-
! ton. This is riling the Holtonites and
some of them are talking a little
sassy" about Mott and his fight against
! Holton, aId declaring that if Pritchard
I goes back on Holton then the old Mott
Eaves fight will be but a little political
fisticuff compared with the factional bat
! tie that VIII be waged inside the party
for the next four years
: Its pretty kettle of fish we have got
ten into anyhow" said prominent fusion
Republican yesterday, "and it all comes
i from the determination OF the pie hunters
/ to elect their man to the United States
1 Senate, even though it wrecked the par
+ ty in North Carolina and put us back
/ where we were before the Populists come
=, TO our relief"
| 1.-The idea" he said, "of the Republi-
can party turning away from the Popu-
| list party and going off after
a handful of bolters who have been repu-
| dated by their own party organization,
and are not allowed to sit in their party
eounsels"
THE Republican party cannot afford
| to go back on the men who stood by it
| in the greatest hour of peril said an
| other prominent Republican. 'It would
| be the basest ingratitude for them to
! turn their backs upon Harry Skinner
and those men, who stood with him, and
go back and kneel down to Marion But
Ter who violated a sacred pledge in fight
ing Senator Pritchard"
1T ali means one thing" said a Repub-
! lican member Of the House, "and that is
that hereafter there will be but two par
ties in North Carolina-the Democratic
and Republican parties"
And when that time comes" said
Western Republican of high rank, ''it is
good bye Republican party"
Il agree with YOU said the other.
''but it's bound to come"
$50 mote it be-" said Democrat
standing by.
We have nothing to do with the bolt
ers," said one of the majority PopuIists
yesterday If we should take them back
now. after they have deserted the party
! and betrayed its principles, we would be
! condoning what we believe was a crime
against the Peoples party. They are our
enemies, worse enemies than if they had
belonged to another party, for they stole
the livery of the Peoples party in which
to fight in the ranks of the enemy"
What to do next, admit is a vexed
question, said a Republican last night.
1--WE have got that boiling minority on
our hands, and like the little fellow that
caught hold of the bear, we want some
body to come and help us to turn them
loose"
About all the Republican pie-hunters
have marched down the hill again since
the. caucus Friday night distributed the
last of the legislative pie, and there are
blue streaks all up and down the rail.
roads left by them as they related to each
other how mean they had been treated.
Il wish Butler and Fountain and Lloyd
and the other Populsts would go along
and LET us alone" said a Republican men,
Der yesterday, ''and then maybe we could
fix things and get together"
"Fix things is good" remarked Pop
ulist. 'sbut they have done about all the
fixing they can do with Populsts dur
ing this session"