The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-06-10


career of the past ten years or more.
son February oath, 1890, he intro
duced in the Senate bill embracing the
Sub-Treasury plan, stating that he did so
nv request. He did this, as he stated af-
at the request of Col. Polk and
DIR. Macune, of the legislative committee
of the Alliance, and he told them at the
time that they must not infer any agree
ment on his part to support the Dill; that
it was such radical departure from the
usual course of legislation and involved
matters of such grave and serious I'M
port. that he should reserve the question
of its practca bility as well as Its constr
nationality. Yet he was friendly to the
objects and purposes of the bill, as out
lined above, and was anxious to have
legislation passed adequate to pro-
mote such objects. Hence he
procured the reference of the
bill to the Committee on Agricul-
ture, instead of that on Finance, where
it would have gone under the rules, as
means of getting as friendly considera-
ton for it as possible, and he procured
for Messrs. Polk and Macune an oppor-
tunity to go before that committee and
discuss its merits to their entire satisfac-
ton. 1t is also evident that he sought in
have the bill reported from the commit
tee either favorably or otherwise in the
hope that its discussion might lead to the
evolution of a bill that would accomplish
the objects sought, to-wit: financial re-
form. in way that would be free from
constitutional objections"
Then follows Senator Vances letter to
e. C. Beddingfield, Secretary of the
Farmers Alliance, which shows the can
dor and unreserve with which he ex-
pressed his opinions on the Sub-Treasury
and kindred topics. There also follows
Senator Vance's exhaustive letter to Hon.
Elias Carr, President Of the Farmers
Alliance, with which the public is ia
miiar Those who were in Raleigh at the
time and were familiar with the passage
of the resolution by the Legislature, have
always known that the resolutions were
exactly in accord with the whole public
career of Senator Vance and that in ac-
cepting them he recanted none of his con-
course he had consistently and thereto
fore pursued.
Major Dowd publishes letters from
Senator Jarvis and Hon. S. l.. Patterson,
Commissioner of Agriculture. Mr.. Pat
terson was member of the House from
Caldwell county, anu he and eX-Repre-
sentative John B. Holman, of Iredell
county, may really be said to have been
responsible for the resolutions that were
adopted. Mr.. Patterson's letter, which we
print below puts the matter forever at
rest. and shows that in his whole life time
characteristic of his devotion to and faith
in the people than his acceptance of re-
election under the unobjectionabIe reso-
lutions passed by the Legislature.
Raleigh, n. c., March 10Th, 1897.
Hon. Clement Dowd, Chariot, \. c.:
Dear Sir-In obedience to your re-
quest, made some days ago in my office, l
give you my recollections of incidents and
conversations connected with the re-elec-
ton Of Governor Vance to the Senate by
the Legislature of 1891.
Il know an idea prevails among some
of his friends that Governor Vance hum
bled himself, or at least lowered his dig
nifty, in accepting the election, coupled
as it was with a certain resolution of in
struction, and upon which his election
was considered to depend. do not think
the situation as it existed has ever been
fully understood, and in order to disabuse
the public mind of an impression deroga-
tory to Governor Vance's action, and to
give also the view taken by Governor
Vance himself, It seems necessary to go
into certain details, of which / had per-
sonal knowledge.
Without considering the campaign
previous, or the influence exerted therein
by the new factor in politics, the Farm
ers' Alliance, or any previous correspond
ence of Governor Vance's with reference
to the Alliance demand, or principles, /
will begin with the opening of the Legis-
lature, in which appeared a large major
ity of Alliance members.
SAT the outset, even before the Legisla-
ture was organized, a determined pur-
poSc WAS HdHlItSleu Oh Iue part OIL II
majority of these to elect no one, not even
Governor Vance, who was not in sympa-
thy with the Alliance idea Of financial
REFORM and they were not willing to take
this for granted, unsupported by some
sort of instructions. / may say here that
the Democratic members, who were not
members of the Alliance, with mighty few
exceptions, were in harmony with the AL
lance members in these views. AS is
usual at such times, every shade of opin-
ion was represented, from the mildly con-
sentative to the extremely radical. Under
these circumstances great and grave I'M
certainty existed as to the outcome. Sew
eral caucuses of the Alliance members
were held. My recollection is at one of
these, probably on Thursday night after
the meeting of the Legislature on
Wednesday, committee was appointed
to draft resolutions of instructions, to be
submitted to the caucus on the night fol
lowing, and at the caucus Friday night
the resolution submitted was considered
too stringent. / am certain that the first
and probably the second, resolution pre-.