The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-01-21

t;es Mr. Crawford was elected, and MI.
| Pritchard took unquestioned leadership
of his party. silencing, if not destroying
all rivalry. Indeed, it is not too much
| to say that he won the cordial regard OF
all the party leaders, as well as the entha-
siostic supnort of the rank and file That
campaign and the lessons it taught hlm'
| broadened Mr.. Pritchard, and developed
his capacity as a party leader UP to
| that time, he had looked to success by
drawing his party lines tight and hnlnS
| the Republicans up in solid column. no
| other idea of success had been entertain
| ed by him. He got practically the solid
| Republican vote and was defeated. 1t
| then dawned on him that the Republican,
was minority party in North
| Carolina, and that if it was
ever to come into power 1t
must either have new recruits or make
n coalition with some other party. The
OF ganization of the Populist party about
that time caused him to regard it as the
hope of making an arrangement with its
leaders to lift the Republican party out
of the slough of despond, and to that end,
,, after his defeat, he began to enter into
negotiations looking to cooperation with
| the populist party. 4 less bold man
would not have believed he could bring
| together parties so antag0nistic Up to the
| time he conceived the idea of such u
| coalition, Mr. Pritchard had never been
heard to express his opinion on the money
question, if indeed he had any opinion
about it. He had fought the Railroad
| Commission, and every other proposition
| had nothing in common with the new
| party But, presuming on the short men,
DRY of the people, he invited and secured
| the desired help to re-instate the Repub-
| lican party in power.
Two years before, or six years later.
the attempt would have resulted in fail
| ure. The disappointment of the people
in the financial policy Of MIR. Cleveland
deep bitter and acknowledgement tn.
| door for the successful execution of the
plans to unite the Republicans and Pop
| ulists. Preparatory to this, it was neces-
| sary to secure harmony Of views on the
money question All the old Republican
| leaders were gold men. They must be
| converted or silenced. for the Populists
made it condition precedent to co-opera-
| ton that the Republicans should advo-
| cate the free and unlimited coinage of sill
/ yer at the ratio of Is to l. Mr. Pritchard
| began this task by himself espousing the
| doctrine of free silver, and out7Populist-
| icing Ito coin world the strongest Pop
ulist in appeals for silver and in de-
| nouncfng Mr.. Cleveland for his hostility
| was so radical that the Populists believed
| he was genuine convert, and accepted
| him as the Republican silver leader. The
| history of the fusion thus arranged and
carried out is too familiar to need recital
| here.
Mr.. Pritchard saw that the Populists
power, but that for it to maintain its as.
tendency it must secure some direct ad-
ditions from the Democratic party of
those Dugald Dalghetty's of politics who
always fight where the pay is best. He
induced Richmond Pearson, by the
promise of seat in Congress, to come
over as an independent" with the view
to full connection with the Republican
party later on. The success of this sol
der of fortune encouraged others to try
to better their fortune by enlisting in the
Republican army, and in his own district
two veteran office-seeking lawyers Of
Asheyille listened to his siren song. In
other sections of the State he had more
or less success, and seeing that the time
for political power was at hand, the moss
covered repudiated relics of the Repub-
lican party of 1868 emerged from their
dishonored exile, and rushed to the front
to get another whack at the public crib
With such an army, aided by the largest
corruption fund known in history, and
under astute leadership, $4,000 white
Republicans and 10000 negro Republi-
cans were able, without Populist or 9th
er aid, to elect Republican Governor of
North Carolina. But they were not able
n a IT Il.
result of legislative cooperation with the
Populists, the Republicans elected II
members of both branches of the Legis-
lature, fifteen less than enough to elect
a Senator. When this result became
known, Mr.. Pritchard saw that, though
he had been the chief instrument in elect
ing a Republican Governor, he would
fall outside the breastworks unless he
1o..yI noo,,,-o Ef+nnp Iop,,lict yofac HE