The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1897-06-03
THE CASE
STATED.
A Letter From Chairman Butler
to Hon. Frank Burkett-
The Whole
THING IN A NUTSHELL.

No Objection to = Conference Except That
1t Should Not he Called to Take .Ae ton
In The Name OF The " hole Party-What
It should and should Not Do-How to
Build up Tho Peoples Party.
WASHINGTON, d. c., May, 1897.
Hon. FRANK BURKETT,
Okolona, Miss.
Dear Sir: Your letter received.
| regret that you feel that l mis-
represented the position of your
Memphis committee when | stated
that you desired me, as National
Chairman, to have the National
committee Of the party to take &C
ton as to whether Or not q confer
ence should be held at this time.
But think that you are mistaken.
You call my attention to the follow
ing extract from the commur cation
of your committee to me: ga COM
mittee appointed, ETC., to make q re.
quest for a meeting of the National
committee of the Peoples Party for
the purpose of determining the fu-
ture policy of the party or the des,r-
ability of calling an early confer
ence of regularly elected delegates,
do hereby respectfully request you
to issue a call for such meeting of
the National committee at date ut
later than May LIST, 1897 My Off
cial communication to the members
of the National committee certainly
submitted all of these questions for
their consideration and decision. I
certainly did not wish to take the
responsibility of putting the mem
bers of the National committee to
the expense Of time and money nee
essary for holding a meeting unless
it was their desire to meet after
knowing the purpose for which they
would be called, and the questions
upon which they would be expected
to take action, after meeting. The
question of a committee meeting
and a conference were both submit
ted to the committee at the same
time. The one hundred and eight
letters which l have received in re-
ply from members of the National
committee show that they thorough
ly understand the proposition. Near
ly every one of them expresses his
opinion about having either the CON-
mittee or 8 national conference to
attempt to outline a policy for the
party at this time. Eighty-three of
these answers were opposed to the
propositions made by your commit
tee. 1t is true that | stated nv
opinion to the members of the com
mittee, for l am always ready and
willing to,give my reasons for any
position that I take, and certainly
these reasons were put thoroughly
to test by being thus submitted to
each member of the committee.
| You say that if the matter had
been fairly presented to the commit
tee that you would have abided by
the decision of the committee. You
certainly know that large ma jority
of the committee is opposed to q
conference; and with this knowledg re
before you you took part with Mr..
Coxey who is not member of our
, party, and with others in usurping
the powers of the National commit.
tee, and in calling a conference in
the name of the party. You at.
tempted to poll the National com.
mittee on your own account, and out
of committee of one hundred and
fifty members you got only twenty.
eight replies favorable to a confer
ence, according to your own comics
sion. If a ma ority of the commit
tee had been in favor of a meeting
being held for the purposes you
name, they would have so declared
in their replies. But they are op
,, posed to q committee meeting a!
, we'll as to a conference, and so de
clare. Each member of the commit
tee understands the situation in hi
section better than you or I; and
besides, each member certainly un
derstands the merits and dement's o.
. the propositions which you submit
ted as well as you or | l submitte,
this matter to the committee in tn
g regular way provided by the plan o
r organic .tion Of the party, and Ger
s tally canno OF feel that there was an.
! improperly in submitting my view
n on the matter for the criticism o
n the committee. A large majority o
:. those answering, and a large majo,
!. ity of the whole committee in thel
l. answers decided:
FL First, against calling q meeting 9
4 the National committee, They Civ
= their reasons after knowing 70
what purposes it was proposed
y call them together;
o Second, they decided that it wa
IS not necessary or advisable to hold
r general conference of the party I
s, this time.
a That this is the distinct and delil
a crate judgment and decision of a
/, overwhelming majority of the con
rs mittee is clear. Therefore, 20
m should show your devotion to til
g party and its principles by abidin
to by this verdict of the official organ
IS "a ton of the party.
t. In another part of your letter yo
Or SCENT to take the position that Pop
lists are under no obligations to o
serve the decision Of the of
I'd cial organization of the par
on such matters. In justif
d. ing your action in assuming t
n power Tin defiance of the judgme
re and decision of the National Coz
he mitteel to call a conference in t
ut name of the party, you say: "
~ such decision bet precedent, tn
ut Populists could not assemble in tn,
is schoolhouses and consult and int,
,st change opinions without the perm
ne sion of the county chairman and t
he local committeeman" submit th
All this is not q parallel but is entire
as different from the kind of meeti
n that you have called. Certainly q
number of citizens in any party ha
q right to meet for consultation q
conference at any time or place tt
nix they desire, but they have no rig
a IN call a conference or convent