The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-02-02
Some Light Thrown on the
Character of Thomas F.
COL. SKINNER SKINNED
BUTLER SAYS He COULDN'T BE
ELECTED A DELEGATE.
MUST BE A REPUBLICAN,
And He Has no Future in That Party
Because the Republican Party
Has no Future in North
Carolina.

Carolina.
Washington, ID. c., Feb 1--(Special)
1920 p. m.--Senator Butler, when asked
by q News and Observer correspondent
in what shape the Senatorial fight in
North Carolina had left his party, said:
'The Peoples party in North Carolina
is in better shape than it has ever been
since it was organized. This is especially
so just at this time in North Carolina.
The election Of Pritchard by some bolt
ing Populists means that we have simply
lost seventeen voters, for whom we have
the qualification of believing the opposi-
tion paid extremely high. Not a single
one of these bolters could have been
elected as Populists if they had said ON
the stump that they would vote for
Pritchard in the Populist caucus, much
less if they had said that they would
bolt their party caucus for him.
MARK Hanna and his agents have
gotten these seventeen individuals, but
they cannot get another man unless they
should be able to find some one or two
corrupt men in some county who is will
ling to desert his party and join the Re
publican party for a fat Federal Office,
and / am sure that there are not to ex-
ceed one hundred Of that kind Of cattle
in the State Every time the Republican
machine finds a member of our party to
accept Federal Office, it seems that the
Republicans have bought one vote, and
one only, with the Office, and such a
loss is not a loss to (but q publication
and strengthening of our party. This
purging and purifying of the Peoples
party is an indication OF health and viii
surely result in great growth to the or.
ganiZati0n.
"As soon as the bolters and traitors
and traders voted for Pritchard, the
Peoples party members of the Legisla-
ture at once held caucus and expelled
and branded every bolter, so as to rem
der it impossible for any Of them to
ever be in a position to again betray the
trust of the People, and also to make it
impossihla for any one of them to ever
find admittance and gain membership in
any respectable party.
'The Peoples party by its action in
this respect has shown itself more re-
liable and truer than any other political
party that exists When Cleveland cor
rupted the Democratic party by patron
age, if not by other means in addition,
to repeal the last silver law on the
statute books, the Democratic party fail
ed to denounce and expeI its traitors,
who had betrayed their constituency,
and trampled upon the principles of their
party. But, on the contrary, the trait
ors in that case are still men of high
standing and position in that party. The
Republican party in dozens of instances,
has been guilty OF the same crime in not
branding and expelling traitors from it's
ranks. Thus the Peoples party has de-
monstrated the necessity for its existence
and will henceforth draw rapidly under
its banner of political integrity every
honest man and patriot still left in the
rank and file of both Of the old parties.
Referring to Representative SINNERS
part in Pritchards contest, Senator
Butler said:
"Mr. Skinner is probably the most de
spised and contemplate character in
North Carolina. He could not to-day
be elected a delegate of the
the Peoples party from any
township in his own county TO county
convention. He has no future except in
THE Republican party, and he will have
no future in that party, for the reason
that that party has no future i'm the State.
The treacherous and despica.ble methods
and conduct OF the Republican party in
breaking their cooperative contract with
the Peoples party, and in corrupting a
small faction Of our party in the Legisla-
ture, to secure Pritchard's election, and
TO control and divide out the State pa
tronage to the Jmholy combine, makes it
in the future the party of perfidy and
dishonor in North Carolina.
sk~la =. Al
dearest bought position ever secured by
him or amy man. 1t not only destroys
any possible future for his party in the
State, but 1T taints him with the ques-
tionaIble, not to say infamous, method
employed by Hanna's agents, Skinner and
company, to secure the same. In addi-
tion to this, his backsliding, waddling and
loppdng ON the financial question has lost
10 HIM the respect of even a large part
of his own party
What" the Senator was asked, do
you think of ex-Vice- Presidential candi-
date Watson's course in the contest?'
Mr.. Watson's course" he replied.
docs not surprise me in the least. 1t is
perfectly natural for a man who PREFER
ed the election of Mckinley to that of
Bryan, and so proved his preference by
failing to vote for Bryan, to favor the
election of Mark Hannas man, Pritch-
ard. to the United States Senate in pre-
ference to the election of straight Pop
ulist Senator, especially when the vote
OF that Senator determines whether the
gold men shall have a majority of the
Senate or the Peoples party shall have
the balance Of power in that body to pro-
tect the interests and welfare of the peo-
pie.