The news & observer., 1897-01-09
IS pRrroHARD AN ANARCHIST

1t was the practise of our goid-bug
! friends during the campaign to refer to
the advocates of free silver and the
| Chicago or st. Louis platforms as an
| archists. They were wont at that time
to praise "the manly course" of Senator
| pritchard. who was said to be brave
enough to run counter to public senti-
| ment in order to defend the national
| credit" Some men who called them
| selves Democrats talked in that strain,
and said it would mot be a bad thing
after all if Senator Pritchard should be
returned to the Senate rs an advocate
Of sound money"
Those who cared to hook at the true
situation knew that Senator Pritchard
| was talking for Sound money" because
he was instructed to do SO by the Ma
tional committee, and that the com
mendation Of his ''manliness in running
counter to popular sentiment" was based
on their imagination. Two years previous
Iy he had talked silver more earnestly
than Bryan, because he thought it would
help the Republican party. We knew
he could change his convictions while
you watt" and that he would become
silver man again if it would keep him
in the Senate. He has done exactly
what we expected, as his letter to Col.
Harry Skinner shows. 1t may be well
to call the attention of our readers, some
of whom have been led to believe that
Senator Pritchard had true convictions
for Sound money" to an extract from his
letter to Senator Pritchard:
II appreciate your position on the
Senatorial question. 1t is in keeping
with your reputation OF being square
and keeping faith. / do not attempt
to influence you. You know that |
am a staunch friend of ALL RE
FORMS CONTEMPLATED IN
THE POPULIST MOVEMENT
and you may assure such members
Of the Legislature as are inclined to
vote for me that / viii vote for silver
by international agreement or IN
DEPENDENT ACTION, is TO /,
and will take pleasure in voting to
amend the National banking act 50
as to permit farmers to borrow money
upon land. ANY statement that /
have been or am now single gold
standard man Is without foundation.
1t is proper that | should be frank
and say would not vote for free sill
yer or anything else when simply IN
troduced as a rider or obstruction to
the passage OF any protective tariff
or other remedial legislation bill"
If the above means anything, 1t means
that Senator Pritehard has got on his
the Populists would prescribe, and TO
swear he loved it, if by so doing he could
secure n reelection to the Senate.
If Senator Pritchard, during the cam
paign, had declared his faith in silver.
and stuck TO it; or if, after the Republi-
can National convention, he had pro-
fessed conversion to the gold standard
and stuck to it, he could have gained
| the respect Of the people Of all parties,
though, Of course, he would have lost
| the support OF one school Of thought. AS
it is, his course has caused him to fall
to the level of the shiftiest peanut poll
! tician Whether he wins or whether he
loses the Senatership, he has lost what
| is worth more to any man than the high
est office any political party can confer,
| and he will come out Of the contest poor
| indeed, having lost the respect of the peo-
| pie of the State, whose good opinion is