The news & observer., 1897-10-24
FOR SPO|LS' SAKE
Reason For Retaining John
R. at the Pen.
THREE NEW OFFICES
AND THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN
TO DIRECTORS.
GOVERNOR WANTED SMITH DISMISSED
The Populist Conference Here Last Week
Developed the Fact That the State
Committee is Against

| SoiilIltltee 10 NSdInSl
Butler.
| 1t now comes out that the action of the
penitentiary directors in retaining John
r. Smith, with the pay and title or su-
perintendent, but without any of the
duties and responsibilities, was a COM
promise.
Gov. Russell and three members Of the
Board, am told, strongly favored turn
| ing John r. out bag and baggage. Chair
man Dockery and the others favored
keeping Smith as fgure-head, intend
ed entirely for ornament and not tor
use. Having the majority, Dsckery
and his crowd carried the day.
| The Governor and the supporters of
| his policy argued that the penitentiary
was already literally sowing the States
money; that to keep Smith purely for
ornament would, under the circum-
stances, be a luxury that they could i'll
afford; that in robbing him of all power
of independent action they, at the same
time, took away all responsibility.
They charged incompetence in every
department of the penitentiary's man
agement-the slack discipline, the Kirby
Smith scandal, the bad sale of cotton,
some remarkable differences in weight
of the same, some suspicious horse
trades, removal of certain State proper
| ty at State expense to the Smith place
in Goldsboro and frequent and fragrant
disregard of orders of the Board of Di-
rectors. These and other things they
called to the attention of the other di-
rectors, and the Governor took the posi-
ton that either the penitentiary must be
leased or new superintendent must be
Iappointed to manage it.
| On the other hand Dockery and his
crowd, always ON the lookout for the
Offices, saw in the arrangement to keep
Smith at least three new Offices. They
would simply rob him of all real power,
but leave him ON the throne and estab-
lish a protectorate over him. consisting
of an executive committee Of three di-
rectors. These having the duties and
responsibilities once belonging to the
superintendent will of course have to be
lpaid snug salaries for their work
And this is why Smith is still retained
las superintendent with nothing to do
but draw his salary. If he were turned
lout and competent man appointed
there would no longer be any use for
that protectorate-and so no excuse for
them to draw a salary.
But now comes another story about
this penitentiary row, Smith has friends.
These friends lay all his misfortunes at
Gov. RusselFs door-and among them,
am told, is Judge w. s. OBJ. Robin
son, of Goldsboro. And it is whispered
that the coOlness thus produced between
Russell and Robinson burst out into open
hostility. 1t will be remembered that
heretofore Judge Robinson and Gov.
Russell have been very close friends, and
whenever the judge has been here he
has been a guest at the Mansion.
| We shall see whether or not he stops
there while here holding court this week.
There has been a perceptble increase
/ in the number OF politicians here this
week-Popuists. though, most of them.
They came to attend the conferences rf
the Butler or majority Populsts on We'd
nesday night and the Skinner or Min
ority Populists on Thursday night.
| Both gangs were made up of office
| holuers. Buffers crowd was the smaller.
only about fifteen being present, but in
| it were one Senator, two Congressman,
the State chairman and several commit
teemen. 1t is significant, however, that
Secretary Of State Thompson and Audi
tor Aver did not put in an appearance.
Skinner managed to get together
twenty-one persons-members OF the
last Legislatu and office holders There
were no new faces in the crowd.
At neither meeting nothing was done
except talk over the situation-no reso-
lutions, no motions, no enunciation of
principles. In this respect they were
very remarkable meetings in the life
history Of Populism. For the Populist
leader is rare bird that loves to hear
himself talk and never thinks meeting
complete unless it is rounded up with
a set OF resolutions or a ringing plat
form denouncing the octopus Of plutocra-
cy.
Nothing of this kind was done at these
conferences, and yet they had one very
important result They brought to light
the true standing of the Populist State
executive committee and thereby show
ed how completely and surely Butler is
losing power and influence in that party
of which he was once absolute dictator
His State committee now stands: For
Butler, 5: against Butler, o.
And this is why Harry Skinner went
away smiling yesterday and saying that
he was perfectly satisfied with the sit
Iuation as he found it. Let him remem-
Der, however, that an anti-Butler Popu-
list is not necessarily Skinner Populist.