The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-11-12
DISTRICT AT TORNEYSHIP
HINGES ON WHETHER PRITCH-
ARD WILL KEEP HIS PROM
Use TO COOK.
JOSHUA B. HILL TO Be P. M. AT RALEIGH
Prtchard Promised the Place to lin Young
but He Has About Decided to break
the Promise and Give Hill
the Joo.

Washington, Nov. 11.-(SpeciaD-The
Eastern District is on again. 1t looked
last week like Col. L. Nj. Argo, of Raj
eigh, would be the winner because he
is confessedly qualified and has no an
tagonisms. But Chas. A. Cook holds on
to pritchard's promise of the place with
a bulldog grip, and if Pritchard plays
him false knowing Republicans say thar
Pritchard cannot stand the exposure OF
bad faith that will follow. Cook would
now be on the Supreme court bench
of North Carolina in place of Douglass,
so his friends state, if Pritchard had
not induced him to wait for the District
Attorneyship.
Republicans here say that Pritchard
does not deny he promised Cook the
place. They also say that Cooks unwil-
lingness to obey the orders of Col. Al
exander B. Andrews is the only thing
that stands in the way of Pritchard'S
fulfilling his promise. Even now it is
whispered if Cook will promise to be
good and hereafter do the bidding of thu
Southern Railway, Andrews viii let
Pritchard keep his promise. 1t is even
whispered that Cook, while not willing
to bow down servilely, is not unwilling
to render fixed amount of homage TO
the big railroad Republican boss to get
the plum. In support Of this whisper
ing. Republican said to me yester
day:
|. Cook has cooled down recently. The
Governor made him attorney Of the
North Carolina Railroad and employed
him to help Avery, Day, MacRan,
Averitt and Douglass in the suit to
annul the ninety-nine year lease. / may
he mistaken about it. hut if Cook has
had anything to do with the case it has
escaped me. He did not go to Salisbury
at the hearing: he was not in Raleigh,
or if he was the Raleigh paper did not
mention him as acting with the other
attorneys for the State; he did not
take part in the examination at Balti-
more or New York. If he has had any
thing to do with the case since the
Governor employed him, it has escaped
my notice. 1t may he that the puhlica
ton that the Governor had employed
him in the case was inaccurate. 1t may
be that he has been active behind the
scenes. Tt may be that he has with
drawn from the case. ] cannot help
thinking. though, that the desire for the
District Attorneyship has been so great
that he has thought it discreet not to
be guilty of Offensive partisanship" a.
gainst Col. Andrews just at this time,
even if he has not made terms
Is there anything in this? / don't
know. | am merely printing what Re
publicans talk about
Harry Skinner is cast down. He has
been demanding the place for Claude
Bernard. He and his boiling Populists
elected Pritchard and prevented the
passage of the bin to test the 80 year
lease. He thought those two acts OF
betrayal of his party would put priteh-
ard and Andrews under everlasting obli-
cations to him. 1t was natural sup
position. He wants Bernard appointed
and he wants it done bad lie wan,cd
the Federal Judgeship for himself He
was convinced that he could not he
confirmed, and had to yield that "plum."
Now he demands Bernard as one of the
prices of his treachery. VIII he get
it? Not much. Pritchard and Andrews
used him when they needed him sore
ly. They will give him few little post
offices. They realize that in his service
to them last winter he destroyed himself
and his influence, and they are not the
kind of men to tie to man who is going
, down HILL Besides everybody knows
/ that Bernard is utterly unfit for the
place. and his appointment would be a
| idiculous one to make.
| Oscar Spears is not seriously regard
ed. He might have been given a small
place. but his aspiring for the best plum
will leave him out in the cold unless
Dockery viii give him a deputyslio in
the Marshal's office. This, too, in spite
OF the fact that Spears converted his
county from a rock-ribhed Democratic
| ounty to county Republican enough to
send a Republican member to the Leg
islatures of 1895 and 1897. But the
| bosses do not think he can do it again,
and they reckon that there is nothing
further in him for them.
/ There are other candidates. active md
passive. Cobb, Of Elizabeth City; Judges
Robinson and Timberlallo: Clarke, of
Newbern; and perhaps others.
| It looks now that it viii be Cook or
Argo. 1t is well known that Cook has
n ''cinch'' on the place if Pritchard keeps
his thrice-made promise. If Cook can
not keep enough pressure on pr1tchara
to hold him to his pledge. it LOOKS like
Argo. But you can't tell how the cal
will jump until 1t jumps.
Duncan will succeed Simmons as Col
lector of Internal Revenue, but the mp
pontment will in all probability not he
made until Congress meets. Hiram IL
Grant would like to be Revenue Cpl!ec
tor if he didn't have that caucus nom
ination for Sergeant at Arms of the Sen
late. He is not likely to realize arythirs
on it, but it keeps him from asking any
thing else. He will have the active
support OF Pritchard and Col. Andrews
in return for his service to he corpora
tions in the last Legislature. lie think'
that will get him Dick Brights place
Knowing ones here say that Dicl
Bright has Republican support that vii
make Grant have hard row tc travel
Duncan will be required hy Pritcnar'