The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-08-23
Behold the contrast.

Behold the contrast.
In 1892, declining the nomination for
Governor if it could, even by indirection,
help restore the Republican party ITO
power.
In 1896, glorying in incompetent and
scandalous Republican rule taking pride
in electing a goldbug TO the Senate,
elated in the elevation of negroiSm. and
marching ut the head of the office hold
er's brigade to carry the Popu!ist party
into the Radical party for keeps.
The Colonel. may march, singing as
he marches. 'All Coons Look Alike to
Me-" but he will not carry the voters.
They have long memories. They de
nounced and dsowned him in 1897,
when he betrayed the party by electing
Pritchard, and they will not endorse the
action of putting gold bug ''arch trail
tor" in the lead and they will not follow
him.
The election of Colonel Skinner to a
place on the Central Committee. n
place of special prominence under
the circumstances, shows that the gold
bug wing of the Populist party is in
control of that organization, and is
forcing policy utterly destructive
of every principle of the POpuist party
The office-holderS may think they can
thus crown n gold bug and corporation
tool as king of the party, and help him
carry it over to the Republican party
directed by Pritchard-they may mag
inc they can thus make their party Il
gold party and retain the voters. but
they are badly mistaken. The POpu-
lists, like all other farmers in North
Carolina, believe in silver. The coun-
try people have long memories. They
know that Harry Skinner sold out the
party to Jeter c. pritchard in 1897. and
that he was formally expelled for so
doing. When they are asked to follow
him and join the Republican party as he
has done, those who are not in office or
after office will refuse to further de-
grade their State and destroy the hope
of free coinage by following Pritchard.
They recognize in the election of Skin
ner the hand of Pritchard, for they
know that Skinner is Pritchard's tool
They also have every reason for believ-
ing that it was Mt Pritchard's instance
Skinner was elevated to the leadership
of the populist party. That has been
the programme since 1897. 1t could not
be carried out until the gOldbug
Popuists came into control of
the populist organization. They will
not be able to fool the people There
are thousands who see through Skin
ner's game, and they will follow Mr..
\. S. Harp, Populist Justice of the
Peace OF Wake county, who recently
said:
when Pritchard was elected to the
Senate by Populist votes, in common
with all other pOpulists who believe in
silver, | felt that the party had been
betrayed to the goldbugs, but | did not
leave the party then because the ma
jority of the Populists in the Legislature
denounced those who voted for Pritch
ard as traitors. and kicked them out of
the party as | thought. Since that time
| find that Colonel Skinner and those
other goldbug POpulists who supported
Pritchard have been called back and
made leaders of the party. | also see
that it is proposed to have fusion with
the Republicans. after that party has
gone on record as being in favor of max
ing the gold standard permanent. AS a
believer in free silver | cannot hOnora-
bly, longer affiliate with the Republi-
cans. | left the Democratic party be-
cause | thought it was controlled by the
gold men. When it nominated Bryan
and repudiated Cleveland, the Populists
voted with the Democrats to try to
elect him. Now, if the Populsts fuse