The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-05-12
MR.. Ola UDE KITCHIN WRITES
VIGOROUSLY.
Mr.. Editor


tory of the Democratic and Popuilst
parties in the State for the past SIX
years, it is almost incredible that any
Democrat should favor fusion with the
Butterflies as a distinct organization.
How an idea of such fusion could find
Its way into the mind OF a North Car
DINA Democrat foils every effort OF the
imagination. But incredibility and
Imagination must give way before the
plain fact. We really have leaders in
the party who are doing all they can
to effect Democratic-Populist fusion.
A Democratic leader once wrote In his
journal, touching Buffers character :
sWhatever Is mean, whatever Is evil,
"whatever is of ill repute and calculated
"to create distrust and prejudice, that
"does Butler seek. Is such a man fit
"to be trusted by the honest, truth low
ing yeomanfy of North Carolina? God
"forbid that they should ever fall so
low."
Today this same leader tails to see how
''any honest, sincere silver Democrat
can oppose fusion with Butler" Today
he calls upon the Democratic masses to
"fall so low"-he asks the "truth-loving
yeomanry" virtually to do that which
he once asked their God to forbid.
Well may it be asked, Have our lead
ers run mad? Is it the wave of Buffers
magic wand? Have we twisted in our
minds the word "Win" into the base
meaning, "division OF offices?" And
have we deceived ourselves into the
belief that this alone gives triumph to
Democracy? Is our hunger for office
so raging that we forget that
there are such things as party
manhood and party integrity
Is it wise to be so eager to provide for
the Democatic stomach and be so ready
to aban Ion the Democratic conscience
Is there not a Democratic party OF to,
morrow as we'll as today to which we
owe our duty? If the Republican par
ty in this State was loyal enough to its
organization to stand ten successive
defeats without one bite in the twenty
years, can we not stand one, two or
possibly three defeats, without rushing
to lick the foot that kicked us? Are
our appetites more ravenous and more
uncomfortable? Is.it possible that we
have come to point in the life in the
Democratic party in this State that we
can borrow with advantage aud self
respect lesson and emulate a virtue
of the Republican party of North Car
DINA? 1t seems that we can.
Never was the Democratic party in
the State better united than now. Never
81, Of oh
purpose and determination in any Or
ganizatlon. And now for Democratic
leaders to fling into it the question Of
State fusion with the Butterflies, the
direct results of which will split the
party, weaken its organization, throw
across the path of its future doubt and
fear, Is the most deplorable folly. With
the Populist patty losing in the last
campaign nearly 80 per cent. of its total
membership and this membership
steadily decreasing every day, with
Butler denounced by his former Repub-
lican allies as traitor to the treaty.
and losing strength in his own waning
party, strange, indeed, it Is, that there
are Democrats who now desire to run
to his rescue. lift up anew his falling
arm and fill with Democratic recruits
his thinning ranks. We know that
Butler is absolute boss and dictator Of
the Butlerite branch OF the Populists
with whom we are asked to cooperate
1t we cooperate we ratlfy
their former political conduct and
are stopped in the future te
attack their course, when, to retain his
seat IN the Senate, Mr.. Butler again
the negroes and gold-bug Republicans
| This he Will do whenever we do not
accede to his demands. The Butler q
1898 and 1900 Will be no better thar
the Butler of 1894 and 1896. We
know that cooperation with them as 6
distinct organization will give them
new strength and new life to play see
saw in the future between the two old
parties to flop to whichever side makes
the highest bid. We will throw out te
them the very chain by which they
will In the future bind us hand and
foot. If we fuse we must the balance
OF our lives nurse and pet, with tremb
ling anxiety, Mr.. Buffers favor OF
stand In cowardly fear OF his menace
and power to throw us back In the
clutches of negroism. IT we attempt te
assert our manhood by resisting his de
mands back to the negroes and gold
bug Republicans he will go, and We
must fight over again the battle We
/ have nearly won.
Political annals fail to reveal more
doublefaced, spolls-huntine, and cor
rupt policy than that Olted for the
last six years by Mr.. Butler and his co
leaders. For office, they wllfully ane
deliberately allied themselves with ths
negroes in the State and made oper
war against the white men. With
silver as their battle cry, they wilfully
and deliberately allied themselves with
the gold-bug republicans and made
open war against the democratic silver
forces OF the State. For the sole con
slderation of Office, falsiiying every pro
fession and betraying every trust they
deliberately bartered off the State to
the negroes and the Republican gold
bugs. With unrelenting malice and
hatred they have from the hour o.
their political birth to this day de-
nounced us In the bltterest and viles,
language. They have accused us Of
every crime known to the history Of
politics. They have charged us as be-
Ing political thieves and cut-throats'
and "bfibed tools Of plutocracy." They
have branded us as "a band of organic.
ed liars and defamore Thov hor~