The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-08-21
AN "ARCH TRAITOR PUT AT THE HEAD.


When the Executive Committee of the
Peoples party met in Raleigh n few
days ago, they selected three office-hold-
ers, every one of whom is begging for
negro votes to secure his own reelection,
to assist in mapping out the campaign.
At the head was Col. Harry Skinner,
member of Congress from the First
district.
Who is Col. Harry Skinner? Is he Il fit
man to be ut the head of the Populist
party! In January, 1897, Col. Skinner
holtcd the ropulist party and secured
the election of gold-buS monopolist to
the United States Senate. y caucus of
the Populist members of the Legislature
was called on Wednesday, January %,
1897. After adopting Il resolution than
mo one be allowed to'attcnd the meet
ings of this caucus who did not favor
and support DIR. Cyrus Thompson for the
United States Senate" issued an address
''to the voters of the Peoples party of
North Carolina" in which the following
language was used:
when the Peoples party last sum
mcr refused to enter into Il compact TO
support the nominee of the Republican
party for Senator. They laid
thcir plans to SECURE enough individual
populist Senators and representatives
for such II senatorial candidate. To ac-
complish such Il result it was necessary
to find some one or more prominent
members of the Peoples party whom
they could influence to barter their
principles and become their agents and
tools to carry out IL conspiracy to cor
rupt. dcbauch, and If necessary, split
the Peoples party to accomplish this
purpose
"They found one of their agents in the
person of Colonel Harry Skinner. The
allies and satellites of this arch traitor
inside the organization played their
part and by their acts uncovered them
selves to the world yesterday and to-
day.
''As the livery of heaven is Stolen to
serve the Devil in, so every crime COM
mitted against the integrity of the Peo
PIE ; party anu It's cSStilIai III lhCiI'iVN
will be attempted in the name of CO.
operation.
Incorporation which tends to destroy
our organization or compromise its prin-
ciples is suicidal. Such cooperation,
therefore, can not be permitted or toll
Grated"
This is not the utterance OF any one
man or any dozen men. 1t is the official
utterance of the Populist party, as rep
resented in the last General Assembly.
They told the, people then that Colonel
Skinner was an ''arch traitor; that he
and those who followed him in supporting
Pritchard had Chartered their principles
and become agents and tools to carry
out conspiracy to corrupt, debauch,
and if necessary split the Peoples party"
that he and his gold crowd had commit
ted crimes against the principles of the
Peoples party; and that they were no
longer members of the party, but were
formally expelled from its councils.
That was in January, 1897.
In August 1898, this "arch traitor
who had 'bartered principles away" and
become the agent and tool of Il con-
spiracy.-this man IS selected to map
out the Populist campaign and to merge
the party into the Republican party. Is
it any wonder that hundreds and thous-
ands of Populists are disguised, and
that yesterday bolt that sounds the
dcath-knell of fusion in Wake county oc
Cured i'll the ropulist county convention,
The Populst voters will not follow the
lead of a man of SINNERS reputation,
after he has thus been denounced by
them. The offce-holders, who even
apologize for crime and outrage In order
to get the negro vote, will of course
gladly follow this or any other "arch
traitor" to keep their hands in the pub
lie treasury. But the bolt of men, who
put principle above spois, i'll the Wake
county convention on Saturday shows
that the honest element of the Populist
party will not be led permanently into
the gold standard and negro party.