The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-10-12
ALL OFFICE HOLDERS THAT'S WHY RI
PUBIICANS ARE IN CONTROL.

mpntaI law VI ttit patty ihAt nv PN''1"'A
holding any office of profit trust or
emolument" could be delegate in it's
Conventions. That was when the Popu-
list party was young and was ardent in
it's fight for reform. The voters, who
prefer reform to office, are still opposed
TO the domination of politics by office
holders. but the machine of the Populist
party is now in the absolute control %
the office-holders, and these office-hold
ers, who hold their places ''at the SUI
ferance of the Republican patty and ere
at their mercy" are in turn the tools of
the Republican office-holder. Thus We
have in Wake county the Populist Con-
yention taking its orders from Register
of Deeds Rogers; the orders that Rogers
gave were handed to him by Revenue
Collector Duncan; the Revenue Collec-
for received his instructions from Sena-
tor Pritchard; and Pritchard gets his
orders from Mark Hanna, the prince of
corruptionistS. And 50, we have the
Populsts Fusionists in North Carolina
doing the bidding of the very men they
organized the party to fight.
If office-holders are given the fnl
control of any party they will trade off
it's principles to keep themselves in
power. The only way for the people to
keep in control of affairs is to let the
office-holders understand that they are
not the masters. but the servants of the
people. This campaign affords n strik-
ing example of this fact.
The populist State Convention adopted
n platform of principles and instructed
its executive committee to effect CO.
operation with any party or faction of
party that endorsed those principles.
Foremost among them was Bryans let
ter in the New York Journal, and But
ler's letter advocating cooperation of
all the free silver forces. Then follow
ed demands for railroad regulation and
kindred reforms. The committee had no
authority to cooperate with any party
ration of principles. The Republican
convention met and passed resolutions
Numerically opposed to every declara
ton in the Popuist State platform, and
everybody said that after such action
there could be no cooperation between
the Republican and Populist parties.
Lax hn
Populist executive committee had been
composed of men in the party ranks
who think more of reform than pie. I'm
fortunately for those Populsts who put
principle above office, the machinery of
their party had been put almost entirely
in the hands of men holding office "at
and they made a fusion or mutually
agreeable conditions" with no pretense
Of advancing principle, but with the
avowed purpose only of preserving the
party organization" and getting and
keeping political pie.
1t is true that the action of the COM
lllltttt IL Nilnoul authpiits, ~ Ohtoi'S VI
their instructions, is in direct conflict
with the resolutions of the Convention,
and is virtually a reputation of the ac-
ton of the Convention that elected them.
1t is also true that very many of the
best men in the party have repudiated
the so-called fusion, and that thousands
,Iaola ro fbau will mt ba fra6a1 off for
negro supremacy and TO commit the
country more thoroughly to the gold
standard" and it is true that in spite
of the desperation of its orators the fu-
sion is about to fall to pieces Even if
it could succeed, it would be a success
that would carry with it the seed Of
death to Populism, success would mean
to more strongly intrench the Republican
party in power, and that would be a
death-blow to silver and kindred re-
forms.
The action of the Populist committee
in arranging the fusion, against the
express will Of the Populist State Con-
vention, ought to teach the people not
to entrust men. who are dependent for
bread and butter upon the votes of
their enemies. with the management of
their party. 1t is more than office
seeking human nature can stand to ex-
pect it TO be true TO principles when
to do so it may sacrifice its swig at the
public teat. The action of the commit
tee is explained when we see the pc
cunary interest it was to the commit
teemen ''to sell their birth-right for
mess of pottage." Here is the Populist
committee with the offices they hold.
Cyrus Thompson, Secretary of State,
salry $4,000 and over.
j. b. Schulken, State Senator and
county attorney.
J. b. Lloyd, Assistant Sergeant-at-