The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-05-24
BUTLER'S
GREAT VICTORY
Won With Fearful Odds
Against Him.
STARTED OUT DEFEATED
ENDED WITH 4 TRlJ MiHANl
VICTORY.
All tie Tactics Of GeneraIship and Arts Of the
Diplomat Brought into Play by the
Senalor--He Closed With a
Great Speech.
From f, iday's News a q Observer

I'opuliSt party OF North oafolllla.
That fact was demonstrated beyond all
question by their State invention which
was in almost continuous session here
from :. o'clock Tuesday afternoon until
$50 o'clock Yesterday morning.
There was Il conspiracy to put the
party into new hands. \ ~triulnvlr:tte.
composed Of Harry Skinner. Congress
man from the First district; ). Otho
Wilson, the Grand Gideon and deposed
Railroad Commissioners, and y. ). Peace.
the treasurer of Granville county. had
planned to capture the whole layout.
The stakes were high and the tTium-
yirate played their cards Well III county
and township meetings; but when 1t
came to the State convention they made
Il most fearful botch Of the Whole thing.
thereby proving hat they are good heel
erS but poor bosses.
/ When the convention met Tuesday at
ternoOn no mel could have been more
confident of an easy victory than We're
these three conSpiratorS. But they are
now wiser men. They have learned by
bitter experience that nothing is sure
in politics until the votes are cast and
counted. After caucuSing all day Otho
Wilson told me at 6 O'Clock that there
were l.lOS delegates represented, and Of
this number he had 663 who We're against
Butler on anything, and half the others
were Wavering in their allegiance to the
Senator.
When the convention adjourned VII
son. Skinner and Peace could muster
only 80 to Buffers CO. The figures
tell the story.
There is 10 doubt that Butler went
into the convention beaten badly beaten.
He knew it. rs did also both his friends
a..l 49, 10 1, ,.,n ~ ftA
Il twelvc-hours' fight. ~triunphantly vic
toriouS.
How was it dOne?" the people are
asking. 1t was lone by superb man
%agenlent: by just the same kind of pow
erS and tactics that 4 general brings
into play when he wins Il great battle.
by 4 proper distribution of forces. bH
making the NEST of the resources 1T his
command. and hy attacking the enemy
where he is weakest. All Of these things
Butler did.
70 begin with there were long pre-
llninarieS and SkirniSles over the APP
polntment Of committees In these
Butler was most adroit and kept his
men we'll under cover. only rushing out
now and then to draw the enemy'S fire
from some weak point in his defence.
or to prevent Il decisive vote which
would show how really weak he was.
But every time he came forth or ordered
out Il truSty lieutenant there was Il
CLEAN Of wit. :; flash of sarcasm. a we'll
tlnled hit that went straight home TO
some troublesome opponent and brought
forth cheers and applause from even his
enemies.
This was kept up for exactly one hour.
annie the greatest excitement. Then
the convention took i recess to allow
IN, n ,n4 -, 49, l n -
ought to nave lone before-prepared n
roll of the counties. represented. To this
adjournment Wilson and Skinner agreed.
not knowing until too late that it was Il
part Of Buffers scheme.
Two hours later the convention met
again. and then began in earnest tn.
greatest political-convcntion-bat battle Raj
eigh has ever seen,
The fight opened up with 4 flank move
ment by Congressman Fowler. Buffers
hrSt lieutenant. who surprised Skinner
ny making and passing the very motion
that Skinner had failed to get through
II the afternoon SeSSiOn-allOwin" each
Congressional district to name its own
committeeman OF course having adyo-
Gated such a course at the afternoon
session the conspirators could not now
back water III Fowler'S motion, and
they voted for it, wondering what would
happen next.
They did not have long to wait to find
ont. All was ); hubbub for a quarter of
an hour. and then each district an
nnunced its committeeman. When they
did the hearts Of the i-ButleriteS
sank like pile-drivers. They were lost.
Some cnissary had been at work. BUT
Ter controlled absolutely every commit
tee. How it was managed nobody has
Yet been able to explain, but the facr
remains.
Skinner and Wilson were not the.
men though. to give mp without 4 fight
to the last ditch. They Went into tbe
committee rooms. and there the contest
ragged for hours. 1t was long past mid
night before the reports We're readv
AND when they were ready. Peace was
beaten for chairman by CIV Thomson
all contests We're decided in favor or
the Butler men: the platform written Nv
Butler III Washington was adpoted with
out chan@e. and the typewriter Demo-
cfatIc-fuslon resolutions went through
without dotting an or crossing a t
tonId any victory have been more
complete? Well. hardly.
bnt senator Butler was not satisfied
WIN IL. lie had n few old scores that
II" wanted 10 pay off. He felt if ! po-
trlofic duty to do so. he said. and he
"tl' ABOUT 1t III a mastery manner.
LAY was just beginning when he be
gan. As the dawn filtered through the
loh& windows and dimmed the gas lets
me tense words began to hrrtle from
MS lips like hail-stones before Il storm.
raster and faster they came. Sleepy
yes opened wide and drowsy brains
Huickened as all felt the Importance of
the occasion. And cheer after cheer
telt the air as the impassioned sentences
We're sent crashing through the hall. 1t