The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-10-02

member of Congress and therefore
the party in the State had made no re-
cord. They made Overtures in 1894 20
the Populists for a fusion arrangement
upon the basis Of four mutually agree
able conditions" to-wit: a change in
the election law, hostility to bond issues,
advocacy of silver legislation, and a d.'i-
sion Of offices. The recollections OF that
campaign are too fresh in your minds to
rccah them. But, though a fusion with
the Republicans was utterly inconsistent,
one fact stands out that must not he
forgotten. The Republicans in their
State convention, as a condition prece-
dent to fusion, We're forced to denounce
Cleveland's bond deals and declare in
favor of the free coinage of the silver If
the American mines. They did This in
language most fervid, and in their cam
paign speeches they Out-did the Populists
in their denunciatiOn Of the gold stand
ard and their adherence of bonds.
REPUBLICANS DECLARED FOR
SILVER.
Here was the Republican platform de-
caration on silver in 1894-the declara-
ton that secured fusion with the POpu-
lists:
"Under existing conditions, with
no international agreement. we ia
vor the free coinage Of the entire
product Of American mines AT THE
RATIO OF 16 TO L."
In 1896, the Republicans, believing that
no fusion could be consummated with
the POpulists without promising to IA
vOr silver made this declaration in their
State convention, which was held before
Mckinley was nominated:
I'VE favor the use of both gold
and silver as standard money and
the RESTORATION OF SILVER
TO ITS FUNCTIONS AND DIG
NIFTY AS A MONEY METAL"
NOW THEY ARE OPENLY FOR
GOLD.
Let us pause now to reflect upon the
change that four years have wrought in
the professions Of the Republican party
in North Carolina. The Republican
National platform of 1896. endorsed bv
the Republican State convention Of 1893,
said on the money question:
1.-THE Republican party is unre-
servedly for sound money. We
are, therefore, OPPOSED TO THE
FREE COINAGE OF SILVER ex-
cept by international agreement with
the leading commercial nations OF
the world, which we pledge ourselves
to promote, and until such agreement
can be obtained THE EXISTING
GOLD STANDARD MUST BE
MAINTAINED"
The State convention in 1898 endorsed
ahe gold standard, McKinley's bond is
sues, and Senator Prtchard is making
speeches over the State uphold
ing the Republican administration,
defending the bond issue and
denouncing the proposition to issue
greenbacks to carry on the Spanish
American war, for which Democrats and
Populsts voted. In 1S61-5, greenbacks
were good enough money to fight tie
great Civil War. Now nothing but
bonds am gold will do, and Senator
Pritchard denounces those who favored
fighting this war with the same charac-
ter of money that Lincoln used IN the
War Between the States. This simple
fact shows that there is a wide gulf be-
tween the Republicansm of Lincoln and
Grant and the Republicanism of McKin-
ley. Mark Hanna and Jeter Pritch6rd.
Here is the Republican declaration en-
dorsing bonds and the gold standard,
adopted in Raleigh on July Goth of this
year:
''The Republican party Of North
Carolina. in convention assembled,
renews its allegiance to the principles
set forth in the National Republican
platform adopted at ST. Louis"
IN 1894 POPULISTS REQUIRED
ADVOCACY OF SILVER.
The Republican State Convention also
endorsed McKinley's administration
without qualification, which puts them
IN record as endorsing more bond issues
than they denounced Mr.. Cleveland for
issuing.
Is there an honest populist in North
Carolina who believes that fusion could
have been arranged in North CarolinS
4 in 1894 if the Republican State cOnven-
ton had approved the bond issue, advO-
Gated the gold standard, and denounced
all issues of greenbacks? Even in 1896,
{ when the POpulists declined to fuse for
Mckinley the Republican convention de-
clared for 1.-THE restoration Of silver to
its functions and dignity as Il money
metal"
WILL POPULISTS ENDORSE FIVE
CENT COTTON?
And yet in 1898, the Populist machine
has agreed to fusion with the Republi-
cans who openly boast OF the prosperity
Of five-cent cotton, which they have
brought through the gold standard, bond
issues and the more than war tariff.
Will the Populist voters, who. in 1894.
demanded that the Republicans should
swear for silver and against bonds until
all of them were equally black in the
face. ratify fusion with the Republi-
cans when these very same Republicans
are declaring that the gold standard,
bond issues, and atiOnal banks are
their chiefest jOys-the trinity OF bless
ngs needed to make the country happy?
THE CAMPAIGN OF 1896.
But let us pass on to the campaign
Of 1896: The Republicans proposed flu
sion with the Populists upon the terms
Of dividing the electoral ticket, dividing
the State ticket, and giving the Republi-
cans the Senator. The Populsts de-
clined, though Mewborne. superintendent
Of the Penitentiary, and other Republic
can Populists, advocated such fusion.
The Caucasian repudiated the suggestion,
saying:
IF the proposition of the Repub-
lican party Ito fuse on the diyi-