The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-05-18

TOR PIE. (CheeFS).
There are certain persons that oppose
this proposition for personal reasons-fOr
the purpose of getting office"
Mr.. Skinner considered this a thrust at
himself and jumped to his feet. ! want
to ask question: rs it not understood
that If this fusion deal goes through you
are to be nominated for Congress in
your district| Cheers and applause).
Freeman-"I could ask Col. Skinner
some questions but | don't want to b,
personal. (Cheers).
THE proposition is simply this: Here
are people fighting for the same things
we are. They want help and we want
| help against Il common enemy-monopoly
and gold standard. Why should we fight
each Others (Cheers)
| During the last campaign we co-opera-
ted on the national ticket with the Dom
ocrats. Have they swallowed us? No
sir, / dread no influence that will DESTROY
the Populist party in North Carolina ex-
| cept internal dissentions." Cheers and
applause).
Rev Dr. Babb, the deposed penten-
| tiary chaplain, was the next speaker.
What are we here for?' he asked
Are we here to surrender to the Demo.
cratic party?" After an hour of harn
work in the matter of violent gestures
and the expenditures of several hundred
| feet Of eloquence the Doctor declared
! that this was not the object of the meet
! ing.
"That'l do that'n do thatll do yelled
several delegates.
! The Reverend thanked the convention
| and sat down. 1920 o'clock.
At this point r. II. McCaskey and ].
| w. Underwood were appointed a com
mittee to wait on the credentials commit
] tee and find out how much longer time
will be wanted.
They reported that the committee de-
| sired another half hour.
| Congressman Skinner asked all his
| friends in the hall to remain in the hall
| till the fight was over if it took all night.
Il don't think it necessary to invite
those that think as / do to stay" said
Senator John w. Atwatcr, who now took
the stand.
II believe the crisis in our party is at
hand If we do right the future is as
sured. If we do right il means an &C
cesSion To our ranks of thousands of
votes. If we do wrong we shah have to
suffer for IT,
Now it is charged here tonight that
we are about to fuse with the Demo
Gratis | want to say that proposition is
not before this convention. But / do
say that / stand here tonight to en-
dOrse the address Of the national chair
man. advocating a fusion of oil silver
| forces That is what | want and it's
| just what the goldbug fellow and pie
hunter don't want.
Then some fellow jumps up and says
| Lets stay in the middle-of-the road
Well if you do l want TO say you'll
starve with grass on both sides of YOU
| They've tried it in Georgia and they are
| finding il a failure. and yet they have
the gall to send us a telegram saying
they are in the middleof-therOad.
IF God forgives me Iii never fuse with
another goldbug Republican as long as
/ live. and | will never fuse with "a
goldbug Democrat either. (Cheersl. Now
gentlemen these are my views, take
| them"
DIR. Cyrus Thompson was called for
and finally he said:
Gentlemen. l expect to have some
thing to say to this convention tonight.
| but I'm not going to say il now
T.. A. MOye next responded to the con
ventiOn's call: HE said he didn't be-
| lieye he agreed with anybody that had
| spoken. All Of them, he thought had
said some things they ought to have
| left unsaid.
There are three elements of the POpu-
list party: Some who are too close to
the Democratic party; some who are in
the bosom Of the Republican party; some
who are willing to do just as the majori-
| ty of their party advises. The worst flu
| sioniSt in the world, though is the mid
dle-of -theroader.
Then again we must keep the balance
of power. We must not refuse to fuse
with anybody. The minute we do we
are at the mercy of the other party"
After Mr.. Moye. a delegate from
Franklin county, Tazwell GOoch took
the stand. He quoted copiously from the
| Bible, an dSpOke with Il swing and an
er-er. He declared that the convention
ought to have been opened with prayer,
and said the only banner to march
| under was that of the Lord.
This speech furnished much amuse-
ment for the delegates The louder the
laughter and applause, and the greater
| the confusion, the louder yelled the
| speaker and the more violently he gestic-
ulated. Soon the convention was one
great tornado of yells laughter, waving
hats. fans and handkerchiefs-and amid
it all stood 1.-THE gentleman from Frank
lin, wildly gesticulating and yelling like
Il Comanche.
lie was followed by DIR. William Mer-
rift. of Person county, who said he was
not middle-Of-the-roader. He was in
favor of going to one side or the other,
and that side must be the one on which
the most could be obtained.
A. FL. Patterson, of Pender favored
union of silver forces, and said the
Popuists of his county were behind But
Ter to Il man.
AT 40 the Credential Committee an
nounced its readiness to report The re-
port was made by Morrison II. Caldwell
for the majority, and by G. G. Pagan for
the minority.
In the New Hanover and Mecklenburg
contests it was recommended by the
majority report that the regular dele
gates be appointed. In Mecklenburg
this delegation is headed by N. Gibbon,
and in New Hanover the regular dele
cation is headed by b. +. Keith.
The minority report recommended that
in New Hanover county, three members
No r.s,~ a., IL