The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-08-11
PROOF OF BUFFERS FERFIDY.

A report has gained currency recently
to the effect that Butler will, in order to
be avenged on the white men of the
State for his recent defeat, do all in his
power to deliver the electoral vote of
North Carolina to Mckinley.
Though Buffers friends have denied
that there is aught of truth in the rumor,
one finds many things pointing strongly
in that direction. Take for instance the
Hickory Mercury, paper edited by
j.. F. Click, assistant editor of Buffers
Caucasian. Scattered through the edi-
torial columns this week we find such
expressions as these:
"Populist support of Bryan may de-
pend quite largely upon his endorsement
or condemnation of Simmons methods
well, the Populist farmers
should hold conference in each neigh
borhcod, and organize independent
leagues and all work to one end. Call
meetings at once of the county ex-com-
mittee and outline a policy.
1.-The News and Observer will find it's
crowd of Bryan Democrats grow beauti-
fully less since the. State election; and
> ON the other hand. the Populists
- will be less enthusiastic than
they were four years ago for the success
of the Bryan ticket. Mr.. Bryan's chances
of election are not flattering.
1.-The Observer says Mckinley hopes to
win by the use of Hanna's money And
for the above reason, the Observer asks
all gold and protection Democrats and
all Populists to go into the only CD hon
est party, the Democratic party.
We do net know what the others will do
but we do not have to do either We
can perish first. If we had to rely on
Hanna's money or the Simmons redshirt
thugs, we would take the money, as the
most humane way"
And much more to the same effect.
; The meaning of all this cannot be
that it is not Click, but Butler, who
speaks in the above lines. Click is en-
ployed by Butler and is in close sympathy
with him. Click knows his sentiments
and party policies. They are engaged in
editing the same paper and have been
together during the campaign just closed,
Better proof of Buffers purpose to de-
sert Bryan could hardly be asked, had
such proof been necessary. But 1t was
not necessary, and Buffers desertion will
cause no surprise. The News and
Observer weeks ago learned of his
perfidy and branded him as Judas
Isoarict in politics. Just a week ago we
said of him:
HE roses as a supporter of Bryan in
the West and is a treacherous Mark Ham
matte in North Carolina. For more than
a month he has been spending more than
five hundred dollars per day of Mark
Hanna's Doodle in an effort to debauch
the politics of North Carolina and defeat
the only party and the only men in the
state who stand fer Bryan and the Kan
sas City platform. If he and Pritchard
had succeeded in the August election, the
State would have been hopelessly lost
to BRYAN in November. Nobody knew
this better than Butler. 1t was part
of his trade with Hanna ito thus indirectly
give the State to Mckinley"
Can anyone longer doubt it? We re-
neat: The national leaders of the Popu-
list party ought to repudiate him be-
cause he is a traitor in the camp. The
national leaders CT the Democratic party
ought to treat him as Washington treated
Benedict Arnold He is a man in whom
no confidence can be reposed. He has
never had a friend he did not betray; he
has never advocated principle that he
would not trample beneath his feet for
gain, and if in the present campaign ne
tries to obtain the confidence OF hon
est Populists and Democrats it will be but
to betray their secrets to the Hanna
party which furnishes him the money
on which he makes his campaigns.