The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-04-26

HE Is AFRAID II
On last Thursday, the day after the
of the State Conven-
ion of the Peoples Party of North
Carolina, Senator Butler addressed
. letter to Hon. F. M. Simmons,
Chairman of the Democratic State
Executive Committee, proposing
JOINT discussion Of the questions
which are up for settlement by the
people of North Carolina at the
to be held in August of this
present year. On last Sunday morn
ing, Mr.. Simmons caused Senator
Buffers letter, together with his re-
! ly refusing a joint discussion, to be
published in two of the daily papers
of this city. These letters will be
found in another place in this issue
of THE CAUCASIAN. We ask our
readers, and the public at large, to
read the correspondence betwixt
these distinguished gentlemen care
fully, and then draw their own con-
illusions. There are. however, two
or three things in the letter of re-
fusaI, written by Chairman Sim
mons, which we want to call special
attent ton to.
Mr.. Simmons says that the late
convention of the Peoples Party in
North Carolina refused to make the
proposed amendment to the State
Constitution party question, and
left it to the judgment and con-
science of each vo'er to determine
how he should vote upon it. Mr..
Simmons then accuses Senator But
Ter of being desirous of discussing
the amendment with the Dem ocrats
in disregard of the declaration of
his party that the amendment was
not a party issue.
Plainly this reasoning will not
avail Mr.. Simmons; and we think, if
the Democratic Chairman had not
been in dlrest straits, he never would
have used such an argument at all.
Indeed, it would seem that, if he
really believed that Senator Butler
was anxious to discuss the amend
ment with him in defiance of the ut
terances of his own party, and in
jfurtherance of q secret understand
ing with the Republican party, that
fact of itself would have furnish ed
Mr.. Summons and his Democratic as.
sociates the opportunity to demollsh
Senator Butler on the stump which
they have long been desiring. No
Mr.. Simmons, that argument viii
not do. You were evidently labor
ing under some great strain wher
you wrote that letter; if you hao
not been under dire stress of some
kind, you would have left that argu
ment out of your letter altogether.
Another reason which the astut,
Chairman of the Democratic part,
in North Carolina gives for refusing
to have a joint discussion with tn
candidates of the Peoples Party thi
year is the fact alleged by Mr.. Sim
mons-that the Peoples Party il
North Carolina has no existence sep
arate and apart from the Republl
+, can party.
Again, it seems to US, if the. fact
) are as alleged by Mr.. Simmons, h
and his party would thereby have i'm
1 mensely the advantage Of Sens
to Butler in a joint public discussion
No, Mr.. Simmons, there must be som
reason which You do not bring to tn
fore in your letter which influence
you to decline public. joint discus
: sion of the Issues of the day wit
J. the leaders of the Peoples Party thi
: year. Whatever else you NAV or ma
not be, you are not stupid, and 20
d would not write or give a stupid res
son in any case like this, unless 20
had to give it to cover the real on
d Then again, Mr.. Simmons says til
! "Democratic party has no candidat
y for the Senate We GIVE THE E.
ACT WORDS OF CHAIRMAN SIMMoN
IN THIS; Because we do not want I
run the risk of being given over I
DR.. Kirby having any one unde,
y stand that we said. or even intim,
: ted, that the Democratic party hs
+ no candidate for the Senate tn
> year.
But if it be true that the Dem,
cratic party has no candidate for til
Senate-snd we would not doubt M,
Simmons statement on that subje,
one moment sooner than we woul
doubt it upon any other subject COZ
nected with politics-yet we are NJ
:, able to see why that fact shou1
make it imperative upon Mr.. Sin
mons, to decline a joint discussio
with the leaders of the Peoples pa
ty this year. Mr.. Butler is avowedl
candidate for the Senate; and
;, the fact is as Mr.. Simmons alleges
to be that Democrats have no cand
:, date for that high Office, why NJ
. Simmons and his Democratic assoc
ates could discuss the succession 1
the Senate from the lofty ground {
y, unselfshness(D which usually di
- tinguishes the utterances of Dem,
Gratis in North Carolina.
q If we were willing to believe tn.