The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-19
BOSS RIDDEN PARTY,

State Convention met in Raleigh,
every seat was occupied, the stage
and boxes were full. and crowds
thronged the gallery, eager to hear
every word that was said Why?
Then the party had life and faith in
itself. Its members believed that, N
spite of mistakes, the Populist party
had a mission to perform. There
were contests over nominations, thee
were rivalries in the party, and cut
of the clashings came the harmony
that gives strength and vigor to 4
political party.
Yesterday when the chairman let
the gavel fall not half the seats were
occupied, and only few negro spec
tators were present in the galleries.
Instead of the cheers and shouts,
rivalries and contests, and deep inter-
est of the delegates, it was dull, dry
and listless affair from beginning to
end. The harmony of death broodeI
over the whole dreary performance.
Some cheers were given Buffers
speech against the amendment, fainter
cheers for Congressman Southerland's
eulogy of Bryan, deep Kisses for Har-
partizan yells (led by Republican Of
ficers) for Cyrus Thompson's reply to
Skinner, but these were all spiritle:s
and lifeless compared to the enthus-
iasm and demonstrations of former
populist conventions.
In 1S92-94 and 96 the Populist con
vention was like "a mighty torrent
pouring down the mountin side: in
1900 it is like an old mill-pond after
the water has been turned off.
1t may be too soon to accurately
iguage the meaning of the action of
the convention. but nobody doubts
that at the caucus in Washington
the Republicans and Populists had 4
perfect of understanding and an
agreement to work together in har
v
and Legislative tickets, and for the
present each is to nominate a full
State ticket This action is not taken
because of any disagreement between
the bosses of the two parties. Two
theories are advanced for it, The first
is that a few weeks before the cleo
ton, the committee is to take down u
portion of each ticket and print fus-
ion ticket from Governor down.
gangs see that if fusion is attempted
on the State ticket, it binds the Pop
ulist party to the negro again, and
drives off from its support every de
cent white man in the State. for these
bosses have at last come to learn
that no party ties can keep men who
ever were Democrats in political CO.
operation with the negro. Realizing
this fact, Pritchard, Butler, jim
Young, George White and DR.. ThomD-
son agreed that it was best to let the
Popuists make the. fight to organize
white opposition to the amendment
while the Republicans would try TO
hold their mossy-backs and see that
all the negroes vote. OF course this
arrangement sacrifices all the noml-
nees on the State ticket, but it elec,s
Butler to the Senate if it succeeds.
and that's what the Populist party in
North Carolina is kept intact to do.
Butler sees what it does and that
why he had it carried through. The
other Populists, who are TO be used
as the catspaws to pull the chestnuts
out of the fire for Butler. will see the
game after awhile. They haven't yet
been let into the secret.
OF the delegates present, 1T IS est
mated that about onc-fourth were men
who are Populists and who have not
yet made up their minds to be Repub-
leans. The other three-fourths were
revenue officers, gaugers. husbands Of
post mistresses, mossy-back Repub!i-
cans. and pie-eating and pie-wantin:y
Republicans who were present to see
TO it that the 'slate" approved by
pritchard was put through, and that
nothing was done that hurt the He
publican party. Iney cheered Loudly
when the Nebraska Congressman
praised Butler: they were silent when
he paid high tribute to Bryan.
They Kissed proposition to vote for
Bryan and applauded every reference
of hostility to the amendment. Most
of the men who were present at the
birth of the Populist party were con-
spicious by their absence. Only the
pie-eaters and "a few men still with
closed eyes and dull ears remained Of
the great throng that filled the hall
i'm 1892 and 1894. One by one they
have returned to the Democratic par
ty-the true party of bimetalism =
and this year the balance of the hon-
est ones will repudiate the party that