The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-10-03
MARION BUTLER PLEDGES PRITCH-
ARD SUPPORT.

Ex-senator Marion Butler again
comes 10 the front in POLITICAL matters.
Every time he bObs up it is in a new
place in the political field. We do not
believe he has ever gone through two
consecutive campaigns holding to he
same political views. His opening act
in the present campaign is a letter to
Senator Pritchard, which was given to
the press Saturday. While the posi-
ton taken by the ex-senator may sur
prise some, most people who have Kept
up with his political career and re-
member his frequent changes of base
will say that they have looked TOR This
very thing. 1t has been predicted in
the press for several weeks hat he was
preparing TO take part in the contest
this fall, and those who knew him felt
sure that whatever coTrse he took
would be in aid of the enemies Of the
democratic party.
In his letter Butler reminds the SEN
atOr that in 1896 he went back on his
pledge made to the senator two years
before and did all he could to secure the
election Of DR.. Cyrus Thompson TO the
senate. His seasons for so doing, he
says, were:
If Dr.. Thompson had beer elected
to the senate he would have voted with
me to increase the money supply, and
IL the output of gold had not been suf-
fcient he would have voted to supple
ment il with silver or legal tender
Sreenbacks or both. so as 10 furnish
sufficient money and prevent a money
panic / feared at that time Won N-nuI1
have voted To sustain the existing gold
standard So today we have more
money and more prosperity under the
gold standard than We would have Sc
cured from bi-metallism in 1896 with
the then output of both metals. So UNI
der these circumstances l am glad that
you are elected to the senate . Besides
the time is now at hand when the
south can grow rich BY reaping the
benefits of protection to its abundant
and rich supply of raw materials =
These are some of the seasons why L
am in favor of your reelection TO the
senate"
So. the chairman of the national ex-
ecutive committee of the populist party
comes out fatfOOted for the gold stand
ard and a protective tariff. What are
his pOpulist friends going to say about
this? They refused to go with him in
1896 when he did all in his power to
induce them to break their pledge to
re-elect Pritchard to the senate. They
opposed the senator on the financial
and tariff questions, but they had
agreed to set their views aside for the
sake of securing a seat in the senate
for Mr.. Butler. By so doing they had
been able to place their leader in the sen
ate and they felt in honor bound to
carry out the terms of the contract.
They have Iiquidated their obligations
to Senator Pritchard. Will they now
vote for him, at Mr.. Buffers behest-
not in spite of his advocacy of the gold
standard and protective tariff, but be-
cause Of it? We do not believe Butler
can deliver the goods.
This letter of Buffers, we believe
will do Senator Pritchard more harm
than good. There are in this state
within the democratic ranks a good
many men who are for the gold stand
ard and a protective tariff. 1t cannot
be denied that many of these men look
with favor on the reelection of Sena-
tor Pritchard. They have no use for n
free-silver, low tariff populist. They
will look with great disfavor upon any
alliance between Pritchard and the
populists. They put no faith in the
sincerity of Buffers declarations above
quoted. They want no alliance with
popuIists and they will be very eau
tious in supporting any man who does
make an alliance with them. Pritch-
ard will lose a great deal more from
that quarter if he makes a deal with
Butler than he will gain from him by
So doing. Every one of them knows
that if Butler does throw what strength
he still has to Pritchard he does so TO"
valuable consideration of some kind.
He will have to have pay for his work,
and these men will not care to be in Il
combination that is under obligations
to Marion Butler.
With Butler backing Senator Pritch7
ards chances are simmer than ever.