E ?5\. as a Populist, stumping the State for Bryan and advocating throughout, every principle of the PopulistiO party. lie solicited money to make his campaign for the Senate from the Demot Congressional campaign committee and received large aumSi While tho legislature was in session reports of his disgraceful trade reached the senate and Mr. EVLE was asked by wire if tho reports were true. He denounced all such stories as false. He makes the same de- fense now, but his worthless word will have no weight against :'. mass of evidence so conclusive of his perfidy. The following editorial from the Aberdeen Star. Kyi.i.'s homo Populist paper, will throw some light on this subject: Although Kyle publicly denies that he has any understanding with tho Republicans, the latter generally believe the story which is current that ho has committed himself to support all Republican measures with I eeption of free silver. Your correspondent was informed to-nighl by a Re- publican who has been working on the combination that t he interview which resulted in the agreement took place this morning. There were pi mi Kyle, Pickler, one of Kyle's managers, ami two of the Republican sb committee. The in) srview was protracted, and during it the whole ground was covered. Kyle agreed to vote with tho Republicans— to vote for the tariff measure and every Republican measure. He reserved the right to vote upon the question as he saw fit. but qualified this reservation byexplainin the last election bethought that a measure for the free and unlimited ageof silver alono would not probably come to a vote in ('(ingress, and should it come up be would not vote for it if it were in Buch shape as to Imperil the passage of any other Administration measure. Tho talk was so explicit and the understanding so perfect that the Republican members of the legisla- ture were readilv induced to agree to the arrangement. No caucus was held, but the committee saw the members separately, and the whole affair was managed so quietly that nothing leaked out till the whole business was ar- ranged. One Republican— Sweet, of Hutchinson— refused to gointothedeaL Here is another newspaper account of the conspiracy: On Monday last. 15th instant, tho Populists caucused and adjourned to meet last Thursday night. In the meantime they had agreed upon a caucus nominee. This decision soon reached the ears of the Republicans, who at once began to rally to meet the emergency. Major Pickler had read • conclusion that it "would be impi Bsibie to elect a pronounced Republican and gracefully withdrew from the contest and went to work with the Bepuo- It was soon ascertained that Kyle could muster l3votes that could be counted on from start to finish, and the greatest political maneuver thai v.. is ever successfully earned o„t in the siate began. Itwasno ","',""; vince some of the Republican members that the time had c to act, and tii.it there was no time to spare, and the work was not completed antii i in the morning, Thursday. In hallways of the Locke I iblicanswere flitting about in their night robes, while the silver forces slept m adjoining rooms unsuspectingly. Mr. BUTLER. Will the S nato from South Dakota yield to me one moment? Mr. PETT1GREW. I yield. Mr BUTLER. The Senator said ho was net able yet to place his colleague. His colleague stated that he thought the Senate ought to bo Republican, inasmuch as the President was Repub- lican and the House was Republican, and. of course, th< r he had to make himself a Republican to make that majority. Therefore, let it be understood from now on that th< Republican and by the admission of the Senator whose vote is necessary to make it Republican. 3170 8 Mr. PETT1GREW. I will say in this connection that my col- league on the 30th of December, 1895, made a statement to that effect, and 1 think we can safely class him as a man without con- viction or character — a Republican, for revenue only. The proposition that a member of the United [States Senate finds it his duty to abandon his party and ally himself with the opposition party for the purpose of giving his political opponents entire control of the Government is one never before enunciated since political organizations divided the sentiments of a self- governing people. The public servant who is conscientiously ready to swap political conviction for governmental symmetry can not be far in advance of the heavenly announcement that i3 to usher in the millennium. This would certainly be the case in the absence of controlling ch - cumstances, but the coincidence of an election by Republican votes and an anxiety for the political welfare of a Republican Ad- ministration tends to rudely dissolve the illusion Mr. Kyle seeks to establish on the basis of an abnormal conscience. We of South Dakota have known him in all his varied phases, and he will never be able to square himself with the public through the creation of flimsy pretexts in excuse for oft-repeated political apostacy. He has now abandoned every position held by the People's Party, and within two weeks has voted against taxing corporations, against an income tax, against issuing greenbacks or money direct by the Government, against postal savings banks, in favor of the issue of bonds, and against amending the Washington street-car charters! so as to limit the length of the franchise. As a reward for all this treachery and betrayal of principle, he basks in the smiles of the Republican Administration, and receives his pay in appointments for his friends. These favors he un- blushingly solicits as the consideration for his votes. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 013 787 725 9