HISTORY
By Billy Arthur
The Rise And Fall
Of Marion Butler
The one-time U.S. senator garnered plenty of friends
and enemies as a Democrat. Populist and Republican.
Until his death in 1938, U.S.
Sen. Marion Butler was
doubtless the most discussed
and cussed politician North Carolina
produced following the Reconstruc¬
tion period.
For one reason, he served
with distinction in three politi¬
cal parties — Democrat, Popu¬
list and Republican. His politi¬
cal opponents, while praising
his contributions to the state
and nation, charged him with
betraying one party into the
hands of another. Secondly, he
was accused of attempting to
force the state to pay what some
factions claimed were unjust
and repudiated bonds.
Historians now agree there
was no substantial foundation
to either accusation. As a state
senator from Sampson County
in the 1890s, Butler wrote three
laws considered the most im¬
portant during the last part of
the 19th century. They regu¬
lated and taxed railroads, es¬
tablished the State Normal and
Industrial School for Women at
Greensboro (now the Uni¬
versity of North Carolina at
Greensboro) and extended the public
school term to four months without a
tax increase.
In addition, when denominational
groups sought to impede the growth of
the state university and other public
institutions by cutting their appro¬
priations, Butler fought successfully
to save them.
In the U.S. Senate for a single term
from 1895 to 1901, he wielded im¬
mense power and was the most noted
Tar Heel Republican member of Con¬
gress before Sen. Jesse Helms. Who’s
Who and the records credit Butler
with establishing rural free mail de¬
livery and leading the fight for appro¬
priations to build the first submarine.
Also, he is listed as a strong and suc¬
cessful advocate of the penny post
card (which now costs 15 cents), par¬
cel post, postal savings, telegraphs
and telephones. Incidentally, the first
RFD system was in his home county of
Sampson.
As for his switching political par¬
ties, historians recognize that the
Populist party was born of a genuine
desire to better conditions in the state.
However, Populists looked to the
larger Democratic party as a leader in
that direction and offered to help, but
the Democrats scorned the fusion.
The Republicans were open to it. So,
Butler remained a Republican after
the passing of the Populist party.
As for the North Carolina bonds,
they were held by the State of South
Dakota and were proven bona fide in¬
stead of "repudiated carpet bagger
bonds,” as his political enemies and
some other confused citizens charged.
Butler exercised the privilege of any
lawyer in representing South Dakota
to force payment. But he admitted
later it was a mistake in public rela¬
tions.
— Butler was born near Clinton
in 1863, and his early life was
spent interspersing days of
hard farm labor and nights with
books and study, directed by a
mother with scholastic train¬
ing. He was said to have had the
equivalent of a seventh-grade
education when he entered pub¬
lic school. At age 18 he entered
UNC. After graduation in 1885,
he taught school and looked af¬
ter the farm.
Following the depression of
1886 and 1887, a Farmers’ Alli¬
ance organizer came to Butler’s
community promoting the in¬
terests of agriculture, and the
tall, brilliant, handsome and
personable Butler, who had a fa¬
cility for remembering names,
became very active in it. He was
its state president in 1892 and
1893 and national president in
1894 and 1895.
His entrance into politics
came with his founding the Clinton
Caucasian, a weekly newspaper at
Clinton. It was ably edited and com¬
manded a wide influence, which was
extended when Butler moved it to
Raleigh in 1890.
In 1892, he declared his opposition
to the renomination of Grover Cleve¬
land as president, withdrew from the
Democratic party of his forefathers
Photo from SC Diviik*) of Arihis*» and Minor}
The Slate/March K9
8
