The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-08-19
"WHo IS POLK1"

q man udLu6u OH, AaIAAhSJ ~ 1891
from North Carolina. A few days
ago the Capital of this city contained
several notices Of this bold, bad man,
and n long communications col
umn or more, under a conspicuous
and suggestive heading Who is
Polk" wove a web Of silly abuse, and
finally rested on three distinct charges,
namely: (l) That Polk was a rebel;
(2) That he is a Democrat; (3) That
he deliberately came to Kansas and
talked to the people about their COM
mon interests.
Let all these three charges be ad-
mitted, then what? He was a rebel;
so was Bullock, so was Alcorn, so
were Longstreet and Mosby, all of
whom were raised to places of grave
res possibility under the government,
one of them sent abroad to represent
the nation he did all in his power to
divide. The gentlemen named and
many others Ike them do now stand
high in the estimation of these traduc-
ers of Polk, and yet this Nor'h Caro-
lima farmer has done more within the
last two years to nationalize the peo-
pie of this country, to esta l1sh
brotherhood and permanent peace,
more to encourage the workers and
join their hearts together, more to
throw light and cheer into the cabins
of the poor, more to advance the com
non interests of the masses, more to
build u a new and better civilization,
than Bullock and Alcorn and Long
street and Mosby and a hundred like
them have done or thought of doing
in all of their lives.
He is a Democrat. So are Vance
and Vest, and voorhees, and McPher-
son, Carlisle and Cleveland-all gen
tlemen not esteemed unfit or uncon-
genial associates of Sherman, Ingalls,,
Hoar, Hale and Harrison. Not a day
passes taat we do not read reports Of
Senators and Congressman, Democrats
and Republicans paired, No closer
friendships are formed within than
without party lines. The Chief JUS
tice of tie United States is a Demo,
crat, and it is not two years since a
Democrat retired from the Presidency.
L. is not, therefore, altogether dishon.
orable to be a Democrat.
They do not charge Mr.. Polk with
appropriating a quarter million dollars
or any other sum of his States money
what abou3 Quay? They do not
charge him with purchasing votes in
blocks 0: fye-what about Dudley Z?
They do not charge him with using
his Office as a conduit through which
to slip money to his fr~iends--what
about Tanner and Raum? They do
not accuse him of selling patronage
what about Belknap and Mckee, ct
I'd M genus2 They do not accuse
him Of purchasing or attempting to
purchase ofice-what about the
" Christian Statesmen ?" He is not
accused of trading in forged bonds,
nor, indeed, is he accused Of having
ever deprived a fellow man of one
legal right.
audacious. And he talked to the
~people-that was worse. He came in
a generous, friendly mood, he be
haved himself decorously, was not
found in evil places, nor did be in,
dulge excessively in strong drink; he
gave no offense to anybody, spoke
kindly to the people and did more in
his half dozen Kansas speeches to-
ward bringing the North and the
South together than I'll the platform
orators who have been preaching hate
the last dozen years. Yes, this plain,
big-hearted man came among the
loyal people of Kansas and told them
a great many good things without say
ing one word il-na.uredly about any
body, interfering in no way with the
local affairs of the citizens; he came
and went as becomes a mar Of heart
and brains out on a great mission.
And shall he be condemned because
he is a gentleman :? * * 4 Was
it infamous, dear Maligner, for Peters
and Plumb and Sherman and McKin-
ley to go to Virginia, to North Caro-
lima, to Tennessee and Louisiana to
talk to the people there, and do they
need to be covered all over with the
filth and slime of party henchmen be-
cause OF their impertinence =? Shame
on men of the loyal, big-hearted
North, that they should raise a hand
against such a mai as this, who come
to us with messages of peace. Would
that they should come in tens and
hundreds and thousands with like
friendly greetings in the mouths of
their commander. The Kansas Far
mer welcomes Mr.. Polk and Mr..
Beaumont and all other men and
women who, like them, come to do US
good. These men are friends of the
toiling poor and r devoting their
time and energies to improving the
condition Of men generally, while their