The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-07-22
SENATOR VANCE.

X SENATOR VANCE.
A BOUT one year ago we were
N having a great deal of trouble
with various trusts that had been and
were being organized to rob the PEG
pie. The jute bagging trust was then
in it's prime. An effort was made to
pass an anti trust law, the object being
to prevent the formation of trusts.
Congress and the Senate both having
a majority of men in each body who
either belonged to various trusts or
were trying to get in, it was natural
that they should get a move on them
and oppose the passage Of the law by
all kinds of arguments. Senator
Vance was in favor. of the measure,
and it seems that he had already dis
covered the false arguments and false
con stitutional objections that were al
ways raised when the farmers wanted
relief. We quote the following from
one of his speeches which sustains us
in the statement last week to the eff
feet that constitutional objections have
always killed all measures asked for
by the farmers. Senator Vance said:
We are all the friends of the PEG.
pie. We are all enemies to these
illegal combinations Of capital which
devour the substance of the people
and grind the faces of the poor. Blu
a0hen 1t comes to putting that friendship
to the test r0e find every proposition which
human Senatorial a1ngemuj.y can suggest
6r16tles with legal and constitutional OBJ
Jtectioms."
Now the question is, has not SIN
atortal ingenuity" been brought to
bear on the Sub, Treasury bill ? 1t
certainly seems that the opposition
has said a good deal about illegal
an ! constitutional o6jectaoms."
No doubt some of the political
trumpets will Jump up and say that
the attitude of Senator Vance on the
anti trust bill was all right. Certain
ly 1t was, and those were brave words
that he spoke. But still the "prGnct
pies Of the Sub Treasury bill were good,
as good in fact as those of the anti,
trust law, and yet it disappears so far
as Senator Vance and others are con
cerned, in a cloud of constitutional and
legal objections. .~
Now we are going to ask Senator
Vance a question which we hope he
can ans wer in a hammer satisfactory
to all. If it is unconstitutional for
the government to loan money to the
people, why is it that it goes on from
year to year? Why don't Senator
Vance or some one have the whole
crowd up before the Supreme Court ?
Senator Vance says in his letter that
in his opinion the present tariff
duties are utterly unconstitutional,
and that the loaning of money to the
people by the government is without
constitutional authority" Now the
people want to know why these un
constitutional things are allowed to
on on. They also want to know whv
unconstitutional legislation can be
gotten through for private individuals
and for other classes and yet when
the farmers want a share in the pie
they are told stand back, we know
you not"
We do not claim that Senator
Vance is to blame for this unconsti.
tutlonal legislation, but simply ask
him to tell how all these mean things
are done. Our people van to know
all about the disease and they will
the remedy. Remember we are
not asking information from so cslled
newspapers who know as little about
these things as we do ourselves. We
want the information from Senator
Vance himself.