Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-08-21
Alliance Catcchlsm--Mr. Benct's
Answer.
his LETTER TO COL. KEITT, CHAIR.
MAN OF THE THIRD CONGRESS
SIONAI. DISTRICT ALLIANCE.
August It'll 1890.

we "oo' IL HCttt3 CHNtFIttFt
IHn0 Congressional District H.
Hunce:
DEAR SIE:-As a candidate for
the Democratic nomination for Con-
grcss in the Third Congressional
District, take pleasure in express
ing my views in brief on the eight
propositions submitted by the Con-
grcssional District Alliance for tho
consideration of candidates for Con-
gress.
The first six commend Intensely es
to my judgment as excellent meas
urcs, and l pledge myself to support
them.
If the seventh mean that the GOV
eminent shall purchase, own, and OPP
crate the railroad, steamboat, and
stage lines and telegraph lines, I can-
not support it. For this position I
have given my reasons at length on
the hustings. | believe that railroads
and other means of communication
and transportation, including tclc-
graph lines, should be subjected to
the watchful supervision Of agovcrn-
mcnt commission, both State and
Federal, with large powers.
The eighth proposition refers to
the S~ub-Trcasury plan. This is q
measure of transccndcnt Importance.
AS understand it the purpose of the
Picker QIousc) Bill and the Vance
(Senatc) Bill is to a W the farmer
from the necessity of selling his crop
when the money market is most strin-
gent, and to free him from the con-
troll of tho money lender, and to take
from spectators the power they now
enjoy and use to produce fluctuations
in the price of farm products to the
injury Of the farmer and the gain of
the s]pcculator.
The principle involved in this
mcasurc-namcly: That the volume
Of money should be as flexible as the
demand for it's a new and, [ think,
a sound maxim of political economy.
Fluctuations i'm the value of crops re-
suit from n fixed amount Of money
with a varying demand. TO render
the price Of farm products reasonably
stable, there must be a flexible vol
umc of money to meet the flexible
demand for IT.
With this purpose and this princi-
PIE ! ain i'll hearty sympathy. The
Sub-Treasury Bill is the first effort
to cmbody this principle in statute
form. regard it as a step in the
right direction; and while it is far
from perfect, and will, | believe, have
to give place to a substitute, it still
furnishes us, in my opinion the basis
of wholesome legislation. | see
many objections to the bill in it's
present shape. In common with the
leaders of the Farmers Alliance I
can say that it is not the bill, but
the principle, which is to he contend
cd for. ! pledge myself, if elected
to Congress, to do my utmost en-
dcavor to enact laws which shall ac-
complish the purpose and put into
active operation the sound principle
of the bill.
While these are my views on the
eight propositions, | cannot commit
myself to support all, or any of them,
"UNINFIUENcED nY PARTY CAUCUS"
This phrase is italicisc1 in your pro-
liminary qucstion-an intimation on
your part of it's Importance. Bclicv-
ing rs | do that that the salvation Of
the South and of the whole country
lies in the Democratic party, were
elected to Congress as a Democrat by
the Democrats of the Third District
J could not and would not refuse To
enter the party caucus and be bound
by it's action. The Congressman who
declines to be bound by the action of
his party caucus is by his own act
banished from his party and pcrforco
becomes M independent. do not
think the Democrats of the Third
District will knowingly support any
candidate for Congress who pledges
himself to be independent of his
party on any measure which may be-
come & caiious question.
1t is contcndcd that the eight pro-
positions are not and cannot become
political or partisan measures. If
| this were trrc-and | doubt it-Why