The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-09-16

have endeavored to place the poor and
the rich on the same plane 2 OILY a
few days ago bonded warehouse was
burned and the government lost thou
sands of dollars in taxes. Indeed, the
government had paid its officers for
guaging, paid its storekeepers for
watching the distiller and the ware
house, yet this is all right as Mr.. Car
isles friends are interested in this
scheme. Our mountain distillers must
pay the last cent of taxes within 80
days or their little stills are seized.
Great is the mystery of Congress as
manifested towards corporations.
We hayseedecs have charged that
laws that relate to business interests
in which the wealthy engage are
modified to be to their advantage and
determinations made against the poor.
How many letters on the constitution
ality of these laws have our members
in Congress written
Prior to 1860 both the Democratic
and Republican parties clamored for
a Pacific railroad and finally inserted
these demands in a platform. Con
gress gave away millions of acres of
land that the people had bought to
railroads. To these corporations we
advanced money and credit, and yet
these constitutional tattlers talk as if
the G. 0. P. alone was guilty. A Re-
publican Congress did pass the laws
hY7t both ,oor+Too bod JopoopJoJ it
The Congress was made Republican
by the Democrats Withdrawing.
So far as the constitutional ques-
tion of advancing credit and lands are
concerned, both parties stand on an
equal footing. The Democratic party
of Virginia took the peoples money
to build turnpikes, canals, etc. In
North Carolina we aided and built
railroads from our Treasury. We
took from all the people their hard
earned money aud purchased French,
Spanish and Russian possessions. We
compel the same people to pay for the
same lands they bought.
In all good faith we ask where IN
the Constitution, if strict construc
ton is desired, is the warrant for buy
ing other nations territory ?
We have built great levees for the
benefit of private land owners. We
have laws for the cleaning of creeks
that are not navigable and on whose
banks there does not grow enough
produce to warrant the running of
line of fat boats, and yet the peoples
money is used for private gain, and
the Record shows that some of our
constitutional objectors voted for these
appropriations. Congress has voted
money for shows, loaned money to
fairs. We have stamped out the cat,
tie plague oy national appropriations,
we have appropriated money for agri-
cultural colleges, and all these acts
were said to be unconstitutional.
1t would take up all the space in
The PROGRESSIVE FARMER if | were to
give the titles to the bills that are
now laws that were said to be uncon-
stitutional. Our constitutional letter
writer is in favor of national banks,
but they were said to be unconstitu-
tional.
We are leo up to the following:
For what are constitutions made
To benefit the people. Who makes
or unmakes constitutions ? The peo-
pie.
If, then, the people adopt constitu-
tions for their own benefit, the peo
ple's WILL alone, is higher than the
constitution that expresses their will.
The peoples good should guide all
interpretations.
If our government was instituted
by the people and for the people, if
the greatest good to the greatest mum
Der is Democracy then the peoples
expressed will is the proper construc,
tion of the highest law.
The peoples will is expressed
through the ballot box. If they ex-
press it as their will that they shall
have money at as low rate of interest
as banks, if they say they want the
same aid extended to them that has
been extended to corpor ations and so
express their will, the constitution
will then be interpreted by those for
whom it was made, by those who
have the power to unmake or amend
and it will be accepted as good consti,
tutional law.
Men of eminence are exposed to
censure on one hand and liable to fiat
terry on the other. If they receive
repfoaches which are not due to them
| they likewise recaiva nraisa which