The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-11-25
AN ATTACK ON POLK.
A Greensboro Editor Handles Him in a
Very Rough Manner.
charlotte News

charlotte News
This weeks issue of the Greensboro
Democrat assails Col. L. L. Polk in a
decidedly breezy way. This is the
article, barring the first paragraph
which contains a pretty loud adjec,
tive:
Polk has been made crazy by his
elevation to the presidency of a large,
respectable and influential order.
How he ever got there has always
been as much matter of astonish
ment to himself as it Is to those who
know his unsavory record.
"Col." Polk and his radical and
equally rascally associate, Macune,
fearing exposure of their rotten rec,
ords, some months ago issued a
circular calling upon the Alliances
throughout the country to boycott
every paper that dared to say any
thing derogatory of the officers of that
order. But they "reckoned without
their hosts" The Alliance, composed
as it is of sensible men and intelligent
women, was not to be coerced into
any such fool proceeding or led astray
by such assinine advice.
Now comes the most infamous pro
ceedings of any of the several that
have blackened Folks character.
Notwithstanding the people of North
| Carolina have endorsed Senator Vance
by electing the largest number of
| Democrats ever elected to the North
Carolina Legislature and instructed
ninety pep cent. of them to vote for
him; Notwithstanding every county in
the State, but four, instructed for
Vance, this Shiny serpent is doing his
utmost to induce these honorable gen
tlemen to repudiate their pledges and
defeat the greatest and best friend the
State eve had.
But "Colonel" Polk will fail in this
disreputable and dishonest proceeding
as dismally and signally as he has in
other equally dishonest attempts ema-
mating from his rotten conscience.
"Colonel" Polk overestimates his
strength. Of the one million seven
hundred thousand people in North
Carolina, only ninety-two thousand
(men and women) belong to the order
which he is apparently trying to wreck
in order to thrive upon the wreckage.
And not one half of that number
would allow Colonel" Polk to lead
them into such a dishonest a measure
as this attempt to defeat Senator
Vance, or to force their representa-
tives in the leg stature to disregard
the instructions of the people and their
own pledges.
We clip the above simply to show
our readers something of the methods
used by our enemies and the enemies
of the Alliance in their efforts 20 gag
and bulldoze and crush US. Is this
the policy oy which Senator Vance is
to be re elected? Is this the policy
through which the voice of at least
ninety per c,nt. of the Alliance of the
State is to be stiaed and silenced q?
Are honest, conscientious, true Ali.
ance men, men who cherish principle
and who dare to stand by it-are
treemen of North Carolina to be thus
whipped and scoUrged and slandered
by foul nouthed political poodles and
drsVen from their honest conclusions 2
Does Senator Vance endorse such
base and filthy methods Do the
gentlemen of the press in North Caro-
lima endorse it? Not one disrespect-
full word against Senator Vance has
appeared in the columns of The PRo
GREssIvE FARMER. He is not our God.
He is not infallible. He does not own
the State. He does not own our con-
science. He does not own the Ali.
ance. He is against US, and if re
detected, occupying his present unten-
able position, it will be against our
protest. Whenever the question is
presented to us whether we will
abandon u principles for any man,
we will not hesitate to give oEr de-
cision. Senator Vance makes this
issuo sqTsrely. In effect he says to
! so, 600 Alliance men in the State: