Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1891-07-23

the ignorance and cupidity of unthinking
citizens of all classes, says an exchange. An
other feature is that public men who have
been heretofore 100 prudent, proud or cautious
to express themselves, can be heard from
freely and unreservedly on this great subject.
Even ex-governor R. L. Taylor, of Tennessee,
one OF the schrewdest politicians of the coun-
try, has been moved to discuss the question,
and in letter to a friend says:
"The civilized world has never witnessed
such general upheavalin politics. In almost
every city, town and hamlet in the union there
are labor unions, trade unions and every
conceivable sort of club and lodge of work
ingmen, who hold their regular meetings
| for the discussion of economic questions
and public and social politics; anu almost
every schoolhouse in the land closes its
doors at stated periods upon the farmers
and farm hands. securely and secretly shut
within the walls and for their safety. All
the rapid organization, all these unions and
farmers alliances, in my judgment, mean
more than most of US have dreamed OF.
They are, on the one hand, the evidences of
! the advanced enlightment and the increased
intelligence of the great mass of the people
who are the producers of wealth; and, on
the other hand, they are the direct and logical
results of republican class legislation, which
has cursed this country for more than quar-
ter of century. The working men OF the
nation ought not to be blamed for organizing
for their own mutual benefit and protection.
The tillers of the soil should not be con-
dernned for allaying themselves together for
the purpose of influencing public policy;
L IL. hoo 1nno 10
and plan, while the politicians and trusts and
monopolies are trembling and forcing better
prices for the products of their sweat and toll,
because the capital that buys their products
and hires their labor is thoroughly organized.
But all this stir and commotion,
and all this combination and solidif-
cation of the. producers will right
no wrong, nor will it achieve ultimate sue
cess, unless these movements are properly
directed. 1t would be like an unorganlzed
army, without either arms or ammunition, or
plan of battle, rushing blindly into the con-
fict, without any possibility of triumph.
There is only one banner under which the
workingmen can ever hope to win success in
this great struggle for their rights and liber-
ties. 1t is the banner Of democracy. Upon
its ample folds are written, in letters which
have only grown brighter in the struggles of
hundred years: Equal rights to all, special
privileges to none. The right Of every citi-
zen to trade anywhere in this wide world,
and, under certain just conditions, to have
the privilege to sell for the highest price and
I buy where he can buy the cheapest; taxation
to pay the expenses of the government alone,
and all its legitimate obligations, no more, no
| less; and the burdens of taxation to rest
heaviest upon the rich and iightest upon the
poor; free coinage of silver, the peoples
money, the poor mans friend; local-self
government of the states, free from force bills
and bayonets; protection of labor and capital
alike, the encouragement of agriculture, not
by tariffing it to death, but by the regulation of
transportation by land, and opening the block |
AIDES upon the high seas, giving it the right
to exchange its products with every nation
IN the world; the encouragement of all the
industries, with Partially to none; the en-
| lightenment of the people, and distribution of
the blessings of liberty and good government |
for the happiness of all, making every home
| the castle and palace of prince, and every |
citizen a sovereign-this is the democratic
creed. Now, what does the farmers alliance
/ propose to do? What are the labor unions
going to do? What flag do they propose to
tollowto reach the end which they so eager
| ly desire, and which they seem so determined
to achieve? VIII they divide up into fac !
tons, and each faction have its own separate
party? viii the farmers of America hoist a
new flag, and then hope TO carry the country
with tn sub-treasury battle cry? Let them
remember the history of the past. They are
not wiser than Jefferson. The grand princi- |
pies laid down by him are the most practic- |
able and the best. The sub-treasury scheme
is serpent in the basket of flowers, which
will sting and destroy the great alliance
movement 1t is attractive and beautiful, |
but there is deadly poison lying concealed
and coiled within. 1t is undemoCratic- 1t
is unwise. 1t is wrong-wrong in policy and
wrong in principle. The government can
not be both merchant and banker for the peo-
pie. 1t can only protect them with whole |
some laws. 1t can only shield them over
taxation and tyranny. But it can never go
into partnership with them, or become
general mortgage of lands, tenements, |
hereditaments, pumpkins and iackasses. |
Our government has no money to loan. 1t |
ought not to have dollar for that purpose, |
for every golden eagle in its treasury which |
| is surplus, above the amount necessary to |
expend in the payment Gifts debts, and to |
defray its expenses and reasonably provide |
| for contingencies, represents that much OF |
overtaxation of the people. Let the Solo
mons give us a policy that will get the far
merS out OF dept instead OF Their suD-treaSury |
policy the logical result of which would be |
to plumber them deeper in debt. Let the
stalwart alliance men and labor union men !
fall into the rank of democracy, and help us
cut the tariff to a revenue basis, and increase
the volume of our currency, and force free |
coinage of silver, and curtail extravaganza ex-
penditures of the public money, and break
the necks of billion dollar congresses, and
dismember and destroy the republican party
forever. Let our representatives, both in the
cabinet and in the congress. be taught |
that this is democratic re-
publican government, and not an aristoc-
racy. Then we will have better times.
fear some of our democratic leaders right |
here in Tennessee are hiding from these
questions. fl could get their ears could
unfold to them secret l could tell them
that the people hate coward. The farmers
would not give snap of their fingers for a
public servant who has not the courage of
his convictions. Neither would the labor |
unions. Neither would any other element of
their constituents. think it high time that
fthose who are occupying high offices by the
gift of the democracy of Tennessee were
taking position publicly. So far as l am