The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-02-24

himself by gambling and committed
suicide by shooting himself with a re-
volver on September 10, 1890.
A WORD TO THE COURT HOUSES.
AS far as the Republic is concerned,
the Force bill will not be dead until
Reeds Congress dies on March 4, but
as nearly everybody has concluded
that it is dead already, we will accept
the conclusion, pro tenn, because we
have been wanting to get the Force
bill out of the way for a long time,
that we might say a few words to our
friends in the court houses at the
South.
So, gentlemen, please draw your
chairs up around the stove in the
county clerks office and listen. This
is for you in confidence and for nobody
else.
The spring is coming, and when it
comes you will sit out in the court
house yard, after you have your books
posted, and there, enjoying the delight
full weather, you will talk with your
constituents who come in for their mail,
their supplies, and to attend to their.
court house business. You are royal
good fellows, we know, but you are
t~aX-eaters and those same constituents
who come in horseback and muleback
from miles in the country are the tax
payers and your masters.
We want you to remember that.
Just now you have forgotten it. You
think you own the earth. The Radicals
have united the South as it never has
been before. 1t has been compressed
into SOlidity by an outside force there
was nc resisting, and you, gentlemen
of the court houses, with your usual
f~arsighted court house craftsmanship,
are using your knowledge of hat fact
for all it is worth. knowledge is
power, OF course, and you think you
own the earth-think so honestly and
periodically, and are honestly and
periodically bent on administering it
for its Own good and the incidental
good Of the occupants of the court
houses. In one way and another, you
are changing The good old-fashioned
Southern ways III politics. You are
introducing court house primaries or
other BlOcks-Of-Five devices under
which it is easy for a few statesmen In
the county court houses to control
everything from constable to congress
man. And if anyone objects, you are
saying to him:
"We are the people, and whoever
does not do as we say is a niger and
no Democrat"
Keep your seats, gentlemen. Wait
until we are through and then do your
protesting. We have the floor now.
You are doing just that. We have
been watching you this long time, and
have been unable to say anything to
you because we have been too busy
fighting Radicalism. And for that
same reason your constituents nave
been unable to say anything. They,
too, have been too busy fighting Radi-
calism.
But settling day comes sooner or
later, and it will come for you just as
the South is freed from Radicalism
and Bloody-shit attacks. Then you
will find that. you are mistaken about
Downing the earth. Just as soon as they
get a chance, your constituents, who
are better Democrats then you are,
will snow you that they can differ with
you without being "niggers and n9/
Democrats" You may yell white
supremacy" and ''nigger supremacy"
at them as much as you please, bYt if
yOHgo 0nGGSRu are doing now, it will
not save y66r political bacon. we tell
you that:
v udF Sdlu u DClOICg We CLldI IL III
What we tell you three times is true.
You are the salt of the earth; the
great men of the county. You read
the papers every day and know what
is going on at the State Capital and In
the District of Columbia. None are SO.
well fitted as you to give the very best
return for the taxes you eat, but if
you go on trying to be public masters
instead of public servants the very first
chance the people get at you they will
wiring you political head off as if you
were the commonest of common dung
hill fowls instead of the cocks of the
walk you are now concluding that
you are.
And the support of the banker who
deals in county warrants, of the mer-
chants who sells you your dry goods,
of the editor who publishes the legal
advertisements, of the lawyers who
get fees for collecting back taxes and
of the saloon-keeper who mixes your
juleps won't save you either.
See to it, gentlemen, if you do not
want the Democratic party split in
every county in the South as a part of
the process of and a result of the neces-
sity of wringing your political necks.
st. Louis Republic.
All oo-4;oc uyiObior To b11u uiva6 car