The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-09-29
THE PARTIZAN PRESS AND THE
PEOPLE.

Wl16Il Uu0 1IlU0I6SU VI UIIG pGOpI6 CtI1O UIl0
interest of the partizan press vary
The interest of the people, and their
welfare, and the interest of parties
and of their cOaiders, the press, are
two distinct things We find in these
| journals many beautifully written edl-
tOrials, interspersed with some whole
some advice; but the trend of them all
is to create and manufacture a sentl-
ment among the people against the
Alliance, some COvertly and others
openly and above board.
They aim at the leaders They first
charged that L, L. Polk was aspiring
to the United States Senate. That
lying prophecy failed and next they
assailed him as an aspirant for the
public printing. In this they proved
false prophets. Next came these mag
pies demeaning him because he was
aspiring to be President. The last
charge going the rounds is that he
wants to be Governor. If l.. L. Polk
be called upon as a candidate to run
! for any office, and is elected by the
people, what business is it of this
HOOden-headed gang? Who has con-
stituted them judges of this matter,
anyway?
Next they have a sling at Macune
and Co., advise all people against these
! willy demagOgues. Who, we pray, IS
! these journals and the men they ad
vance, This strike at the heads of
this movement is the same strike they
would make at every man they could
not brow beat. if they had the chance
| Their hatred manifested against Polk
and Macune only manifests their gall
| against every member of the Alliance.
But there Is a purpose behind all this
which the friends of freedom should
know, and that purpose is to manufac
ture public sentiment in the interest OF
the parties and against the people.
What seems strikingly strange is that
these hypOcTitical parties should mani
fest, or rather profess, an abiding in
terest in the peoples welfare, and the
very first time for years that the peO
pie have manifested a wish or a de
mand for their rights, these self same
demagOgues have set up to fight the
people with all the ingenuity their wits
can devise, Stick to your parties,
cry they. This is your only hope. And
pray who constitute the parties! The
leaders. the bosses and the press Take
these away and they would be dead
before to morrow night. Their lives
are fictitious. They are dead COrpses
already, kept putfed up with wind and
brag. Take away the wind and bra
from these stuffed mummies and they
would fall lifeleSS end fiat They know
it. The press know it. But they have
an interest in keeping breath in them:
hence this effort to create a public
prejudice against the peoples demands.
What vital principle do they live on?
Absolutely none They profess to live
on the tariff ISSUE a more heterogeneous
| COnglOmerated mass of absurditieS and
contradictions never disgraced the at
! tention Of an intelligent people. These
| leaders cut and slash, sparkle and burn
with patriotic fire on the stump. then
go to Washington and on some goods
| they lay high tariff, on some a low.
and others none. But after a bull dog
| fight at home to amusG the people. go
to Washington and do the same thing.
! They levy the tariff all the time as
their Doodle interest or party interest
dictates, Nothing more nor nothing
less. Why then are these parties so
tenacious on the tariff issue? Because
either side is a very indefinite prOpO-
sitiOn. 1t signifies nothing. 1t don't
instruct, Elected on this issue, a man
can go to Congress, and as he pleases
50 he ObeyS the bosses. Who are the
! bosses in Congress? The Sharpest and
grandGSt ScOundrelS on Gods green
earth.
The effort then of the party press TO
maintain their interests and to create
a public sentiment against this peoples
movement is for the purpose of party
aggrandizement and the SubiectiOn of
the people to shrewd, unscrupulOus
set Of scOundrels. Each party says so
/ r. ~
dence, believe it.
The party press complain that they
are not allowed to criticise men and
measures in the Alliance. To this we
reply we know your business in max
ing the criticisms, and after we see the
hidden hand prOtruded and know the
game you are attempting to play. We
find you a willing witness on all that
lying scribblers may say against us
and very carefully keeping the good
in the back ground. And if you should
say some good and gain the confidence
of an unwary brother, you become ten
fold more dangerous to the people than
an open enemy.
Let us see how the party press stand
in relation to the people. A few test
questions will explain everything. If
Cleveland, Hill, German, Harrison,
Blaine or Algiers be nominated on plat
forms ignoring the peoples demands,
how many party papers will desert
their party nominee? Every man will
choke down and swallow every prin-
ciple he may have of his own and rally
to his party flag. Why? This is
their business. What are they after
now? To so mould public sentiment
about the men and measures of the
peoples cause as to render the whip
ping in process easy.
They are sincere and honest from q
plutocratic standpoint, whose servants
thnv are Both nartieS are AhSOlntelY