The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-12-10

AAiiS A'o hoHSoly, Ills courage anu MS
friendship for the plain common peo-
pie, he says, and would cheerfully sup
port him if he should be the nominee
OF his party in 1892. We publish the
letter below preceded by some CON-
ments thereon by the Statesville Land
mark. That paper says:
We publish below a letter written
by Mr.. J. B. Banks, Sr., Jones county
farmer, to the New Bern Journal
This letter seems to have struck some
of our contemporaries with surprise.
There is no need why it should. We
have no doubt that Mr.. Banks repre-
sents with accuracy the sentiments of
the rank and file of the Farmers AL
lance with reference to Mr.. Cleveland.
Cleveland has always been especially
strong with the plain, substantial peo-
pie of the country. The politicians,
"leadlng' men, the talking men, have
never been friendly to him, but the
masses believe in him, in his honesty
and courage. The special point, how
ever, in this communication that we
want to bring to notice is the declara-
ton of Mr.. Banks that Mr.. Polk
doesn't know anything about the sem
timents of the people. That is exactly
true. He goes over the country in
Pullman cars, or among the people
with his nose in the clouds, doing all
the talking himself, and knows moth
ing about what they think or feel.
That is the way with too many other
politicians, and with too many editors.
1t takes the country editor who knows
all of his subscribers personally and
who sits down in his office in his shirt
sleeves as they come and go, and hears
them talk, who knows public opinion.
And he is the man who has more faith
in them than anybody else has, be-
cause, knowing them, he knows they
aim all the time to be right, and that
if they get off the track little, every
now and then, they will get back on.
The following is the letter:
see from your paper of recent date
an account of speech made by Col.
L. L. Polk, in which he states that
North Carolina, and especially the
Farmers Alliance, were not in favor
of Cleveland for President. While
cannot speak for the Farmers Alliance
of the whole State, do know the SEN
timent of those in Jones county, and l
have never yet heard a single one
speak unfavorably of Cleveland, and
in fact very large part of these are
in favor of him for President.
We, the farmers and members of
the Alliance, are now, and ever have
been, conservative people, and we
do know that Cleveland is friend to
the great mass of working people Of
every section of this mighty Common
wealth, and knowing and appreciating
this fact, we intend to stand by and
tor him whenever his name is presented
to the people. l have frequently
noticed that when the great (?) Polk
speaks he does it in such a manner as
if he knew what the Alliance was in
favor of, when in truth and in fact he
can not be but little acquainted with
the tone and real sentiments of the
great masses of our people. We have
been made tools of too long already,
and think it time for US to assert our
manhood and have the caurage to
stand for our convictions. |, for one,
a member of the Alliance, and able to
speak for large part of our people,
say we are for Cleveland, Polk TO the
contrary Notwithstanding.
!. B. BANKS, SR.