The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-12-08
REMARKABLE LITERATURE.

| Carolina is the Address that was pre-
pared and signed by a committee of
nine out of ten men appointed by a re-
cent called meeting of the State Execu-
tive Committee of the Democratic
party.
On this committee were five Alliance
and fvenon- Alliance Democrats. State
Lecturer J. S. Bell, of Clay county,
was one Of the committee. He refused
to sign the document.
The strangest thing about it is that
the meeting should be held so long be-
fore the campaign opened. Another
strange thing is that any n would
suppose that the great feeling of dis
satisfaction and depression existing
among our people could be suppressed
by any ten men in the State preparing
and sending out an address. The gen
eral tenor of the document is a TRADE
| against the Republican party. Tariff
! reform and a reform Of u financial
system is mentioned as being essential.
All former platforms have contained
such stuff as this. But in non of them,
nor in this wonderful address is any
plan or scheme endorsed.
Just such documents as this has we'll
nigh ruined our people. Unless some
thing tangible is shown, there is no
use in forever saying there should be
financial reform or any other kind Of
| reform. From this time out the party
| that puts forward the most promising
plan in plain English is the one that is
likely to strike the people most favor
ably.
These campaign documents sound a
good deal like the story that Senator
Vance once used as an illustration in
one of his speeches in the Senate. A
wagner was out with a heavily loaded
wagon. His team was not able to pull
the load up a long, steep hill. After a
number of trials the driver gave up
and went to the nearest house to hire
another pair of horses. He found a
man sitting in the house playing a
violin. The WAGNER stated that he
came to hire a pair of horses to aid his
team up the hill. The man stopped,
laid the violin across his knees and
said: My friend, | am sorry, but 1
haven't got a horse in the world, but
if it will do you any good 1 can lend
you the best fiddle you ever drew a
bow across"
Now this political pOppycoc reminds
us very much of above story, and these
9 addresses" and such stuff are worth
as much as the violin would have been
to the wagner.
Be it understood that this is not On
attack upon the Democratic party.
The party didn't have anything to do
with this address. The Democratic
party of North Carolina is not the
National Democratic party either.
In order to please people that should
not be consulted at all, national politi-
cal platforms for sometime have been
nothing but mere moonshine. The
greatest lawyer that ever lived could
not justly cOnstrue any part Of them
to mean anything.
We make the broad assertion here
and now that neither party will dare
put anything in the national platform
that means radical reform in plain
English. There is said to be a differ
ence Of IA per cent. in the tariff. This
would only be a drop in the bucket.
The tariff amounts to 1925, 900, 900. The
reduction would amount to about one
seventh or less than a hundred millions
of dollars. Among 60, 900, 900 people
this would be the magnificent CD sum
of one dollar and thirty cents per capita
IN o. gear.
We believe the tariff should be re-
duced, but this penny wise quarreling
by the two parties is absurd.
The party that gets there next year,
unless the people decide to act the fool
a while longer, will have something in
it's platform. 1t will not take more
than two or three dozen words to ex-
plain it, either. But there must be
several things that will drop with a
dull thud. When these things 20 into
that platform there will be a good deal
of excitement. Most of the p~lutocrats
will be on n side, the great ~conserva-
tive class on the other. The platform
that is "a winner" next year will have
more meat about it than is visible in
this address. A word to the wise is
sufficient.