Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-07-12
THIRD-PARTY PLATFORMS.
Congressman Grndy, of North Carolina,
on Their Dsccptiveness.
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WAsHfNgrON. ID. C.. July 9, 1892.
Especial telegram to the Dispa,ch.l

NASHINGION. ~. u, July . l9J@'
Colonel ". E. HiR. Fdison. NJ c.:
My Dear Sir.-I have just had pleasant
chat with your son, who stopped on MS
! way to New York, on political conditions
in your section, and he advised me TO
write you my views on the questions now
agitatIng tho minds of or people. haye
concluded to follow. his advice, because
/ am certain that YOU feel as much anxiety
as | do for our children and our state.
As tothe general objects aimed at IN the
st. Louis platform | have no doubt that
you and agree, but We NAV not be entire
ly as one rs to the methods of attaining
these objects.
Take the membership Of railways for ex-
ample. and lot Us compare opinions. Ot
the ffty-seven railways in North Carolina
! thirty-five made reports to the state kail-
| road Commission, IN which we ind that
| the managers and employees--nOt including
attorneys, physicians, and others who de-
pend directly or indirectly on the railways
! for their rsuppOrt-numberl ,I72, and II the
other twenty-five roads had reported the
number would doubtless reach 1900.
! Now. If the Congress should purchase these
railways. the appointment of these l2.0OO
| aole-bodied voters would lee thrown INTO
| the hands of the President of the United
! States. with the usual consequence tnat
| this number would be largely
augmented just before elections, and.
uniting with all the other beneticlaries
| of executive favor, they would constitute
| o dangerous political force in the State.
| They would exert powerful influence IN
| county ana State conventions. and. CO.
| operating with the vast army OF their CO.
! beneiciaries IN all the other Stals-some
| Of which have many times more railway
| employees than North Caroliua-they
would dictate tho denomination and re-
election of their benefact0r, and we
| should soon prefer hereditary monarchy
To the intolcrable cOrruptiOns OF our own
| elective system.
TIE MINNEAPOLIS OBTECT-LEssoN.
The spectacle Of 1874 Federal officers as
| delegates and 1900 or 5000 as strikers
| forcing on their party at Minneapolis the
| nomination of Mr. Harrison ought to
warn us against the enlargement OF the eX-
ecutive patronage.
Those who undertake 10 fOrtify their adj
vocacy of the transportation plank cite
| the fact that some European governments
operate and run the railways IN their do
mnions, and that the system works well.
They forget. however, that IN those coun-
tries there IS no quadrennial election OF
the king or emperor. inviting herce and
violent struggles for theretentionof lucra-
tive places.
The consequences flowing from govern
ment ownership Of railways seem 70 me 70
have alarmed others as well a. myself.
The PrOqress,re Farmer OF June lSth ad-
vi-cd the Omaha convention 10 adopt the
fret two planks- finance aDt land anu
leave ont the transportation plank; ana
tho Omaha convention itself IN its third
plank says:
Should the government enter
upon the work Of owning and mSpagng
any or all railroads we should favor an
l'amendment To the Constitution by which
all persons engaged III the government
service shall be placed under clvli-seryice
regulations Of the most rigid character, so
as TO prevent tho increase of the power OF
the national administration by the use OF
such additional government employees.
DILEMMA.
Now. consider this dilemma: Many
county Alliances, sub-Alliances, and dis
trict conventions have pledged themselves
TO vote for no man who does not accept
the St. Louis platform, and ec1y part orr
and the candidate for President noml-
mated by the Peoples party is required 90
accept one of its most important planks
,r,h pror;so, while the organ OF the party
III North Carolina advises that that plank
be dropped altogether. Now, now can
these pledged people veto for WeayeFs
TFg TRUE REMEDY.
The Omaha convention took substan-
TALLY the position which have main
| tained all the time Amend the COnstltu-
tiOn and have all Federal officers and eul-
ployees elected by the people selected by
competitive eXaminatiOns-the members
of the Cabinet, the Judges. ETC., down TO
lowest-paid labOrer. DO TINS and the way
will be open for entering upon such re-
forms as the menace of executive patron
age deters Us from now. Then wnl nave
passed away the causes OF bitter dissen-
slons among our people.
need not tell you that my warnest
svmpathies are with the UNPROTECTED and
despised masses rs against tho protected
and favored classes but in seeking RENE
dies must be governed by my conscience
and my best judgment, and If / cannot get
all want | will take the best can get.
The Federal despotism controlled by the
putocrats and their beneticarles and
henchmen, reinforced hy all the
monarchis,s in the country. must DO
checked in its mad career if civil liberty, Is
TO be preserved-or rather re-estabhshod-
for our children.
LET THE PEOPLE BEWARE.
In order, however, to accomplish any,
thing for themselves our people, IN my
Judgment. must stand shoulder to shoulder.
In their anger-justIfiable as 1t is-tbey
must learn to exercise patience and tole-
rance and maintain q prudent regard for
the consequences of their actions. Sup
pose that. failing TO do these things,
the Peoples party nominate nine
candidates for Congress IN North Caro-
lima, and the straight Democrats
do the same thing. there would
be danger of having in the Fifty-thlrd
Congress nine Republicans from North
Carolina 10 vote with the tyrants and
plutocrats, and If other southern States
we're equally unwise Dir. Reed might carry
ont his threat made before the Amerlcus
Club in Pittsburg two years ego, 1T
seems 90 me that the only wise course Is TO
take into Federal hands" the election OF
President and representatives, IN Con-
gress. Let us cut loose from state cleo
tions. do our own registration, our own
counting. aud our own certlica,iOn."
Mr.. Harrison urged this course in one OF
his messages, and the Minneapolis plat
form re-echOes the demand.
THE FORCE BILL REAL.
The result of our dissension. then.
might be that we should be bound hand
and foot by tyrannical plutOcracy, with
no power to rescue ourselves. Some peO-
ple are disposed 10 pOOh-pooh the force
bill but they have not correctly inter-
preted the signs of the times. Just rs
Andrew Carnegie's man Frick brought IN
a band Of armed mercenaries to compel
the submission of his discontented |
laborers. so will what Mr. hingsbury calls |
the money devil, urged by fear as well
as desperation. resort 70 any effective |
means Of depriying the people Of any |
voice in legislation"
These, my dear Colonel, are the views !
expressed TO your son. ! have given them |
to you at his request, and beg you, If
you can see things as | see them. TO exert !
your influence for harmony among the |
people and against hasty aud. perhaps, !
dangerous conduct. Trusting that the
God of our fathers may guide us in tho
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