The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1892-07-30
NO. 4
A MANLY Letter.

1nutand recently WFOt6 d I0ttcE GA
planning his departure from the
Republican party from which VIC
make the following extracts which
SO graphically and truthfully depict
the political situation:
Through one Of those political
mutations, that all parties are sub
ject to, the Democratic party now
stands as to government policy (the
slavery question eliminated) where
it stood before the war: A tariff
for revenue, with incidental protec-
tion to our manufacturing interests,
not a tariff for protection to wealth
and incidental revenue to tine gov
ernment. The race question is now
on the shoulders Of the republican
party. The president and the repub.
lican politicians are squarely pledg-
ed to the "force bill,' whenever they
obtain the power to pass such q
measure. 7, for one, am not willing
to aid them in their effort tor that
power. If they succeed in this cam
vass that odious law will be fastened
upon the people.
Power to control the federal gov
ernment is what the republican lead
ers want. The negroes of the South
can be left to takeca of themselves
in all state elections, but in the elec.
tion Of president and congressman
the whole federal power, executive,
judiciary and military, if necessary,
must be invoked to keep the negro
Of the South on top Of the white
population. The negro has been
freed, enfranchised, and has equal
political privileges with the white
man.
] am tired of this political CRY,
10! the poor negro" He can
solve the race question himself by
breaking up the solid negro vote.
This at once would put him under
the protection Of both parties and
at the same time break the solid
South, and we would have no more
Of the race question.
Then again, ,'if the republican party
is kept in power, the governments at
Washington will become imperial
in all Its attributes, and the States
mere outlying provinces and local
seif.goyernment a dream of the past.
The present rulers Of the repuhIi-
can party all have military preten-
sions and regard the mass of the
party as subjects of command. The
people have but little to say, other
than ratily the acts of the Office
holders and colured gentlemen OF
the South. For my part. | refuse to
ratify. I had occasion last week to
visit Muncie, Ind, and availed my
self of the opportunity of visiting
the numerous manufacturing estab-
lishments in operation and numer-
GUS others going up; millions of dol
lars expended in the plants; no want
of money, surplus capital of other
manufacturing enterprises. As /
returned home | looked ont at the
1 farmer toiliug in the fields, his farm
of but little increased value by forty
years hard work; the manufacturer
a millionaire, with the markets of
the world open to his output; the
farmer limited 10 q home market for
| his products and compelled to pay q
royalty on all his purchases; the
manufacturer millionaire with all
the luxuries Of wealth; the farmer q
slave to labor with a bare compe-
tency; the former the petted child of
| the government, the latter the Atlas
upon which all rests.
| Are you surprised that | am on
the side of the under man, and aid
in the fight against plntocracy and
imperialism ?
Stand upon the watch tower, un-
fnrl the hammer Of demncracv. cry