The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-10-13

! NIL obLlNAN fLAlFOi<M OF 1900 ON
WHICH ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS
! ELECTED.
Fourth. That the maintenance
lnvlolate Of the rights of the States and
especially the right of each State to
order and control its own domestic
institutions according to it's own iudg
ment exclusively, is essential to that
balance OF power on which the per-
lection and endurance OF our political
! faith depends and we denounce the
! Iawless invasion by armed force, Of any
State or Territory no matter under
what pretext, as among the gravest of
crimes"
! DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM OF 1892 ON
! WHICH GROVER CLEVELAND STANDS
| FOR RE EELECTIoN.
"SeCond. We warn the people OF
our common country, jealous for the
! preservation of their free institutions,
hat the policy of Federal control of
! elections, TO which the Republican
: party has committed itself, is fraught
with the gravest dangers, scarcely less
/ han would result from a revolution,
practically establishing monarchy on
the ruins of the republic. 1t strikes
| at the North as we'll as the South and
injuries the colored citizen even more
| than the white it means a horde OF
deputy marshals at every polling place,
armed with Federal power returning
boards appointed and controlled by
Federal authority the outrage of the
electoral rights ofthe people ; in several
States antagonism now happily abated,
of the utmost peril to the safety and
| happiness of ala measure delber-
ately and justly described by leading
Republican Senator as {. the most in
famous bill that ever crossed the
threshold of the Senate"
"Such policy, if sanctioned by
law, would mean the dominance of a
self-perpetuating oligarchy of office
holders, and the party first entrusted
with lis machinery could be disloged
from power only by an appeal to the
reserved right of the people to resist
| oppression, which is inherent in all
selt~g governing communities. Two
years ago this revolutionary policy was
emphatlcally condemned by the peo-
pie at the polls; but in contempt of
hat verdict, the Republican party has
defiantly declared, in its latest authori-
tatlve atteranCe, that its success in the
coming election will mean the enact
nent of the force bill and the usulp-
alton of despotic control over the
election in all the States"
Can any minded, impartial man
draw any tangible, practical and sub
-antlal distinction between the above
olank in the Republican platform of
500 and the plank quoted in the
Democratic platform of 1892, except
nat the position of the two parties is
'KaCtly reversed?
In 1860 the Democratic party
ought by constitutional legislation to
rec slavery upon the people of Kansas,
len Territory of the United States,
:.nd just about rising to the dignity OF
State in the Union, and Republicans
denounced them for it. And now in
392, the Republican party seeks by
egislation to invade and violate the
ights of the State held by them SO
,@cred in 1860, and practically to de-
5troy " that balance of power on
which the perfection and endurance
of our political faith depends
l myself in 1868 voted with the
Republican party for the reconstruc-
ION of the Southern States under the
act of Congress of March and, 1867,
which put theballot in the hand Of
the negro, and | did so as choice of
civil government with negro suffrage,
md military government with no sut-
irage at all, and just such laws for our
government as a general of the army,
IS a department commander, from
headquarters at Charleston, S. c.,
might see fit in his fancy to prescribe
for the people of North Carolina.
l voted with the Republican party in
sos to get rid of the military. Could
I consistently vote in 1892 for men
and measures calculated to bring the
military back?
While negro suffrage alone has
turned out to be bad enough in all
conscience, | don't want to supple
ment it now with possible and even
probable military rule without it. We
have had enough reconstruction of
the South for one generation at least.
We have felt and realized to its fullest
extent the wisdom enunCiated in the
above quoted plank in the Republican
| atform of 1860, and | for one be-
lcve to-day in the doctrine advocated
ty Mr.. Lincoln in 1860, even though
be under the color Of law, that the
" lawless invasion by armed force Of
any State, no matter under what pre-.
text, is among the gravest of crimes. "
believing as | do that all other party
differences pale into insignificance
when considered side by side with this,
and as the only hope OF giving effect
t. my sentiments on this subject, stand
ing now where | did in 1868, shall cast
rly vote in this election for Mr.. Cleve-
nd in preference to Mr.. Harrison.
A word to you, my Peoples party
lends few weeks apO YOU ten