The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1892-09-29


as members of that Alliance will, l
trust, not permit their noble Order
and their just cause to be thus per
verted and debaSed. Rest assured
that no real friend of that noble class
of men who, under the providence of
God. give us our daily bread, will ever
consent to this degradation of their
cause into the obsequious tool of I'M
ScrupulouS, ambitious men, fOrfeiting
the sympathy of all moderate people,
and making the very name of Allli-
ance to stink in the noStrilS Of Justice
and common sense. L can but believe
the good judgment of our farmers will
enable them to see where these lead
ers are takiug them, and that their
native honesty will impel them to.
draw back in time to save their &C un-
try.
Many of our people, it is true, have
objected to Mr.. Cleveland, and pre-
ferred that he should not have been
nominated. / confess that | was
among that number. But an indiyid-
ual preference before the nomination
of a candidate is one thing, and the
duty of true man after that nOmina-
tion has been fairly made is another
and very different thing indeed. In
the one case preference may be in
dulged in properly, without danger to
which has those principles in charge;
in the other case we endanger both
and falSify our pretentionS by contrib
uting undeniably to the success of our
adversaries. If we refuse to abide by
the voice of the majority of our fel-
low-DemOcrats, freely and unmistaka-
bly, expressed in friendly convention,
there is an end of all associated party
effort in the government of our cOun-
nnrCOn9lIV
that consultation or convention and
then refuse to abide by the decision
of the tribunal of our own Selec-
tion, then there is an end of all
personal honor among men, and the
confidence which is necessary to all
combined effort is gone forever. The
man who bets proposing to collect if
he wins and to repudiate if he loses is
in all countries and among all classes
of people considered a dishonest man.
But if the considerations of Cgood
faith do not influence mems actions
in such case as this, surely those
which pertain to the public welfare
ought to be decisive. If not satisfied
with Mr.. Cleveland it seems to me an
honest man should balance accounts,
pro and con, in this way: Cleveland
agrees with me in desiring to reform
the oppressive tariff taxation, to re-
to repeal the tax on State banks and
thereby expand the currency, and
above all he is vehemently opposed to
Force bills and all similar attempts
to destroy the rights and liberties of
the States. In all essential reforms
be agrees with me except in the sim
ID, gle matter of the free coinage of sill
yer, and in respect to this there is no
reason to hope that the same candor
VII
brought him in full sympathy with
his party on the great question of
tariff reform will soon bring him to
see the absolute necessity of main
| tanning both of the precious metals
on par to meet the urgent needs of
| the currency of the world. Harrison,
| on the contrary, agrees with me in
nothing; there is no change of reform
which | desire that he is not bitterly
opposed to, and his party with him.
Why, then, should | hesitate? Eth
er my vote for Weaver will help Har-
rison and injnre Cleveland or it will
| not-it cannot avail Weaver, for he
| has no chance whatever, will probab-
| ly not carry single State; why, then,
| should / risk doing damage to the
| candidate who would do most for me,
| though he does not promise to do all,
| and contribute to the election of the
| one WHO pTOIIllSeS HE llOUIlIS DuU dD
| indefinite continuance of existing
| wrongs and an insolcnt threat of
| other and greater wrongs so soon as
he has the power to perpetrate them
| 1t seems to me, fellow-citiZens, that
| the path of duty was never more
| plain or the necessity of walk
| ing in it more Imperative than
| it is at this moment. Let me
beg your earnest consideration of the
| situation before you vote in No
vember, and before you cut loose
from the old constitutional Demo
] cratic party, which in times of ouI
| extreme peril has so often brought Us
| forth out of the house of bondage, anC
abandon its shining banners to follow
| reckless and incompetent men into
the wilderness of their unreal schemes
Think well of the possible result OF
| your action: how easy it is to destroy
how hard to rebuild. | recently cut
| down in my mountain home, in about
| five hours, a tree that had taken five
hundred years to grow.
The Democratic party is strong anC
able and willing to help you; its arm
| is not shortened that it cannot save
you; to cherish and uphold it is tn,
| dictate of patriotism and common
| sense. Your fellow citizen,
| z. B. VANCE.
Gombroon, near Black Mountain
September II, 1892.