The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-07-26
AN ADDRESS TO THE PUBLIC.
Dr.. l.. Mott, the "IrOn Duke" Says
There will be no Republican
State Ticket,

To h people of the State of North
Carolina who are interested In the pc
Iitical conditions which confront us,
and are not altogether satisfied with
the course that these conditions lead
To I take the liberty to address this
naper. 1t a hardly be considered
nresumption in me to do this, since L
have been for many years IN active
participation in the politics of the State,
and known to the public And espec1-
allv would it seem admissible at this
time. since nOLenS UOLenS have been
used for some months past as a subject
of conflict inside the Republican party.
Now that the work of the national
convention is over, it is plain, from all
that emanates from the leaders and
organs of the Democratic party, that
we are to have the old a paIgn OF
NEGRO domination" to contend against
in this State, and with the same result
unless we change Il tactics. For hf-
teen years we have gone steadily along
on the old line Of defense we have
made against the charge of negro
equality" on party, until in the
last campaion, by the operation Of the
South Carolina eight-box system of
elections, we have as a party literally
been wiped out of existence so far as
winning elections is concerned.
The opposition now have the prece-
dence of their methods under the eight
box law, unchallenged in any legal
sense by any authority, State or Ma
tiOnal, and 1T has the pr, stige of sup
port by a Republican Congress having
refused to enact a law to prevent inter
ference with the operation of this South
Carolina system, and the other systems
of holding elections throughout the
Southern states, to preserve the South
from negro rule" 1t would seem
that a sufficient number of the RepUb-
licans of the Northern States are not to
be educated into the belief that the ma
tional safety depends on honest cleo
tions, and that honest elections depend
on a national law.
It is, therefore, the best policy for us
and Jul party, that we, Republicans of
the South accept it as the true condi-
ton, and in accepting it, that we get
as far away as possible from any effort
or purpo. e to obtain a law of this char
acter-that we incorporate it in our
State platform this year, and require
of every candidate who comes before
us for votes the pledge that he will
oppose the enactment of such a law.
The Republicans of the South have
other interests than this, which they
are deprived of by the use viii h the
Democratic party makes of the Force
bill" and negro rule"
This year especially we are to be
placed as a party at greater disadvan-
tage than ever in this respect because
of the character of the proceedings of
our late State convention and the Incl
dents which led up to it, when the ne
gro was much more prominent than
the white, apparently engineering the
c~Onventicn, and evidently trusted to
guard the course decided on, and to
meet the opposition to it. Unfortunate
ly many things were said and done in
the convention which the public is in
possession of, and which the Demo
cratic party can use to increase the
prejudice That has existed. The con
vention has really proved to be a Dem
Ocratlc annex and may save the Demo
cratic party from the Alliance.
1t Is not my purpose to lay blame
anywhere. That is not the Object of
this paper. We are in the presence of
acOndiGiOn that must be dealt with.
Shall we continue to wage an aimless
war, and place ourselves as targets for
the enemy, and furnish the ammuni-
ton to be shot with?
Shall we again hug the delusion that
u friends IN the East can help us
elect a State ticket, while each voter is
compelled to run the gauntlet of the
"eight bOxes"-the voter thrust into a
hole where none other can enter till he
has tread the dark, lonesome passage,
and come out on the other side, leaving
his ballot to be counted by a friend
who eve knew a letter in the book,
or a figure in the multiplication table?
Shall we, by running a State ticket,
enable the Democratic party to again
hold us UP as TRAITORS to cur race,
aliens to u section, an infamous, de-
graded set trying to put the State
under negro rule? Shall we do it after
fifteen years of trial, and in the face of
the fact that they can point to the ne
gro rule In our last convention, as an
evidence of its control of the Republi
can party, and per Sc the State Govern
ment, if the Republican party attains
to it.
l have reason to know that a large
proportion of the Republicans of the
State, white and black, are unwilling
to enter such an unequal contest, and
have been for many years, though
submitting to the natural desire to
make a ticket and run up the flag,
even knowing it would be only a DRESS
PARADE.
But the end has come with all such
and they will not support this year a
Republican State ticket.
Being, however, consistent RepubIi-
a n and anxious for the election of a
Republican President, and in view of
the fact that the Third party people
have nominated candid ties for Con.
orocCOnnO in all the districts IF a.
State, I will presume, in behalf of this
class of Republicans, to make the fol-
lowing suggestions:
AS I understand it, nearly every
phase of the Alliance case or policy can
be met by an expansion of the cur