The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-03-22
THE SITUATION IN THE STAT
CONVENTION.

probability ola third party" in Mort
Carolina. Our people are tired q
partyism. anyhow. What they var
is relief, and they are ready to adoP
any means, lawful and expedient, fo(
it's accomplishment. | have not beenN
anticipating great opposition In the
convention to the reasonable demands
of those who are seeking tinancia4
form. Up to this time little has be
said in our State in direct opposition
to it. Few have seemed to have any
opinion about it except those who were
agitating it. 1t would, therefore, be
no sacrifice for the average voter in
the towns and villages who he's paid
little or no attention to the subject TO
give way to those who have. In fact
such average voter and his leader, the
average politician, have with great
unanimity adopted, without dissent or
question, the most radical financial
plank in numerous platforms. So they
have served notice on the refOrmers
hat they do not intend to stand in
their way.
But the suggestion l made last week
that 1t Is not enough to fix the plank
Chat has been tried and failed) but
that the men who are to stand upon it
must be chosen with I've greater care,
seems to have created considerable stir.
So after all there may be much more
opposition to financial reform than the
ready swallowing of platforms would
lead us to suppose. If there really is
much opposition and it takes shape in
the State Convention and controls that
body, there will probably be three cleo
tOral tickets in the field in this State
this year. But | do not yet believe
there is very much, and | do not be-
lIeve that what there is willtakG shape.
There is very widespread indifference
and want of faith in the towns and vii
lagos. This generally results from
ignorance of the subject. There is.
very widespread indifference and often
positive dislike among politicians, but
this is because they do not want any
issue brought into the field which they
have not learned to ride. THE niger
and the war they have ridden success
fully for thirty years and they a ride
no other, and these no other can ride
This accounts for a great deal of the
twaddle about Conservatism" when
ever anything which will give relief is
presented. The politicians are not often
really so much opposed to reform, they
are afraid of its incidental effect upon
them. It is not relief for the people
but victor {" for themselves which is
their chief concern.
There Is little disposition among the
people TO disturb State politics. and if
politicians will not throw any obstacle
IN their way and will allow financial
reform to take It's natural course, there
will be no disturb tnce of State politics.
On the contrary the people, feeling
that they are really making some ad-
vances will roll up such a majority
against Tadlcalism that the remaIns Of
it VIII be buried. The great trouble in
the way Of this and every other reform
IN the country is army politics."
Numterle5s politicians ;and their ad-
herents got their notion of politics from
the war. They think a POLITICAL party
is an army, that the voter is a com
mon soldier, " that if he changes parties
C"armies') he is a traitor" that the
State is but a division" or brigade"
Ill the national army, grand army"
of voters, that the general of the
national army must be "Obeyed" by
the State brigade. He talks ever of
'OrganIzing' and Fighting" the
enemy and of victory" This man
will be IN the convention III great num-
Der, He will feel outraged at any at
tempt TO refuse to recognize anything
called democratic. If the convention
fails or refuses to send delegates to the
| Chicago mob, he Will call it "deser-
ton" The people are very much dis
posed to desert Wall street in spite
Of OpprObiOus terms. But IsQlNWqfv
warn them now that the army pOliti-
clan" vii give them more trouble in
this matter than all other influences
combined. He does not think Of any
thing but OrfanIZatiOn, " and to effect
IL he Will override and smother any re-
form. We are all tainted with this
fatal influence of the war.
The people ought now to begin to-
discuss What will be the test for mem
bershiD in the next State Convention.
rome newspapers, | see, are att mp.-
ing to make recognition of the Chicago
Convention a test of a mans demOc-
racy, and this without knowing or car
ing what platform that convention Will
adopt or man they will nominate. and
knowing or caring what action
our State Convention will take III this
matter. Ii II convention sends dele
gates to Chicago we may be bound by
the action of that convention. Ii that
convention decides on men and meas
ures adverse to the opinions and inter
eats of our people, it will be impossible
TO elect u electoral ticket, and the
State ticket may go down with it,.
Some people will never learn till it is
too late. w. J.. PEELE-
P, S.-Voters interested in the in
crease of the currency should paw the
expenses Of the delegates they send to
the convention. | was told at the last
State Convention that the reform ele-
ment could not get its strength out. Z
heard the same thing at the Durham
il OngressionaD Convention, an0 saw
TOR myself that a few men from the
towns and villages were controlling
that body. The people in the country
now are better instructed on the money
question than the pesple IN the towns
and VILLAGES. aIfd If they allow themL