The Forrest City times., 1892-08-26
SENATOR ISLAM c. HARRIS.

Col. William H. Carroll, Chairman Democratic
 Executive Committees:
 Dear Sir-A business engagement makes it necessary for me to be absent from the state for the next two or three weeks, when 1 will retun to Tennessee and take such part in the pending po- litical struggle as l may be able to do. But before going want to say that in my opimon no political contest has been fraught with more se- eriots or important consequences to the country or to the interests of the people than the one now pending, feel ing absolutely confident as I do that practically and in its results it is a coll test purely between the Democratic and Republican parties, that Grover Cleve- land or Benjamin Harrison. one or the other. will be the next president of the United States and Turney or Winstead will be the next governor of Ten nessee.
 The success of the Republican ticket means the force bill, under which fed eral bayonets will hereafter control the elections in the states. It means the perpetuation of tile highest of high pro- tective tariffs, under which hundreds of million dollars are annually transferred from the earnings of 65, ,000, 900 of people to the pockets of d small number of capitalists who own manufactures. It means contraction of the volume of money, which brings distress, if not ruin, to the debtor class and increases the wealth of the capitalist and the i creditor class.
 It means class legislation in all of it's l forms, and total disregard of the re- ..,,l,t <,f ct. fAp To mt II their own local affairs in their own way other states or peoples.
 In the irrepressible conflict between | the interests of capital and labor it means that tile interests of capital shall be promoted at the expense of la Dor.
 The Republican party has shown by l it's actions as well as by it's declara- tions that it is not only the friend but the obedient servant of capital. | In obedience to the demands of capi- I tai it gives the manufacturer all the | protection he asks.
 | Upon the demand of capital it de | monetiZed silver, the inevitable ulti- mate effect of which must be to reduce | the volume of money in the country to one-half and to double the purchasing power of the remaining half. Upon the demand of capital the cir culating notes of state banks were by I that party taxed out of existence in order to give tue national banks the 1 monopoly of furnishing the paper cur ,, rency of the country, and the result shows that while the state banks | in thirteen Southern states good cireu- | lating paper amounting III 1860 to | to S74, ,000 GOO. the national banks fur | nished ln the same states ill 1890 only | BIO. .000. 900.
 Labor is depressed because of the | constantly declining prices of all the products of labor.
 Foil as the farmer or mechanic may, in his fields or his shop, from the first to the last of the year, he finds liimsoli no better off on the first of January than he was the year before, and not understanding why it is so he. natu- | rally. in the unrest if not the despera- ] ton of the situation is ready to adopt any expedient that promises relief. | Let me suggest that the real reason l for this depression is two fold. First, d high protective tariff has, for thirty years. transferred hundreds of millions of dollars annually from the earnings of the producing classes to the pockets of the protected few. Such a drain
 upon any class or any section long con tinued must make ii poor. And, second, the circulating notes of state banks were taxed out of existence
 and silver demonetized. and the great
 bulk of the money that remains hoarded
 in the money centers and in the treas. ury. So that the rural districts and producing masses are trying to do busi
 ness on less money than they ever had | before.
 But, in word, without going further
 into details, these republican policies
 have brought great and serious evils, if
 not ruin, upon the country.
 The remedy for these evils will bt | found in the immediate abolition of ex cessive. unnecessary and oppressive
 taxation-taxation not for revenue but
 for the benefit of d class.
 Reduce tariff taxation to the lowest
 point that will raise revenue enough when added to the $l50 ,000, 900 that we
 annually collect upon tobacco anC | liquors, to support the government.
 Repeal the tax on the circulation oi
 state banks and leave the states free
 to regulate their own financial affairs l in their own way.
 Coin silver as you coin gold at it's
 present ratio until other commercial
 nations may agree upon an inter
 national ratio, and then adopt tha,
 ratio.
 Repeal the Mckinley act, which taxes
 the producers of corn, wheat, cotton
 tobacco, or who toll in any other way
 to raise Slo,000 900 year with whict | to pay bOunties to the sugar planters O1
 Louisiana. the sorghum sugar man ir
 Kansas, the beet sugar man in Ne
 braska and the maple sugar man ir
 Vermont.
 Now the only cure for the evils t(
 which l have referred is the defeat ol the Republican party in it's aspirations for the presidency, for majority in the senate and majority in the house of representatives.
 Every citizen must decide at the bal lot-box how this is to be done, and
 venture to say that no sane man vii
 honestly contend for one moment that the republican ticket can be defeated by any other than the democratic l ticket. And what I set out to impres.
 upon you, and what want the whole people made to understand, is that
 they have to decide whether this coun try shall be ruled by republican ol democratic principles.
 The one or the other is absolutel,
 certain, and all independents sh lult ! recognize the fact and choose betw ger
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