The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-04-21

! was financial relief the people were Aftel
| and this they are determined to have
There must be IA change for the better
| We cannot continue under the present
regime. Bottom has been struck anC
| the peO,,Ip.-nOt the farmer alone but al
| classns-cry ont for relief from the bur
] dpns that are crushing the very exist
cnce out OF them. The price Of farmers
produce Of all kinds is SO low that {
man cannot pay his taxes and live
! The people are desperately in earnest II
this matter and mean to have relic
| and ii it does not come one way 1t must
another. The people have beeI
ruled by the politicians too long
| he said. They have heretofore been al
| lowing others to do their thinking fol
| them, but they have changed and arr
now thinking for themselves.
President Butler made no reference t.
! the Third party and whether he favored
independent action or not, as advised
| against by Col. Skinner, was not shown
| bv his speech He has always been {
! Democrat, and the GOLD LEAF assumes
! that he is one still, but it must be ad
mitted that he does not carry 1t arOunC
on dress parade Oh occasions OF tins
| kind. Mr.. Butter said that the Alliance was
not political in it's character, and un
der its constitution could never become
such, and in his official capacity he de
clned to discuss politics. He laid aside
| his official regala, so to speak, long
enough toward the close to give
| it out in no unmistakable terms
! that he did not favor either
Cleveland or Hill as the National Demo
cratic standard bearer. He admonlsheC
his hearers to be true to themselves
and stand square by their guns unit
such reforms in the whole financial sys
TEN as are of absolute necessity to the
well-being OF the country and the genius
| of our government, which should be as
was originally intended, a government
of the people, by the people, for the PEG
Die, shall be secured. Mr.. Butler spoke
two hours and quarter, and was ap-
pauded to the echo when he closed, as he
had been many times during the course
of his speech.
We have given Mr.. Butler credit for
being conservative in his speech, but he
was not altogether fair and just. lie
charged the wrongs under which we
suffer through vicious and corrupt
legislation to no political party. He
denounced trusts and combines by which
the "plutocrats' and "monev kings
have their existence but said nothing of
the laws that are responsible for such
things The tariff was ignored and
while he declared that this was campaign
of education and the people ought not
20 be deceived, with him as their teacher
they are left to believe that the Demo
cratic party is as chargeable for the
present state of affairs as are the Repub-
licans, when he knows full we'll that it
has never had full control of the general
government and been in position to pass
new laws or repeal existing ones since
the war. Mr.. Butler should have laid
the blame where it belongs and not left
his hearers in Il position not to know
which party to fight or which one to
follow. Is it consistent with that spirit
OF fairness which the gentleman asks
shall be accorded him to withhold censure
of the Republican party and reserve
Justice to the Democratic party, in the
ranks of which he has been reared and
at the hands of which he has been
hOnored? We think not. Another thing
we thought was unworthy of the man,
he being an editor himself and should
know to the contrary, was his reference
to what he styled ''doctorcd news This
is so utterly absurd that it demands
only IL passing alIusiOn. The owners OF
the telegraph lines of the country have
no more to do with what passes over
them in the way of business information
or the news of the world, outside of get
ting their pay therefrom in the way OF
tolls or rentals than Mr.. Butler has. We
are no particular friend or champion OF
Jay Gould, Norvin Green, Russell Sage
and the balance of that crowd, but wedo
not think the people ought to be misin-
formed and mised on these sort of things
any more than any other. But without
caring to discuss the matter further
we call attention to the article from the
Asheville Citizen on this subject as pub
lished on the fourth page of the GOLD
LEAF this week. 1t was put in type last
week, before we had heard Mr.. Butler s
speech, and is very opportune. Itcovers
the ground exactly.
After President Butler had finished
speaking Mr.. Nat Macon, of Franklin
county, was called on and he replied in
a brief and witty speech that was greatly
enjoyed by all who heard him. His was
Il scattering gun, he said, and the
ground had been SO effectually covered
by the gentlemen who had preceded him
that he had TO shoot all over the field to
scare up any new game. He said he
had long desired to have an opportunity
to meet the editor of the GOLD LEAF
and the people of Henderson face to face
and tell them about that town charter
that was lost, or stolen, as was alleged
at the time, while he was q member oil
the Legislature. He explained the cir
cumstances and described he man who
took the bill from his desk drawer while
he was in Durham attending to some
other business, but said he did not cart
to say any more about the matter now
that it is allpasscd and he had long since
ceased to have any unkind feelings to.
| wards any one. At first he did feel sort O!
mad with the newspaper man for saying
what he did, but after all he guessed he
was Il pretty nice kind OF fellow, as he
was honest enough to publish the card
he wrote in reply. Mr. Macon's speech
| was thoroughly enjoyed and the meeting
came to Il close in the best of good hui
NOR.
| Altogether Monday was Il great day
| for the Alliance. The speeches made by
Col. Skinner and Mr. Butler will do gooG
in this community. We believe they vii
| bear fruit that will tell in the future
They will help both the Democratic
party and the Farmers Alliance. whose
interests there is so much in common
between. Whether in the Alliance OF
out OF it we are all interested in the re
forms they are contending for There
may be certain outside issues and mat
! ters of detail about which We may not
all agree, but these should be adjusted il
manner that promises the best in til,
| end. Both sides had better make som,
| concessions and compromises, and lets
! all work together for what seems best to
! the State and to ourselves. This, it
seems to Us, is the proper thing to do