Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1892-09-22

this privilege by the condition Of my
health, and earnestly believing that the
questions to be decided by our Noycm-
Der elections are Of vital Importance to
the public welfare, am induced to con-
tribute in this way my share in the dis
cussion Of them
Iregard the situation as most critical.
Since 1860 the legislation of our com-
try has been almost exclusively within
the power OF one political party. Nat,
urally it has ceased to be general in its
bcnelicencc and has Income local and
| partial i'll the extreme. The law.maEiug
power has become Tie icartu!iy efficient
implement Of such classes, corporations,
cliques and combinations rs could bv
| fair means or !oul obtain control Of ii.
| 1t has been made to suhscrvc purely per
sonal ends. In divers Ways the taxing
power of the government has been per.
verted from public to private purposes,
money is levied thereby lo enrich manu-.
facturcs, to suppress rivalry in business
and in every conceivable way to help the
| favored few at the expense OF the many.
The varied corrupting influences upon
the business world arising from this leg.
islation produce their natural effect The
classes whose business was thus favored
| flourish apace, whist the untayorcd have
experienced in the midst OF peace and
plenty all the losses and hardshipS which
are commonly felt only in times OF public
calamity; and the extraordinary spec.
tacle is presented of nation whose az
eregatc wealth is rapidly and vastly i'll.
creasinE, whilst the Individual wealth OF
its chief toilcIs and wcalth-produccrs T.
is diminishing in proportion thereto.
From the Republican party, with its
disregard of the limitations of the Com
stitution and its natural dependence for
support upon the money OF the people
whom it had enriched, all OF this corrupt
legislation has proceeded. Without ii
there was nothing evil done that was
done.
1t follows as an undeniabIe truth, that
whoever directly or indirectly upholds
helps or supports that party is L FRIEND
to the corruptions which it has pro
duced, and is an enemy to those VIII,
would repeal that legislation and reform
the abuses founded upon it, There is n,
escape from this.
The Democratic party on the con
tra,y, believes i'll the strict limitaton!
of the Constitution, and has, as . party
steadily opposed all abuse of the taAu4
power, or any other power Of the genera
government tor private purposes, an,
has unceasiDGly advocated the most alb
solute and perfect equality of all cil,l:u
i'll the legislation OF our country.
There is not single wrong or nIus
tice of which complaint is made in GU
laws for thirty years past which cai
Justly be charged to the pS,Lccratr
party. Not one. 1t has ever been
break-water against the tyranniraI ten
dcnces OF the Republicans; and thong
in minority has been able to prcyen
some of the worst legislation ever at
. tempted and to modify other law
which i'll their original iniquity wou
have been iutolerable.
This statement of the acts aud puI
0 poses of the two great political partic
cannot be truthtuly denied
Now what is the situation What is
the manifest duty OF our people to do i
the coming elections
The Situation.
The two great political parties int
which our people are mainly divided al
once more in the field with their pla
forms OF principles and their candidate
State and Federal thereon. The Repul
Iicans profess all of their old doctrine
from which have come the evils of whic
o the people complain; they glory in tha
-. abuse of the taxing power which hG
made a few rich and millions poor, an
=. seeking new fields of injustice and oppre
; sion, they openly declare their iutcntio
to take from the States the right to co,
troll the election of their own Represent
:. tivcs, which is the chitf bulwark of the
a rights and liberties.
The Democrats re-aliifm their .adh
: renee to the Constitution, their oppos
- ton to tariff robbery, to banking mono
DIV and to corporate oppression i'll q
its forms; and their desire to leave II
i power to control elections where Il
= Constitution had left it, and where
had resided for more than one hundr,
wears. Primarily it would seem that l
Democrat, and especially no Southei
Democrat, could hesitate for Il single m
mcnt as to which Of these parties d
served his support.
'' But new party has arisen which
epIe ynrintr tn ~, a he np rpnpln hClip