The Charlotte Democrat., 1892-10-07
An Open Letter.
T. T. Hicks, Esq, 10 Prominent Third Party
Leader.

l. 1
HENDERSON, n. c., Sept, %, 1892.
D. 81. Gill, Esq,
Dear Sir:-I believe that you are the
head and front of the Peoples party in
Vance county and you will be held re-
sporsibIe for it's action and the results
thereof. I have heard and considered
the reason for your course they arc to
me sufficient. l would gladly follow you
or any man who offers something better
than we have had. You know l wear no
party collar. I wished that you and the
Peoples party would hear dispassionateIy
and without confusion in political assem-
blies my reasons for the political course
l intend to pursue. This is not per
| mitted. Please read this 1t contains no
| falsehood.
I believe no Democratic or white man
will leave the party If he can be satitied
that the Democratic party is not respon-
sible for the hard times, That it is not, L
shall try to sho.
2. You know it is fact that between
159 and 100000 dollars are taken from
Vance county every year to enrich
Northern manufacturers, and that neither
we nor the nation get any return. That
is tax of eleven dollars per capita per
year on Vance county. If left here,
would not it cure the hard times? The
Democratic party protests against
this.
2. You know the South made last year
kline million bales of cotton and that was
| three fourths of the worlds crop, and
| hot rHc of
England that she is allowed to fix the
price because she is the very largest
| buyer on the worlds market. If carried
my cotton to England and exchanged it
for her cheap goods, she is excluded and
so am |, from bringing them to this
country without nearly doubling their
price in the form of tax or tariff, and
you know that this keep out English
goods, forces England ito pay less for our
cotton, and allows New England manu-
facturers to charge US any price they will.
And you know the Democratic party
protests bitterly against it.
8. You know that between 1866 and
1870 process was discovered of curing
tobacco white, and that the practice was
confined to Caswell and Granville
counties, N. c., and perhaps a border
county in Va, and that from 1870 to
away up in the eighties Durham, Hender
son, Oxford and Milton and Danville, in
Va, supplied the worlds demand for
bright tobacco and almost entirely from
the counties named, and that the demand
was out of all proportion to the supply,
and that the price was out of all propor>
tion to it's value. And you also know
that the production of bright tobacco
has in the last few years spread almost
all over North Carolina and Virginia, and
in this State it can now be bought in
great abundance at Asheville, Salisbury
Greens boro, Winston, Mt. Airy, BurliDg
ton, Milton, Durham, Oxford, Roxboro
Henderson, Raleigh, Louisburg, Warren
ton, Rocky Mount, Wilson, Tarboro
Greenville, and in various other places in
Virginia and South Carolina. And while
the supply has SO increased the demand
has decreased, people preferring to use
the dark tobacco. Call on the next
crowd you are in to show their plugs
Nearly all will be dark. Is the Demo
cratic party responsible for this increase
in supply? or the decrease of demand
or for the trust that further decreases
the price No, rather, it is the fault of the
world and always was, to snake good
thing too common"
4. You know that the political agita
tion depresses trade and causes those who
have, TO fear to venture lest they lose
thrt there we're never so fprotracted and
bitter and successful efforts, as for the
last two and half years TO make the
hand workers hate everybody else
Does not this depress values and contract
the currency? Is the Democratic party
responsible for it?
government in the Southern States tc
those who are unfit to govern would
paralyze all business, depress values
contract the currency here and ruin US
AS the breath Of suspicion furnishes 6
fair name, so the talk of this two years
ago and the present continued threat O
it have and do despoil us till it shall bt
past. But the blight of it is on US anc
makes times hard. Will you help to keeI
it on us? Wasn't it bad enough tht
other time Is the Democratic party re
sponsible for this? But hear you say
Let's talk about money. Finance.
6. Well. you know, or | assume yor
do, for it is true, that from the time this
nation begun to coin money in 1862 til
1861 the total product of the silver mines
of the United States was 81, $500 ant
from 1861 to 1873, 1852, 500 900, and from
1873 to 1892 it was $843,5OOOOO; ant
that including dollars, halves, quarters
twenty, ten, five and three pieces Their
has been coined in the Mint of the Unitet
States up to Sept. l, 1902, six hundred
and torty-three millions of dollars o
silver, and that five hundred and twenty
nine millions of dollars of this silver ha
F been coined since silver was demonetizet
in 1873. Those figures are correct AM
true. Please read this 9th section owe
twice more and then say from you
heart before your Maker. whether tn
81 years of free and unlimited coinage O
silver made the "good old times" o
whether demonetizing silver made tn
present "hard times" If "two wrong
don't make right" three wont. Tart
is one wrong class manufacturers legis
lation, sub treasury is another one, cIas
(farmers) legislation. Free silver i
another, class (miners) legislation I
the Democratic party responsible for th
damOnatiZation of aiIver9 Won kpou