The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1892-11-11
A RINGING LETTER.
Tho Texas Democracy Loses One Of
Leading Politicians His Letter.

A RINGING LETTER.
The Texas Democracy Loses One Of Its
Leading Politicians His Letter.
AParis, Tex, dispatch says: A sensation
has been created in this (the Fourth
congressional district by an open letter
to the people by Col. Sid Harper, chair
man of the democratic party. He was
D. B. Culberson in this city two years
ago. The letter created sensation. It
is as follows:
To the People of the Fourth Congressional Dis
trict:
1 hereby tender my resignation as
chairman of the democratic party for
this congressional district. My reasons
for so doing are that go to a party more
democratic in principle, more patriotic
in practice and less proscriptive in man.
agement Under the name of democracy
the great mass of the common people of
the south have been lured step by step,
each year being led further away from
the old landmarks of it's founders, until
to-day there is no perceptible difference
between the leaders and the vilest repub-
icans. The age of corporations, trusts
and combines in which we live is de-
bauching our politics, corrupting our
laws and destroying our government,
making a wreck of our liberties and
paupers of our people. During this era
of corruption the people have been kept
divided while the leaders of the two
parties have been in partnership amass-
ing millions of dollars out of the very
corporations and fraud which they by
law have foisted upon the people. The
land, the bank, the transportation, the
mining and manufacturing monopolies
are jointly owned and controlled by the
leaders of the two old parties. The
press, the great political dailies, being
largely under the influence of the great
telegraph news combine, must of neces-
sity depend on the enemies of the peo-
pie (the trusts and combines) for the
classification and transmission of polit-
zeal news. By these methods the peo-
pie were kept deceived until they were
educated otherwise through their in
dustrial organizations Looking back
for thirty years over this era of cor
ruption and fraud, coming out
and perpetuating itself in the passions
and prejudices of the late war, we find
as the production of modern democracy
and republicanism, over 1000 million
aires and 100000 paupers each year.
Over half the wealth of the union is
owned and controlled by $4,000 people
whose corporation managers have
power in the assessment and collection
of freights, tolls and tariffs unrivaled
by the royal blood of Russia. States
rights, individual rights and the iber-
ties of our people have been usurped by
corporate greed. What does the cry of
states rights signify when half dozen
corporation managers in the state of
New York, by the stroke of pen, can
collect over $5,OOO,000 year out of the
stock in transportation companies, or
let the salary of a corporation officer at
five times the salary of the highest paid
state officer, and make the people pay it,
with no power in the modern states
rights to prevent it. What does
the cry of individul rights sig
nifty when few chartered classes
have monopoly of the gov
ernmental power to make, coin, is
sue and control the money which prices
every individuals labor and product,
and that, too, without legal power or
redress or prevention? The very men
who have carried our politics to a sys-
tenn of spoliation, pillage and plumber
are now, and have been, about equally
divided among the managers and lead
ers of the two old parties, thus proving
their joint responsibility for the wrongs
which exist. In this condition of mat
tiers it is folly to expect reform in either
of the old parties and for the good of
myself, my family, my posterity and
my country, I expect to take part in
the ratification which takes place at the
court house on Saturday, March %, and
join the grand march and struggle for
liberty. To those who know me have
no explanation to offer, but to those
who do not will state that am q
farmer, was born and raised in the
south and have taken this step after
due deliberation. SYDNEY HARPER.