The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-11-14
No 40


same time commissioned the party t.
end all possibility of sectional discord
and strife by tearing from the statute
book the hateful statutes of an era of
| nate. 1t was also authorized and in
! structed to cut up, root and branch.
the statute laws emanatipp from that
same era that turned certain petted
Americans loose upon their fellow citi-
zens to rob and plumber them upon the
speciouss but false, pretext of protect
ing American labor. These were the
high and great objects to which the
Democratic party declared to the
American people that it had dedicated
itself, and, believing its professions,
the American people, ii their love of
justice and devotion TO the principles
of equal i5hts for all, generously gave
to it its free and unbounded confidence
and installed it in their highest places
with hearty God speed" for It's high
and noble endeavor.
How has the Democratic party real
lied the joyful anticipations which a
great people fondly indulged in when
willingly committing their destinies to
It's charger Confronted, almost in the
hour of it's advent to power, with the
blasting effects of the most damaging
law that it's predecessors had enacted
before being hurled from cffiCe by a
disgusted people, its most prominent
leaders have joyously welded them
Fselves to all that was vicious in this
most damnable measure and have
brought the American people up on q
sharp turn to ak them selves the Ques-
tlOn: Can political party whose first
official act is to form an alliance with
aims and enterprises that lay the axe
at the very root Of all social order be
trusted for anything2 Are those pro
fesSi0ns of devotion to the public good
any hing more than the mouthing
promises of demagOgues seeking office?
In q word, have not the American peo-
| pie been taken in and de:eived2 The
American people are now ready 10 an
swer that question in the affirmative.
We fear the party has lost for many
years to come all hope Of again receiv--
ing the peoples commission to govern
the country, But it may at least, by
| its future cOnGujt, entitle Itself to hold
on to remnant Of its own self respect.
! If it shall now repeal the silver law and
make haste to perform its other public
pledges, it may not lose it's hold on pub
lie confidence entirely, though we fear
it has received a set back from which
it will be long time in recovering.
Why is it that we Of the South allow
ourselves to be drawn into every new
movement that aims at attacking vested
interests and interfering with the
sacredness of property2 Our people
are neither communicates nor an
archistis, but as soon as any crack
Drained crank comes along with a
scheme which can operate only through
Reputation of debt and confscation of
property, he Immediately secures a
following in the South which, happily,
never controls, but is always formid-
able enough to arouse serious alarm
and bring great injury to the South as
a section. Our enemies charge that it
is because a large part Of our popuIa-
tion argues that as the war ruined the,
South no change can hurt it more than
it is now hurt. That they, therefore,
want revolution and change since they
cannot be hurt and may be improved.
We fear there is only too much justice
in the charge. We fear there are
many individuals amongst US on whom.
representations that the Sherman law
is running men is business and destroy,
ing all trade make no impression what
ever unless to arouse feelings Of exulta-
ton that some other persons are to be
reduced to their own condition of
poverty. Will our people never learn
that prosperity never comes to those
animated by this spirit7 Will thew
never learn thatiG is the active and the
vigorous who control the affairs of life,
and not those who sit down lazely in
ldleness and look for advantages to
come to them out of injuries inflicted
by them upon Others2 The last election
gave us Of the South large voice in
the control Of national affairs. But we
have forfeited it by tying ourselves to
a measure which all men who have a.
stake IN life look on as q menace to .
their rights We must cut ourselves
loose from every scheme which has the.
faintest coloring of this kind, or we
shall never prosper ourselves or be al
lowed the smallest part in national af-
fairs. When we learn that property
must be respected and protected in all
it's forms, that an obligation to pay
money is Just as sacred as bricks and