The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-10-26
HENDERSON, N. c., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1893.

| against this demonetization Of silver,
| that there are SO many interests that
are actually suffering on account Of this
protraeted stringency, that it would be
we'll enough perhaps to give away,
they say and many Of the banks and
their friends accompany this appeal
with threat and say ''if you do not give
away, We will give another turn to the
screw and we will bring on the hard
times again and increase them.'' q
These declarations, fellow citizens,
are proof positive that they produced
the other panic, and when they reit-
crate these threats, the disposition of
strong, independent men is to resist
them. But it is hard to resist the
claim that the money interests are
suffering beyond any other. The
trouble is, fellow citizens, that the
bankers and the brokers and that kind
OF men make the most noise when they
are hurt and you hear Of it. The
farmers suffer in silence. And they
tell you, and tell you truly that the
whole community ought to prosper
together; that if the bankers and the
brokers prosper the country will
prosper, or rather the country is
prospering; that the bankers and
brokers and money dealers prospering
is evidence that the country is prosper
ing. Well, there is something in that.
And let me tell you there is another
great fact to be considered in this
connection. There never was-you
never heard of condition in your life,
where the banks, and the railroads and
the manufactures or any other institu-
ton suffered if the farmers were pros
porous. You never heard it in your
life. If the farmers products fiud
ready sale at good prices, every other
institution in the land is prosperous,
because the farmer is the foundation.
Now if house needs repair and the
foundation is giving away, and the roof
is becoming rotten, and the weather.
boarding is coming off, and the doors
and windows are rattling in the wind,
and you come along with a carpenter
and you tel. him your house needs re-
pair and he must repair the roof first,
and if he repairs the roof the founda-
ton will be all right; and if he makes
the doors close tightly aud the windows
cease to rattle, that the foundation is
bound to be all right, if the roof and
the windows and the doors prosper,
that is not exactly according to the
common sense that characterizes the
people Of this country. You can get
the commonest mechanic in Wake
county, or in North Carolina, the fell
low who will mash his thumb and lose
religion every time he drives a nail,
and he will tell you to fix the founda-
ton first the roof is bad, it is true,
| and the doors and windows need fixing,
and the plastering needs repairing, but,
my dear sir, if we fix them ever so
good, and the foundation gives away,
the whole concern sinks. Is not that
so? Now, the farmers interest is the
| first in this great land. The farmers
interest is the foundation of all other
interests. Without the cotton and the
wheat and the beef and the hog pro-
ducts which grow in the South and
upon the Western plains, the sails of
every ship in our harbors would flap
idly in the masts every railroad would
cease to run freight train; every
mandatory in the country would dis
charge half its hands, if it did not shut
up altogether, if it were not for the
products of the farms but whenever
they are abundant and find ready sale
at fair price, they furnish life and
vitality and energy like the circulation
of the blood to the remotest fibres of
| the whole social structure, and all
flourish together. Therefore, in select
ing the remedy for the hard times, and
renee of them-I say, We should con-
slider the needs Of the agricultural
classes of the community first, and
when they are secured all other good
things will follow. If they continue
to languish, if the farms of the country
continue to be covered with mortgages,
if the homestead continues to dwindle
in means and in prosperity, then every
thing else will languish also, except
the auctioneer, and his business will
become large and wax greatly. Those
are the ideas I have on these things.
Fellow citizens, know you have got
too much sense to suppose that came
here to talk to you about agriculture.
don't know anything about it more
than any other man of ordinary intel
ligence. I followed the plow as young
man, but never overlook it. My OBJ
servations of agriculture were all taken
from the outside of the fence, at a safe
distance. But, my friends, if there is
any man in North Carolina, or in the
United States of America, that has
been under obligations to his people
for oft repeated, undeserved kindness
and confidence, am that man. Aud
with all the strength of mind and soul
that possess, l have studied those
questions that affect you. 1t is not out
Of place, conceive, to speak to you Of
this silver matter, although at an agri
cultural fair, for it is not partisan
question. The great Democratic party
is split wide in two on this question Of
silver. The REPUBLICAN party, while
not so absolutely divided, is very much
divided upon the subject of silver, and,
therefore, l say it is not inappropriate,
or out of taste, for me to speak to you
at strictly agricultural meeting on
this question, this great question Of
finance, which so greatly interests you.
have done so to the best of my abil-
ity. 1 wish you all prosperity and
happiness.
do trust that in some things you
will think am competent to advise
you. l advise you to do nothing rash.
l advise you to continue your conserva-
tive methods, and I do pray that you
take means to com bine and organize
and make your strength felt in the
affairs Of the nation as it has been felt
in the affairs Of your State with such
beneficial results. 1 trust earnestly
that you will do it, and my word for it:
you will never regret it.
One Of the happiest things to me
that has occurred in the past several
years is the fact that you have as
farming class determined that you had
other duties to nerfOrm hesides maxine