The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-09-12

Cu0y were S00KIQRE
If such an Interpretation of tho
form as is contended for here hv r. I'"''
who will vote for repeal, and w.
sumably by the President, had b rrO,
announced during the campaign -
last year, I am quite sure Mr., Cou.
land would not have carried nv StoS
by SO, 900 votes, I believe he coDId ~"
have carried single, solitary eIectoroY
vote south Of the Potomac River
one. But it is said that there 10
abandonment OF Uhs Chicago pIatforr'
in the unconditional repeal Of the Sbn-
man law, but only a p~ostponemant
and that the bill itself contains q ~
affirmation Of those promises.
Mr.. President, I wonder if in anv ~
our political literature, rich as it is IN
ingenuity and device, full as it is ~
eloquence and true genius, over.
burdened as it is with every CON
ceivable and in~conceivable form NJ
wildcatism and humbuggery which
hundred years of free government
wherein men Of all opinions have had
a chance to ventilate them, have nro.
duced-I wonder, I say, if anything i,
to be found on all it's pages apporacb.
ing in absurdity to the incorporation
in this bill of a part of the Chicago
platform? Was there ever a cat trt
ting through the tangled thickets Of
the Alleghanies, or roaming over the
barren wilds Of the Rocky Mountains
so wild and untamable as this cat;
Laughter Was there ever any bug
discovered and classified by science
with a hum equal, to the hum Of this
bug? Laughter.
The representatives of the Demo.
cratic party assembled in convention
in Chicago in 1892, as they had done
in St. Louis in 1888, and before thatin
Chicago in 1884, and made certain
pledges to the people that they would
make certain financial reforms if
the people would only put them
in power where they could enact
laws. Among other things, the last
convention held at Chicago pledged
the American Democracy that if in,
trusted with power they would en-.
act such laws as would repeal the
Sherman act-secure US the use Of
both gold and silver in our cur
rency-coin it on equal terms,
and maintain the parity of the
two. These promises were contained
in one paragraph, and consistently
with good faith are not ~separabla. They
constituted a scheme by which the
financial policy of the country was to
be reformed, and honor and fair deal
ing require it to be carried out together.
Well, the people trusted and believed;
the Democrats put in power, and
Mr.. Cleveland, though known to be
personally hostile to the use of silver,
was elected because the people believed
that he would carry out in good faith
the promises made for him in the plat.
form, and 10 which he had acceded in
his letter of acceptance.
For the first time in tnirty-thr6e
years the Democratic party was en-
trusted with the power of e~nacting
laws. Now, in fulfllment Of these
promises, the first thing which is done
is to yield to the Clam0r of the capital
lists hostile to silver, and anticipate the
regular session Of Congress for the sole
purpose Of stopping the coinage Of sill
yer and nothing more.
Accordingly, the House, Fastening
RI nhOz hoo COr+ c=1al n hin 0vyo. 70 EnIC
body, and anticipating it's action, the
similar bill for it's repeal, so that we
have two bills pending before us on
the subject Of the Sherman law, and
the repeal is likely to be carried out In
some shape. By the way, Ihave never
known a Senator more anxious for the
undoing of that action than that 0ena.
tor. 1t is confession that he is wrong
and it Is an appeal from his conscience
and seems to say to the court, Hurry
up, Judge; I am a great criminal let
there be no delay; do not even let the
jury have water" Laughter.
But what about the remainder Of the
platfOrm9 The same bill-almOst the
same strokes Of the same pen could
have inserted q provision looking IN
the direction Of coming silver on equal
terms with gold, maintaining it's parity,
etc. But instead Of that we give the
stock brokers and the gamblers and
the banks by this bill all they want,
and we put off the American people
with still another promise. We pay
the gold bugs cash and pay the people
with another paper promise redeemabe
at the option of the makers. Laughter,
Now, if the promises at Chicago were
not good, how would the promises IN
serted in the law become any better.
1t might, indeed, be good for another
promise, and so on an jnJfnituD1, as we
see tickets on steamboats, sometimes,
GOOD for six days at the bar" only
there the drinks are paid for already
How long are we to postpone the PEG
ple2 How long dare Wedo it? No one