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

by those who have the majority, aud
you have the majority in this great
land of ours. The only question is that
when that power comes into your
hands, whether you will abuse it. Let
US pray God that you will not, 1t is
natural when men have been Oppressed
and wrong has been done to them for
so great awhile, that when their hour
of power comes they can't stop at the
line of moderation. The horrors of
the French Revolution were just in
proportion to the iniquity which had
bee heaped upon the people tor centu-
ries. II was begun by the Girondists,
who attempted to equalize all the
taxes of France as the remedy for the
Feudal privileges. The barons paid
no taxes to support the government
whatever, and the proposition was
made in the first General Assembly of
the French people for the equalization
of taxes, to make a nobleman pay
taxes as common men, just as the
peasant did. 1t was adopted and made
with universal appreciation. And the
authors having found out that they
could redress one wrong so easily, ad-
vanced little further, and thinking
that they could 60 along as they had
begun, advanced beyond the bounds
with visible ferocity and bloodthirsty
cruelty. And the first man at the
gui!lotine was this mad man who had
started the Girondists.
So with the farmers of America who
have submitted SO long to this legisla-
ton which has robbed them. High
tariffs which prevent the coming in Of
foreign products and prevent the for
eigners from buying their products, and
at the same stroke of the pen COM
PEELED them to buy all their supplies at
the highest market in the world and
sell everything they had to sell at the
cheapest market in the world. Then
came the national banking laws, by
which the State banking institutions
were swept out of existence, and
power was given to the national banks
to control the currency, to contract it
whenever they thought there was too
much, and to initiate it when they
thought there was too little. After
these things then comes the PROPOSE
ton to demonetize silver, which sends
the price of gold way up and the price
of every days wages and every bushel
of wheat and every pound of cotton
way down. 1 say in that way you
have been plundered SO long and OPP
pressed so long, that very naturally
should power be placed in your hands
you would be disposed to go too far. 1
have seen that disposition manifested
in North Carolina, but let us hope that
when you do come into power, when
those whom you send to Washington
and elsewhere to represent you, shall
be in the majority, that you will dis
play wisdom and moderation and far
sightedness that will meet the appro-
baton of your countrymen. and that
your influence will grow and strengthen
until it becomes as great as the land in
which it is displayed. Let US hope
you will not be short sighted and re-
vengeful, that you will not take ad-
vantage and stir up prejudice of class
against class, and one portion of the
industrial community against another,
but that you will display that broad
ness which God displays to you when
he scatters His rain over your fields
and valleys. And now, fellow citizens,
l thank you for your attention.