The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-10-26

/ AGRICULTURAL anu All DtnrT Glasses /
challenge anv other Sta-e in America
| TO show more dislntcre>ted legislation
than that exhibited By North Caro-
Ina Show me a government is
America anywhere that has been bet
ter administered: that has been more
wisely administered; where the taxes
have been more just!s laid, and where
every thing has been more cqualized
than it has been under the govern.
ment of North Carolina. Why is
this! Why is it that the national
legislature has been so hostile to YOUR
interests and the State legislature SO
favorable: | will tell you why. The
answer is not far To seek. 1t is be-
cause this Legislation has been mould
ed by the farmers OF North Carolina.
who have been either present in the
Legislature as members, or have Sc
lected and elected those who should
represent you, and therefore the ben
lscent legislation; whereas in the
national Legislature, although YOU
constitute largely one-half of all the
workers and wage-earners of this
great nation, your strength has been
dissipated. The oond which has
held you together has been mere
rope of sand, and your influence in
the national legislature has not been
felt-has scarcely been there at all.
Why has that been: ! perceived
long while since that that was be-
cause you lacked organization, you
lacked the means of combination and
the bringing of strength to bear at Il
given point.
Napoleon's great maxim was to
throw great masses of troops upon
the weakest point of his enemy, and
as one of our cavalary generals dur
ing the late war expressed it, man
of more courage than of education
he said the great secret was to get
there first with the most men. You
have never been able to do that in
national politics. The banks have
got there every time with all four
feet; the railroads have got there
every time, and its the only part of
their schedule in which thev have
never been behind time; the manu-
facturers have got there evers time:
all the balance of them have. Why:I
Why, simply because they have been
organized and have got the start.
have no quarrel with them for it.
My quarrel is with you for neglect
ing the means of grace which has
been offered to you.
Now is known to you that
great contest Is pending in the Con-
gress of the United States and is di-
viding and agitating the people all
over this great land on the question
of their money. Propositions have
passed the house of Representative
and are pending now i'll the Senate
which would demonetize one-half of
our currency. DO you know what
that means, my friends? You do
not. If you would take the trouble |
to sit down and read the history of
the English people about the time
great Britain demonetized silver and
destroyed one-half of the currency
of the people and read of the vast
of hungry men that pa
raded the streets of London and of |
wailing women that surrounded the |
parliament House, holding up chill
dren crying for bread, and of the
horrors of actual starvation through |
which those people had to pass to
come to a gold standard; if you could
bring those times back, you would
see something o. what was before
you in case that one-half of our
is wiped out. Do not let any
man deceive you by saying that one
half of our money is not to be wiped
out. For the only legislation which
ls upon our statute books now that
binds us to silver is the Sherman
law which is threatened with uncon-
ditional repeal. You can See the
gradual effect of legislation. Since
1878 when silver was demonetized,
for the first time all products began
to 60 down, the most important of
which are wheat and cotton, and you
will see that as the price of silver
sank because its money value had
been taken away from it, that wheat
and cotton went down precisely,
every penny; that when one went
down the other went down as though |
they had been joined together, and
they have been sinking ever since, and
the days wage has been going down
and everything else that is produced
on the farmers plantation for the
sustenance of mankind has been 60
ing down in the same proportion.
Silver is making its last stand as the
money of the American people.
There is not a bank or manufactory
that has not sent its petition and
whose voice is not heard in behalf Of
the repeal. There Is not chamber
of commerce, there is not merch-
ants exchange or brokers' ex-
change in America that has not
made its voice heard in Washing
ton city; and even not content with
on there petition they have
sent large delegations to buttonhole
members of Congress, and Senators
and tell them that the
end of the world is at hand and that
Gabrieps horn would be heard the
day after tomorrow if their wishes
were not complied with. I have
been listening every day to these del
egations and these petitions and
have been hoping | would hear some
voice from the farmers of North
Carolina, but | heard not one. Why
have not the farmers organized