The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-12-26
DEMOCRACY VS.. OoALAIsM.
GENERAL HAMPTON REPLIES TO
ALLIANCE LEADERS.
His Reasons for Asserting that the
Ocala Platform is Not True Demo.

cfacy. .s.
Gen. Wade Hampton has made the
following reply to questions propound-
ed to him by Messrs. w. ID. Evans
and j. VIM. Stokes, in behalf of the
| State Alliance, which were published
several weeks ago:
! WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. l6, 1898.
| Messrs. w. ID. Evans and j. VIM,
Stokes:
Gentlemen: was out of the State
| when your open letter to me was pub
lished, and l did not see it unsil a
| friend sent to me copy of paper c on
tanning it, few days before left Co
lumbia. This has been the cause of
my delay in replying to it, and l do SO
now with entire frankness.
Let me say, before discussing the
questions you PROFOUND, that L have
never charged that Alliancemen were
not Democrats, nor have [ ever de-
nounced the Farmers Alliance, though
L do not agree with some of the de-
mands announced in their platform. [
am in full sympathy with every legiti-
mate effort to relieve the burthen Of
that great class-our farmers--a class
TO which | have always belonged, and
L shall always cooperate heartily, in
any movement for their relief.
1t would make this communication
too long should enter into u discus
sion OF all the questions you have asked
me, so ] shall endeavOr to give nv
reason for saying that "No man who
upholds the Ocala platform can pro-
perly claim to be q Democrat"
In your letter, you summarize the
several planks in the Ocala platform" >"
but it strikes me that you have omitted
in your summary some of the most i'm
portant planks in that platform, and in
order that L may supply this omission
on your part subjoin the Ocala plat
form in full. AS have seen no modi-
tication of this declaration of the prin-
ciples uphold by the party YOU repro
sent, nor any Reputation Of the doc
trlnes enunciated, i take it for granted
that this platform embodies the de-
mands, and declares the creed of the
Ocalaites.
THE ORIGINAL OCALA PLATFORM.
la. We demand the abolition of nation
al hanks.
ID. we demand that the government
shall establish sub-treasuries in
the several States, which shall
issue money direct to the people at
low rate of tax, not to exceed 2
per cent. per annum, on non-perish-
able farm products, and also upon
real estate, with proper limitations
upon quantity Of land and amount
of money.
c. We demand that the amount of
the circulating medium be speedily
increased to not less than $50 per
capita.
2. We demand that Congress shall
pass such laws as will effectually
prevent the dealing in futures Of
all agricultural and mechanical
productions providing stringent
system of procedure in trials that
Will secure prompt conviction, and
+ imposing such penalties as shall
secure the most perfect compliance
with the law.
.. we condemn the silver bill recent
~ passed by Congress and demand
In lieu thereof the free and un-
limited coinage Of silver.
i. We demand the passage of laws
prohibiting the alien ownership of
land, and that Congress take
prompt action to devise some plan
to obtain all lands now owned by
aliens and foreign syndicates and
that all lands now held by railroads
and other corporations in excess of
such as is actually used and needed
by them be reclaimed by the gov
ernment and held by actual settlers
only.
5. Believing in the doctrine of equal
rights to all and special privileges
TO none, We demand
n. That our national legislation shall
be so framed in the future as
not to build up one industry ut the
expense of another.
b. We further ,demand a removal of
the existing heavy tariff tax from
the necessities of life that the Door
OF our land must have.
C. We further demand u Just and
equitable system OF graduated tax
on incomes.
d. We believe that the money of the
country should be kept as much as
possible in the hands Of the people,
ana hence we demand that all
national and State revenues shall
be limited to the necessary eX-
penscs OF the government econo-
mlcally and honestly administered.
q. We demand the most rigid. honest
and just State and national cove m
menta. control and supervision of
the means of public communica-
tion and transportation. and if this
control and supervision does not
remove the abuse now existing. we
demand tho government owner
ship OF such means Of communica-
tion and transportation.
Z. We demand that the Congress of
the United States submit an
amendment to the Constitution
providing for the election of United
States Senators by direct vote OF
| the people of each State.
Now. | shall compare this platform
with that of the National Democratic
party, and [ think that all intelligent
and impartial men will admit that
the platforms do not conform, and are
in many most important principles an.
tagOnistic.
Your platform demands "the aboli-
tion of National Banks :" no such de-
mand is made by the Democratic party.
1t may have escaped your memory. il
you ever knew tho fact, that these
banks hold charters which will not ex-
pire until 1907, so that there would be
some difficulty in immediate "aboli-
tion OF the national banks"
You demand "the establishment OF
sub-treasuries in the several States. -
Every lawyer of prominence, whom /
have heard express an opinion on this
proposition. declares it to be unconsti-
tutional. The Democratic party can
scarcely adopt an unconstitutional
measure, and it seems to me that this
cardinal demand might at least be
called I" q fallacy."
You " condemn the silver bill recent
| ly passed by Congress, and demand in
lieu thereof the free and unlimited
coinage of silver" Is this demand in
accordance with the Democratic plat
|