The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-07-24
RANDOM THOUGHTS.
Joe Jackson Now Gives a Few Thoughts
stolen at Stray Moments From
Lies Varying Scenes
NO. z

FN01 campaigns In North
Oarollna we tramps often see stranpe
Unlngs In our travels. We get behind
tne scenes, so to speak, and alb. what
curious things there are hid from the
puollc eye. l meet many humble. DOOR
men who have to pay, from their
scanty wages, high taxes, whether
they want to Or not; and when election
times come round these same men. if
they happen to be against the ruling
party, go to the polls to declare their
Will In accordance with their rights
given them by our Constitution. and
tnen by some obtuse, mysticism by
some partisan fraud, are forbidden to
cast a vote, they are shorn of their
liberty. They go away in silence, will
ling to give up this great privilege of
citizenship rather than have any
trouble about it. Or, if they are per-
m1tted to place their ballots in the
boxes, when the counting time comes
round their suffrage is made to count
for naught. There is more in the
counting than most people ever think
about. They count somewhat like the
Old fellow who had a lot of pigs in a
lot, all white pigs except one, which
was black. He went to count them
one day and counted them all but the
black pig, and said that it ran about
so fast that he couldn't count it.
SO when these short sighted judges go
to count up on election returns, they
can see very well when they want to,
but are as blind as Blind Tom when
they don't want to see. Every vote
which has on it a D they count for De-
mocracy, when in truth it may neal
doodle up or doodle down, or a thou
sand other things. I saw a thing 60
ing about the State once labeled De-
mocracy. I thought it was a make
shift, afraud, posing under an assumed
name, and I thought I would unrobe
this strange freak of nature and art
and see really what it was. Coming
up to this thing with Democracy en-
blazened in golden letters upon it's
escutcheon, I said: Hello! thing, are
you a real or an unreal substances Is
your name really Democracy, or devil,
or what not7 You are travelling under
false ~colors, ye ignoble vagabond."
The thing, bristling with rage, re-
piled: "You lie, ye hell born anarchist
and libeller of good mems character.
My name is Democracy pure and simple
and unadulterated; yes, every inch Of
me is the very essence of pure Democ-
racy. I was rocked in a Democratic
cradle and reared on Democratic milk
and voted in Democratic elections, and
he who says to the contrary is a liar
and a villain"
This made my tramp nature just
boil with rage. 1 hit to the right and
to the left, in the fore and in the aft
parts. He tried his slight O -hand per-
Torrance on me, but it was no go. He
tried to dodge and cringe and bluff and
blow and kick, but to no effect. After
a while I was the conqueror, and stand
ing over him, made him acknowledge
his defeat and his treachery. Like a
lamb he lay down. I cut away the
bandages and ropes and wires that sur
rounded his body, and little by little l
unrobed him. Beneath the outer gar
ment, which was branded "Democ-
racy," was a costume marked fraud,
and underneath this was one marked
deception, then came folly, then mo
nopoly, then v~ituperations. Then I
noticed a robe which read: II am the
maker of tramps. I fill the poor houses
and orphan asylums. I shut up the
mills. the mines and the foundries.
Nv children are all millionaires. l
turn the poor out in the cold to beg for
bread. My friends are the monopo-
lists. Cleveland is my bed-fellow. l
am determined to become a dictator
and rob by law these poor devils of
their property, their manhood and
their all. The people be damned, any
way"
Thus I tore away robe after robe
until I came to his body, and on it was
written in letters of blood, Devil"
Look beneath the labels to-day and we
see very strange sights, some times,
and we need brave men to unrobe all
of the frauds and show their reality to
the world. Now, when you see a thing
or person branded Democracy" and
looking Of so dandy, just remember
Joe Jackson's fight with the demon.
This is the devil that cheats honest
men out of their suffrage; this is the
devil that proves false to all of it's most