The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-03-27

THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER says Of it,
again this week:
ITO try to reform an organization,
beginning the work at home, is com
mendable; but if we understand this
confidence game now On foot no good
can come out of it. The sole object is
to get there and when that is done
our members Of Congress will fall
down and worship Grover and the
golden image just az most Of those
elected in 1892 have done.
The Observer did not give us the
first intimation of the scheme. We
knew it weeks ago. The birthplace is
located far from the Observer office,
and the men who Matched up the
scheme hold that honesty in politics
is an irridecent dream and intend to
hoodwink the honest yeOmanry Of the
letter TO the Secretary of the Mecklen
burg County Alliance was the first
gun"
THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER is giving
out Information on the principle which
the elder Weller told his son, Sam,
should govern in the writing of a love
letter-in such g way as to make the
girl wish there were more Of it.. The
FARMER tells just enough of the story
of this Democratic conspiracy to make
the reader wish it had told more. 1t
is interesting but not satisfying, and
we shall have to ask it to name the
birth place of this scheme" and to
name also the men who Matched up
the scheme" 1t is apparently in pos
session of a Democratic secret. The
information it has is about a matter of
public concern, a legitimate matter of
public discussion, and it owes it to the
public to tell all it know about it. A
newspaper man has no right to keep
back information which the people
should have, and enjoy it all by him
self. We insist that our contemporary
be not coy or selfish about this thing,
but speak right up and tell the people
of North Carolina, upon whom it says
1t Is being sought to work a confidence
game, all about it. BuncO ~steerers and
confidence men deserve no cOnsidera-
ton, but on the contrary deserve ex
posture and e~XecratiOn. Let us have
the names of the cOnspirators and the
terms of the conspiracy There is
particular need Of elaboration of the
statement that Senator Vance's letter
to the secretary of the Mecklenburg
County Alliance was the first gum
perhaps the first step-in a movement,
deep laid and diabolical, ito hoodwink
the honest yeOmanry of the State"
What does THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER
mean by that9
AS one member of the band of con
spirators. knowledge OF whose scheme
The PROGRESSIVE FARMER was in o
session of weeks ago." we challenge
our contemporary to make a full show
ing of the acts.-CharEOtte Observer,
21st.
The Observer evidently thinks it
originated the plan, or, at least, was
the first to give it to the public in type.
It was the first to publish the plan.
But the very air had been full of it for
months. The writer got most of the
inside facts last fall. Certain 'feelers''
gave them away in trying to pump"
the writer. One of them, now holding
a government position, got enthusiastic
and while trying to gorge himself with
information, lost his bearings and gave
more than he received.
The Observer asks us to name the
men," That paper knows we'll enough
that we will not break faith and give
away private conversations. The
writer is not a politician, and some
times politicians of various proclivities
talk freely, because they know we will
not take advantage of anything that
may be said and give it to the public.
Senator Vance probably wrote his
first letter because he felt that way,
calpuIStinO for into 4Lo $685.
1t is likely that he hoped it would
serve a good purpose. Certain it was
that a few others, who had lost hope.
caught at the straw. The administra-
ton and the recent proceedings of Con
gress have given q new impetus to the