The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-07-10
A RUNNING DISCUSSION.
A Bright and observant Correspondent
Treats Upon Several Diff
erent Subjects.

Mr.. ED1ToR:-''The meanest thing l
have heard Of" said he, lis that the
PopuIists and the Republicans are 60
ing to fuse on the legislative ticket to.
secure an honest election LGoO. Is 1t
so9" He was chairman of a county
Democratic executive committee, and
had just prophesied a magnificent vic
tory for his party in 1894, even If they
had to carry the State ''by main
strength and awkwardness." This
phrase is his, and doubtless he knows
the character of his own methods.
whether there is any truth in what
YOU have heard" I replied, 81 am I'M
able to say. But, if it be true, I fail to
see anything mean about it. On the
contrary, if the Populists and Repub-
licans are in favor of honest elections,
and if they believe that honest cleo
tions are defeated by the present law,
the only honest course for them to pur-
sue is toward the repeal of the present
dishonest law and the substitution in
it's stead of a law that will secure hon
est elections; and unless you are l n
favor of dishonest elections, ever
though you may think that we have
at present an honest election law, how
can you oppose the repeal of the present
law, which your party alone thinks
honest, and the enactment in its place
of a law whose honesty will be &C
knowledged by all9 That's all Popu
lists and Republicans are after. A
proper regard for your own reputation,
it seems to me, would make you desire
not only to be satisfied yourself as to
the honesty of your method, but to
have everybody with whom you deal
as well satisfied also. Your opposition
to the change marks you in the minds
of honest men as favoring and desiring
dishonest elections"
Senator Jarvis made a speech on the
22d in the Senate on the income tax
clause of the tariff surrender" bill. His
brand new relief, got from our public
Carr cuss, was running riot in his
hungry tissues and elating his very
bones. The spirit of little Tommy
Horner pervaded him. He felt good
and was melted in thankfulness. 81
for one thank God" said he, ''that the
Democratic party is to day in the
hands of those who have the courage
to take off the burdens from the people
and put them on the accumulated
wealth of the country" When King
James had the itch and scratched and
felt good all through, he could smile,
it is said, among his courtiers, and
piously render thanks that the world
was so full of pleasurable &c nsations;
but the Kings feelings did not help the
unscratched itch of the poor fellow in
the stocks. If the people could see it
as the Senator states it, they'd be
thankful, too.
What burden has the Democratic
party lifted from the people? Had you
felt the lift3 1t relieves no burden to
demonetize silver, go to gold standard
and destroy the value of the peoples
property, the price of their products,
and their ability to extricate them
selves from debt. It relieves of no
burden to tax the people on sugar to
enrich Havemeyer and the Senators,
Democratic and Republican, who
would grow rich by speculation, and
prospective legislation. in Sugar Trust
stocks. It relieves of no burden to de-
nounce Republican protection as a
fraud, as a robbery of great majority
of the American people for the benefit
of a few and to displace it with Demo.
cratic protection equally as fraudulent
and as unprincipled a robber. Nor
will an income tax, in the face of enor-
nous and increasing expenditures,
take off a burden from the people
though it puts one ION the accumu-
lated wealth of the country"
"When 4,O47 men," says the New
York World, ''can absorb, under 20
years of protection, over one, fifth of
the total wealth of the United States,
protection must be a beneficial thing
for them" 1t is; and just as beneficial
when dispensed by a Democratic ad-
ministration as when provided by a
Republican one. The World would
have us believe that this vast absorp.
ton is due wholly to protection under
a tariff schedule. In order to obscure
the financial question, it would have
men to fight again over the tariff as the
main issue. But men have learned
that this ruinous absorption of wealth
by the few is due rather to the contrac-