The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-06-19
REFORM VOTERS.
Mr, Peele Suggests That All Stand To
gether and Vote for Good Men
Regardless of Name.

three fourths of those who voted for
Mr.. Cleveland, and from two thirds
to three-fourths who voted for Mr.
Weaver, in our State at the last cleo
tlon, are demanding practically the
same reforms. That is to say, three
fourths of the white people of this State
and perhaps even many colored people
are demanding free silver, more money,
a graduated income tax, genuine tariff
reform, lower Federal taxes, fewer
and smaller Federal pensions, State
control of railroads in the interest of
the people, more effectual anti monop
oily legislation and honest elections.
Yet in spite of this practical unan-
unity of sentiment and community of
interest among our people, Wall street
may be able, in the coming election,
by working upon the cupidity and sci
t1shness, the partisanry and class feel
ing of our people, to divide them up
into two or three factions called parties,
and then conquer them. Divide and
conquer" is the motto of war, the devil
and Wall street. know not by what
name the victors will call themselves
but believe that when the reforms
above named are defeated or delayed,
it is a victory for the money power
and Satan. Seeing that our enemies
are united, is it not suicide for our peo
pie to divide up into factionsG Espe
cially is it not the most shameless folly
for those to divide who are demanding
practically the same reforms9 Our
enemies, the agents and emissaries Of
monied monopoly, do not divide.
They have now eve n thrown off the
thin disguise of pretended division,
and are every where defying the idol of
party organization, which they have
so sedulously taught US to worship !
Shall we not be as wise for our saliva
tion as our enemies are for our destruc
tion9 No party name is sweet enough
to divide the agents of Wall street in
Congress when any legislation is at
tempted for the interests of the scattered
millions. No, these party names are
kept 20 divide the benighted, the ignor-
ant, the prejudiced and the partisan.
Shame upon the people of North Caro-
limo and a deeper shame upon their
leaders, if those who need the same relief
and demand the same reforms are sep
arated by prejudice, partisanry selfish
ness and ambition. I call upon the
people then who are seeking the re-
forms herein before enumerated, to join
together in this resolution that, when
ever a candidate worthy of their conf
dence, no matter by what party he
may have been nominated, earnestly
and honestly advocates what they
believe or as much of it as they can
reasonably ask, they will vote for him,
and only put up opposing candidates
when bad men or dangerous platforms
or both are put forward. In this way,
whether the friends of reform are as
numerous as have estimated them or
not, they will be in amply sufficient
numbers to hold the balance of power
between existing parties whose nomi-
nees are seeking their votes.
All machine politics and politicians
are destroyed when all the political
parties are compelled to put forward
good men on good platforms. Let us
learn lesson from our enemies. Wall
street does not ] in political party in
a practical sense; it merely acts tenn
porally with a party in particular
locality whose candidate it can control
In district A it spends money for a
Republican Wall street Congressman,
and in district B it spends money for q
Democratic Wall street Congressman
That is the way Wall street won the
last Congress and has won every Con
gress for thirty years, thoug b some
times they are called Democratic and
at other times Republican. In the same
way it elects Presidents by adopting
this same policy in the election Of elec
tors. In plain English, Wall street
holds the balance of power between the
two factions of the people by not hav
ing a separate faction Of it's own
Parties are allowed the soap-suds oi
glory and may call the victory by their
own names if only Wall street car
secure the fruits Of victory.
Millions of people called the last cam
paign a Democratic victory-but what
say they now9 Whose victory was the
demonetization Of silver2 Let the
tongue of the forever silent Vance an
swer from the grave. Whose victory
is the bond issue9 Whose victory was
the election of Hill and Gorman-twir