The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-01-23

@O"VSOfS OOtUSOOTO, ~. u:
DEAR SIR:-In the election of 1892
you voted the Peoples party ticket, 1
voted the Democratic ticket. You be-
lIeve in Democratic principles, so dol;
you want honest reform and relief for
the people, so do 1. Then why do we
neutralize each others influence >bv
killing each others vote9 This is an
important question. It is, indeed, a
serious question for both OF us, if we
have convictions and are honest in our
professions
We both joined the Alliance about
the same time and are still active mem
bers of the organization. We, both,
believe in it's principles and want the
same results, in fact, we, both, believe
that the government will be secured
when the demands of the Alliance are
enacted into law. But the Constitu,
ton of the Alliance was formed
with so much wisdom and infused
with so much patriotism and true
Christianity that our obligations to the
organization, and to each other, as
Alliancemen, left ue free to use our
vote and influence to secure these re-
suits In whatever way, or through
whatever channel that our conscience
enlightened by our understanding
might direct. Exercising this right in
the performance of a great duty, you
took the Alliance into Peoples party
politics, took it into Democratic poll,
tics. This did not hurt the principles
of the AlliaI ce any more than taking
religion into politics hurts religion, but
on the other hand, helps politics, pro
vided a mans religion is any better
than his politics Both of US were
fighting to advance the principles of
the Alliance and to serve the ends of
good government, but one of us was
mistaken as to the method.
In the beginning Of this fghtagainst
bad laws and for good laws, you and
both took the Alliance into Demo
cratic politics. You and we're both
elected to the legislature Of 1891 as
Alliancemen, who were striving to get
the reforms needed though the Demo
cratic party and, in large measure,
we succeeded in that Legislature. But
every intelligent man realized that If
every possible reform that the legisla-
ture could enact was secured, that the
real measures of relief must still come
through a Congress an6 national ad-
ministration that was guided by sense
of Justice and desire to do the right.
In the spring of 1892 you, as Preei-
dent of the State Alliance, labored hard
to get the Democratic party committed
to the reforms needed by the people. I
was with you in that fight, for we both
always affiliated with the Democratic
party and wanted to see that party in
line with the people so that every Ali
anceman could consistently affiliate
with it.
You we're satisfied with the position
of the party in the State, but when the
National Convention met, wrote its
platform and nominated its candidate,
you, as the President Of the Alliance,
said that every Allianceman must de-
eide for himself, but that you believed
that the Chicago platform was written
to deceive the people and that Grover
Cleveland was monopolist and gold
bug of the deepest dye.
Then it was that you and I, as ALI
ancemen, for the first time differed as
to the best methods Of getting reform.
| believed that the State and National
platforms of the Democratic party
were written in good faith, and further
thought that Grover Cleveland, if he
could have both branches Of Congress
with him, would wipe out all the evil
laws from which we are suffering and
give the people an honest government
on Democratic principles. Besides the
leaders Of the Democratic party pledged
the people and all Alliancemen that II
we would give them chance they
would wipe out every bad law we com
planned of, that they would make the
wealth of the country bear its share OF
the burden of taxation, they would
take the control of the money of the
country out of the hands of the National
Banks, that they would give free coin
age of silver and further increase the
the currency with treasury notes to
fifty dollars per capita. All these and
other reforms demanded by the ALI
ance were promised.
I thought you were wrong in not