The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-05-23
SENATOR BUTLER'S ANSWER.
On the Same Platform With TilIman-He
Opposes the sab-Treasury and Govern
mental Ownership OF Railroads and
Telegraph and Telephone Lines.
He Will Not Submit TO be
Bound by Caucus Rules.
IColumhia Ripister. Goth.


! TColumbia Rigister. GOTH
Senator Butler has written the fol
lowing reply to the questions pro
pounded to him by the Farmers Ali
ance:
WASHINGTON, D. c., May y, 1891.
Mr.. T. 2. Mitchell, Chairman Execu
tive Committee, F. S. A., Wood
ward, S. c..
NV Dear Sir: Some days ago, I re
ceived the following letter from you:
Hon. NJ. G. Butler, Washington, D. c
Dear Sir: AS chairman of The
Executive committee of the State
Farmers alliance it was made my
duty by resolution to propound tine
following questions to all candidates
and request written answer to same.
aud as you are candidate for the
United States Senate, I submit them
to you and would be pleased to heal
from you in regard 70 same at your
earliest convenience.
First. Will you discuss the alliance
demands in the coming campaign, par
ticularly those relating to the finances
of the country, and defend them
against the enemies of our order?
Second. Will you pledge loyalty
to the demands of the National Farm
ers alliance and Industrial Union,
above loyalty to party caucus, and
vote against any and all candidates
who decline to commit themselves to
this extent?
Yours respectfully,
("Sigued) THos. P. MITCHELL. .
Chairman Executive Conn.,, f. s. A"
In reply to q request from me, you
transmitted the following as the plat
form or demands of the Farmers al!l-
ance of South Carolina:
FINANCE.
First-We demand a national cur
reucy, safe, sound and flexible, issued
by the general government only, a
full legal tender for all debts, public
and private, and that without the use
Of banking corporations, a just and
efficient means of distribution direct
to the people at y tax not to exceed
per cent. per annum, to be provided a.
set forth in the sub-Treasury plan Of
the Farmers alliance, or a better sys-
tenn; also by payments in discharge OF
its obligations for public improve
ments.
We demand the free and unlimited
coinage of silver and gold at the present
legal ratio of IL to /.
We demand that the amount of cir
culating medium be speedily Increased
to not less than $50 per capita, exclu-
sive of legal reserve.
We demand graduated income tax.
We demand that our national leglsla-
ton shall be so framed in the future as
not to build up one industry at the ex-
pense of another.
We believe that the money of the
country should be kept as much as
possible in the hands of the people, and
hence we demand all national and State
revenues shall be limited to the neces-
sary expenses of the government
economically and honestly admins
tered.
We demand that postal savings banks
be established by the government for
the safe deposits of the earnings of the
people, and to facilitate exchange.
LAND.
Second-The land, including all the
natural sources of wealth, is the herit-
age Of the people and should not be
monopolized for speculative purposes,
and alien ownership Of land should be
prohibited. =,
All land now held by railroads and
other corporations, in excess of their
actual needs, and all lands now owned
by aliens should be reclaimed by the
government and held for actual settlers
only.
TRANSPORTATION.
neutrality-suspicious. being means
of exchange and public necessity, the
government should own and operate
the railroads in the interest of the peo-
pie.
The telegraph and telephone, like the
pnstoftice system, being a necessity for
the transmission Of news should be
owned aud operated by the govern
luent in the interest of the people.
Taking up the quest tions of your
letter in their order, l beg to say in
response to the first, will discuss any
public question the people may desire
10 have dicussed, and as the finances
of the country" are legitimate and
proper subjects for discussion, will
discuss them with pleasure and with
out reserve. I will refer more fully to
the last point of your injury, whether
| will defend them against the
enemies OF our (your) order," when 1
come to discuss the alliance platform.
l dou't quite understand, however,
whether YOU mean to ask me whether
| will defend the finances Of the coun-
try against the enemies of your Order"
or the finances Of the country" as
proposed by the alliance. l assume
YOU mean the latter.
Replying to your second question, ]
beg to say that in my political life
bave never allowed any caucus, or So
ciety, or organization, to bind my con-
science, aud shall not do so in the
future. Caucuses, or societies, or Or
yanizations of any kind, which seek to
bind the political conscience of any free
American citizen, are in my judgment,
ininlical to that freedom of conscience
and political action, so essential to the
preservation of the Republican institu-
tons. have attended many caucuses
of the Democratic party, to which I
belong; l have never heard the sugges-
ton that any mans conscience, or poll
tical action should be bound by them.
I never will so far surrender my indl-
vidual judgment as to be bound by any
caucus. am loyal to the principles of
the Democratic party, and shall main
tain that loyalty so long as it adheres
to principles think conducive to the
best interests of the people, not day
longer. / have been under the impress
sion that the Farmers Alliance was not
d political organization, but at "Indus-
trial Union" for the protection of the
farmers against impositions from other
sources. do not believe in secret politi-
cal organizations, we bad a sad expert
ence some years ago with them. What
ever concerns the political welfare of
our people should beopen to the fullest,
freest, most public discussion. In order
to prevent impositions on the people,
the light must be turned on from all
noipts of view T recopniZe no master