The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-05-31


Of the people. l will, therefore, say I
will vi pledge my loyalty to the demands
judgment, and I cannot hold them
above loyalty to party caucus, because I
make no pledges to ''partY caucuses,"
and deny the right of ''party caucuses,"
or any other caucuses to command Pied
ges from mo to surrender my conscience
and judgment to it's dictatlon.
Coming now 10 the demands, permit
me to cay, by way OF preface, that there
seems to be very grave mlsapprehen.
sion in the minds Of some" people. as to
tho power Of caucus over it's members.
I have attended Democratic caucuses
since have been in tho Senate, but no.
body ever dreamed of binding any mem-
ber OF the caucus to vote against his
judgment. For instance. Democrats
and Republicans differ widely among
themselves on financial questions. A
caucus is held for consultation and finan.
clal topics are discussed, but in the Sem
ate and House each man votes as his
judgment dictates; some may favor the
free and Unlimited coinange of silver at
one ratio or another; some may favor
tho sub-treasury plan Of the Alliance,
and after consultation in caucus they
vote for or against either proposition,
when the occasion arises. Nobody is
bound by the caucus unless he Chooses
voluntarily to be 80 bound. No oaths
are administered, no pledges exacted, as
arequsite OF party fealtv. Ifthere were,
I would pever attend caucus.
In regard to demand First of the AL.
lance, will say that the sub-treasury
plan has been abandoned because 1t was
found to be impracticable and uncon-
stttut1onal, and therefore it Is unneces-
sary to discuss it. In my judgement
q "better system" would be attained by
the repeal of the ten per cent. tax on
State banks Of circulation, and I trrst
that the Alliance will take that up and
make 1t one OF lts demands cannot
OF course, discuss this proposition at
length In this connection, but take the
lio-rty of handing you one Of my
spetches delivered in the Senate at the
last ex' tn session. In which Ihaye at
tempted to elaborate the argument in
favor OF the repeal, and beg you to do
me the favor to examine 1t. l think
you will find that If this tax should be
repealed We would have "a safe, sound,
hexio q currency" and enough Of it.
favor "the free and unlimited coin.
age of silver and gold at the present
legal ratio Of 16 to l." and advocated 1t
In Congress before the Alliance was or.
ganlzed, and am gatiGed to know that
the Alliance has adopted my platform
on this subject.
Fifty dollars per capita Is not too
much currency for country like ours
but the trouble with our present fin
q
capita amount of currency as the un-
equality Of It's distribution. Some
sections Of the country have much
more than $50 per capita, while In our
section, l doubt If we have $S2 per CAPT.
ia. If In our State we could be guar
anteed 800 per capita, If 80 much was
necessary for the transaction of our
business, I would compromise on that;
we should then have about $2O,OOO,OOO
OF currency in circulation In South
Carolina, whereas doubt If we now
have $2,000,000. If, by the repeal of
the 10 per cent. tax, the States should
be permitted to authorize banks Of cir.
! culatioD, we should have just 80 much
and no more-but we should have
enough.
l favor an income tax and shall have
an opportunity of voting for it In the
pending tariff bill. [ concur in the de-
mand that the money of the country
should be kept as much as possible In
the hands Of the people, and that all
national and State revenues shall be
limited to the necessary expenses of
the government, economically admins
tered" This Is good, sound doctrine
and 1 heartily Subcribe to 1t.
| can see no objection to "postal saw.
Ing banks" although a measure of that
kind would be largerly tentative In this
country, and should be adopted with
caution and ctrcumspection.
The second general demand, as to the
public lands, Ia sound and In accord.
ance with true Democratic principles.
Chs third general demand, "that Che
government should own and operate
the railroads in the interest Of the peo
graph should be owned and operation
in the interest of the people' would
IN my judgment, be impolitic and un.
Wise.l have always understood that the
Alliance was opposed to the further In.
creaes Of the bonded debt OF the gov.
ernment, and agree with the Alliance
In that proposition, The government
could not pay cash for the Oh 9 hundred
and ninety odd thousand miles Of rail
roads, and the vast mileage Of telegraph
and telephones. The rate of taxation
necessary to raise the cash would des
troy the people, and the only alterna-
tive to put the government In ownet.
ship of the railroads, telegraphs and
telephones would be to issue eight bill
lions Of bonds to buy the railroads, and
no body knows how many millions to
buy hetelegraph and telephone System
of the country. Is the Alliance prepar.
cd to urgo the creation Of such q DOnd-
ed debt upon the present and future
geDerations, and thereby prepetuate
Ihe national banking system indelnit-
ey lfso, cannot go with it. The
government now has control and super
vlsen OF the railroads by and through
Cne lnterestate Commerce. Commission
ana the experiment has not realized
the expectations Of It's friends, The
ownership Of the railroads IN dispotic
governments is justified on the around
that they are military necessi,ies for
the rapid mobilization ana trananorta.
tion OF armies IL has not redopnd"G T,
70 the interest of the people, for freio hi
rares are DO per cent. higher in thoa.
countries than In this, and thew orc
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