The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-04-24

circumstances it would hardly be neces-
sary to reply to anything that might
fall from the pen of Mr.. Ammons.
Wide though his fame and great though
his popularity may be, yet his disap-
proval cannot quite kill. Nay it would
avail for more to make alive. The
essence of his accusation is embodied
in the expression Democratic upstart,"
and is too trifing to deserve more than
passing notice. AS for the first term,
Mr.. Ammons would do well to remem-
ber that he has his full share in what
ever opprobrium may be attached to
the word Democrat. He was Demo
crat longer than the ''upstart" whom
he assails has ever been. Mr.. Ammons
was a Democrat of secession and
slavery-a Democrat of reconstruction,
and at this late day a sneer from him
at the Democratic party sounds strange
ly out of place. If differing with him
in political views is to be construed as
a personal afront, he deserves nothing
but scorn for his narrowness, and con-
tempt for his bigotry. Every man is
entitled to his own opinions, and if
there are some who choose to express
sentiments from which Mr.. Ammons
dissents, that is matter not calling
for his interference in any degree. His
appellation of ''upstart" hardly de-
serves to be dignifed with an answer
It is a favorite word which decayed
influence and lost power, love to cast
at younger generation. The people
of Mr.. Ammons' town and county, his
own fellow citizens, can say how far
his entirely gratuitous and grossly dis
courteous epithet was deserved. This
writer did not advocate keeping the
people in ignorance" nor did he assail
the principles of the Populist party.
On the contrary, the young men, rep
resenting in their number Populists,
Democrats and Republicans, were ad
vised to acquaint themselves with the
great public questions of the day. If
was said that much ignorance and
prejudice exists in all political organi-
Eations, and that statement any mod
erately intelligent person knows is true.
No slur was cast at the Populist or
any other party. The Populists, like
all other citizens, must be accorded the
sincerity of their convictions. They
have right to pursue the policy, and
to support the measures which they
deem expodient for the American peo-
pie. The utterance on the occasion to
which Mr.. Ammons refers, without re
gard to political affiliations, deprecated
the bitterness too often manifested in
heated campaigns; CONDEMNED the spirit
of intolerance and rancor, that would
prescribe men for opinions sake, and
denounced the tendency to replace the
milk of human kindness with the
venom of partisan hatred. No indi
viduals were contemplated, but in the
light of succeeding events, it would
seem that there was not wanting
striking example, to whom those words
might have been fittingly applied.
Why was Mr.. Ammons offended2
Conscious that he deserved those stric
lures, did he leap at the conclusion
that they were intended for him7
"Oh! many q shaft at random sent,
Finds marks tt archer little meant"
And was it because the arrow went
home to his bosom and rankled there,
was it for this reason that Mr.. Am
mons made public exhibition of his
spiteG THos. M. HUFHAM.