The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-08-20
FINANCIAL sTRADDLE BUGS.

" "ElBS dlu Bd4A oOS0N
silver bugs, potato bugs, bed bugs, u
l believe a straddle bug is OF recent OH
gin, and no one as yet hes undertaken
to give his g~enealogy. The 5raduAe ous
must he from his name and character
a cross between a gold bug, q silver
bug and a bed bug. He is neither 1or
gold nor for silver, mol does he ike a
bed bug much, unless he IS neneereu
with both gold and silver, and In thaV
case he is fond Of the three combined.
He must, therefore, be the result Oh
inter breeding, with the three. buI
Jest aside, there is some excuse Ior 8Olu
bugs, silver bugs and bed bugs; each
fits their space, discharges the Iunc-
lions and serves their purpose But the
straddie bug, what shall we say OF him
and his place and functions2 1t Is the
object of the gold bug to possess the
Earth and the fullne.s thereof. 1t Is
his purpose to hold nineteen tWentleths
of the human family in bondage as his
slaves, his servants, to do his will, and
forego all pleasure and comfort for his
pleasure and profit. LIS the purpose OF
the silver bugs to restore that metal to
it's legitimate and constitutional money
functions, to deprive gold of its illegal,
unconstitutional and oppressive power,
to place both gold and silver on the
same horizontal level as money, where
Washington, Jefferson, Jackson and
the American people placed it, to place
every man, woman and child, white
and black, on the same equitable foot
ing in the race for life, for a fair ard
equal distribution of this worlds goods,
according to worth, energy, skill, in
dustry and intelligence. But what has
the straddIe bug in view9 He is neither
pig nor pup. He is neither hot nor
cold. He is neither the n nor the
other. He will and he won't. He is
and he is not. He is all things to all
men and nothing to anybody. You
view him from all standpoints, and he
is both streaked and striped, he is red
black, green, blue and yellow. pcs sesses
the various shades Of all these ColOrs.
You look him straight in the face, and
he ra YOU Of an opossum; you
take4g view, and you conclude he
is an old he coon; you glance at his
back, and he reminds you of a hyena
you take a diagonal view, and he ap-
pears to be a weasel or a mink; but
when you compare and combine his
various appearances and study his
makeup you discover he is an old red
fox, shrewd, cunning, willy, artful and
crafty liz all his designs. Some men
are very cunning, crafty and foxy
and so it is with the leaders of these
straddie bugs. All straddle bugs are
goldbugs. They are taught and ad
vised to straddle, in order 60 lead 9th
er5 irt) the same political ruts. 1t is
an artful way to capture the honest and
u~nsuspecting and lead them into the
gold bug camp. Look at Joe Black
burn and Gen. Hardin, Of Kentucky.
Both pretended to be against goldbug-
ism and enthusias. ically in favor Of the
free coinage of silver 16 to 1, and beth
NCC1ht CN GAAHb Ii CLAO4S Cl4Chb VI SL4C
Cleveland administration, and especial
~ his financial policy would defeat and
destroy the party. But the couven-
ton did both, and then bought Joe
Blackburn, Gen, Hardin and the silver
bugs for so small a consideration as the
nomination Of General Hardin for
Governor. And both Joe and
his nominee mounted the rostrum
and urged all silver Democrats, with
thoughts that burn and words that
killed and made alive, to stand fl it
footed on a gold bug platform, stand
by Cleveland end Carlisle, John Sher
mar s Co., and the audience M de the
wtlk;n ring and cheered Cleveland
Sherman & Co. until there was no voice
in them, and Joe and all the silver ner
said amen, bless the Lord, we are a
home again.
Ard this is called Democracy, South
ern Democracy, at that. Yes, J fer
son, Jackson, Calhoun Democracy.
And, Mr.. Editor, how much bett i
Democracy have you in your city
SINE time ago you had a so-called non.
partisan gathering in Raleigh, and the
papers said the lion and the lamb had
lain down together on the silver cues
ton, and agreed to feed together in
green pastures by the rivers edge
where No harm should come to either
and both should fatten and yield al
abundance of oil.
1t was further stated in tbs organ c
the gold bugs and silver bugs, publish
I'd In rnnr CITY daily tkat nnn d.