The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-02-11
THE oveRsHADowING ISSUE.
1856 is Silver--Common Ground on
Which all Patriots Who Put Country
kbove Partv Can Stand

hich all Patriots Who Put Country
Above Party Can Stand
| ISenator Buffers speech before the Silver Con-
ference in Washington.l
l wish to thank you for the honor of
this invitation to address this confer
ence. l trust you will pardon me to
say a word about the party to which 1
have the honor II bs a member. l re-
fer especially TO the wise and patriotic
action taken by the National Elk
ecurve Committee Of the Peoples
party at S.. Louis las week. LAp-
pIausa
When the Peoples party was formed
it was composed very largely of meu
VINO knew but hrtla about practical
p0iluos, that i, It was compcs. d Of
men woo had IN the past been an I'M
pOrtRut part If the rank aud file Of the
40 old political parties, men who had
never taken the lead themselves but
who had al ways followed the lead OF
o hers and who bacame di7gusted with
the record and course Of their parties
and lost ]conddencs il the leadership
which they had followed. They came
together and formed the Peoples
Party, and wrote the Omaha platform
as the declaration OF their principles.
That platform Is a broad, bold, manly
and def ant protest against every form
Of organlz 4 monopoly and oppression.
T,,r,, ,.v1 .--,,A .-,~l .,--,.
that platform was written exist today
tut IN q more aggravated form l DO
lIeveo ID that platform then and I be
live III II nov. I believe that every
plauk IL il must 0e enacted into law
before We nave d tur To a true
1epu aIc1n form OF gov nDen5.
a tie members II the Peoples
party have learned q greet deaf about
prs-oy.caI pU!,tgcs since that platform
vas written. Tna1 IS, they have
learn, { a great deai aoou5 the tactics
ana uesh,ds which 81 Is absolutely cs-
ssuGIaj - use the face and successfully
Contend against the common euemy.
We rea'iza 10 day mat a large ma
5,rjsy IF the voters OF America are
opp,s.d TO IA policy Of both Of the
llt parties IL. a large majority Of
the Ho.ers believe that tuo present dis
tres Of the country has been brought
a0JI5 by the bad and vicious legIsla-
t,ou, for which both OH parties are
equally responsible. Now, 1t Is per
fec1i> clear that If these voters can be
brought together and organized, j!
.hey run De- iLducr d to combine their
votes On mex November, hat We can
defe4U gold CONT inc AMI tile UOnopo-
Ists aud Wiz a triumphant victory for
liner y ard good government.
Unfortunately, a majority of the
voters Uf the country are nO5 ready TO
accept the entire platform Of tho PEG
pies party, but we realize that we
should have no quarrel with a patriot
who Is opposed 90 present cOnGIClOus
and who IS willing and ready to IN
! with US to night the wrongs Of the peo
pie. yes, I say, we should have 10
quarrel win such men, because they
40 not believe in and agree 10 every
tnIDg that we believe in, Ii he Is
against the policy Of the two old par
ties, then he is with Us AMI on the eide
OF the people IN this fight. Then let us
bin hands on what we do agree on.
Even If we cannot exactly agree on the
kInd OF rules needed, let us agree to
fight the common enemy. Is il better
for the British gold trust to rule this
country, or is Is better for those who
are opposed 20 it to shape our Laws?
The Nauonal Executive Committee
Of the Peoples party 1T St. LOUIS, at
Ter viewing carefully the whole eiyua
ton, decided that IL was our patriotic
duty to extend an invitation 10 every
individual voter and to every Organi
zari0u who - opposed to the tyrauy
# National Bank currency, who ie op
poSe1 to the further ieeue of bonds as
q burden upon future generations, who
is opposed to further contraction Of
the C Irrency as a curse to the present
generation, who opposed to the British
gold trust dominating ard controlling
our government IN every branch TO
join our ranks for the coming fight,
OF TO hold Conventions at the same
time and place with u, 50 we may put
up one Candidate for President ana
Vice President on wnCm every patriot
/ IN America c.u uu3to IN he rpxt nam
paigu. say D . when the Peoples
party rose IN obedience to the gravity
and Importance of tae situation and
took MS pCsiJicn has 1t did TIE wisest