The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-05-05
SENATOR MEWBORNE's POSI-
TON.
He TIE Is Mr. A. l.. Swinson Where He
Stands and What He Expscts to Do.
KINsTON, N. c., ApriI % 1885.

KINsTON, N. O., April 90. 1896.
Mr. a L.. SaCinSOn, GOIdsbOrO. N. c.:
DEAR SIR AND BROTHER:-Yours of
the Goth inst in which you say that
ut is current report here among Pop
ulists that you have said that if there
is no fusion between Republicans and
Popullsts in 1896. I viii vote the Re
publican ticket" In reply I have to
say that I never made that statement.
If the Populiets a straight cleo
tOral ticket on the principles we have
been fighting for for the last seven
years, l will be in the forefront Of the
battle, but if they are to be cut to suit
the Democratic party, on which that
party may be able to again fool the
people, I will Z OF be n of those fooled.
am for the cardinal principles of
the money plank of our platform
against the world, and he who would
not fight for them straight is not a
patriot. I would have offered to Re
publicans in this State every State
Ctfce for their vote for these principles
If nothing short of that could have in
| duced them to have voted our electoral
ticket. P0pulists ought to be patriots,
then why should they care for Officer
Principles 0re what we want. Bat this
has not been done, and co-operati n
with that party is a thing of the past.
You may say to your friends and mine
that Me wborne will vote with the Peo-
pies party for all national officers if it
remains Uncontaminated with the
North Carolina Democracy. II il does
not, l will talk to you later.
The above are u principles. and all
we have that are national, anu they
are the grandest ever put forth before
or since. But they are not ell my prin
c;p'es. I have some which to me are
higher and grander, and I shall guard
them with a Jealous care. I will not
| sell them for office for myself or friends
l will not have them jeopagdizsd by
| politicians without or within, and l
will vote for them to be everlaatingly
preserved il whatever party that seems
most likely to preserve them. They
are these: Allow me and my brother
to vote one vote and have that vote
righteoUsly counted. Allow US to have
local self government.
Now to recapitulate: In 1892 we I'm
furltd our banner to the breeze and
met the enemy in battle array. On the
night of the election, after having raped
our ballot, they buried US with their
debauched hands. In 1894, having the
same principles we had in 1892, we
went to battle not as before, but with
elIies who proved to be faithful, and
after the destroyers of the peoples lib
critics had robbed us of more than 40,
900 votes, we gained the day and the
peoples liberties were once again safe,
and I thank God and take courage.
So you see 1 am for fusion again
along this line, which is now too late.
Now if our party can run q ticket in
| NJrth Carolina so as not to put in
jeopardy this the ~graudest Of all prin
ciples, you will find me as before fight
ing side by side with you and other
friends, but if left in doubt, you will
find me voting for these principles
where il seems to me most likely to OBJ
tain and preserve them.
If it was good policy for us to CO.
operate two years ago to obtain this
liberty which has lain in hold for years,
why should it not be principle for us to
! cooperate now to preserve them9
Will you cooperate with the R9pub-
licans Of Wayne county this time to
preserved If not, why not9 Look all
around you and count all the Demo
Gratis on your ten fingers that will help
you in your next fight. Look again
for one Republican who knows that he
has been dtfrauded out of nearly every
election since the war, and now sees a
hope of election by a fusion with lou,
and now can't obtain it because he does
not j1in you on silver, and ask him if
he will help you, and he will tell you
no. If you make no inroads on either
one Of the two old parties, you can't
hope to preserve the ballot, for the
Democratic party, used to the old game
of cheating, will beat us both, as before
If you decimate the Democratic party,
then the Republican party will have
an easy welk over and will sweep the
field, for if it was a hard matter with
fraud to help for the Democrats to beat
them, how will it be when we have
dccimated the ranks of their old enemy