The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-07-07
A CARD.

trict of North Carolina.
Tae time has arrived when free coin
age can and must win in u district.
The mass of the voters, in all parties,
want it to win and are willing to vote
together to secure this priceless boon
TO the people.
Can the people be afforded an oppor-
tunity to get together on this para
mount and vital issue2 They can, If
wise counsels prevail. There Is an
whelming free silver majority of voters
in the district, but they belong to diff
ferent parties, and neither party, alone,
can elect a candidate; but a union of
the silver forces on one candidate will
C ortainIy elect. Without such union
the Republican goldbug candidate is
Just as certain to win as the sun shines.
Is there patriotism enough among
the silver people to prevail over party
pride, and form a union that will bring
success to the cause Of the white metal7
This question must be answered by the
representatives of the silver voters IN
their respective conventions. Twice,
each party has put forward it's own
candidate and been defeated. All
reasonable men now admit that q union
upon one candidate means victory.
Both parties are agreed upon the object
to be attained-the free coinage of sill
yer at Is to 1. Can they not agree upon
the one and only method to secure it,
While the Democratic party will not
endorse or support a Peoples party
candidate, it is equally certain that the
Peoples plrty will not endorse or sup
port a Democratic candidate. But both
can, and should, unite on an available
independent silver candidate. To meet
half way both can win. To stay a part
both will lose.
In 1884 l voted for Grover Cleveland,
having, all my life previously, been an
active member of the Democratic party.
But when President Cleveland com
menced his fight against silver, 1 i'm
mediateIy left the party. l then com
menced service inthe Republican party
and voted for Mr.. Harrison in 1888;
was elected said: The Republican
party was in favor of the use of both
gold and silver as money, and cor
dennis the policy Of the Democratic
Administration in its efforts to demoue-
TIE silver :" the Democratic platform
that year did not have the word silver
in it.
In 1890, the Republicans, claiming
to carry out their professions for silver,
passed what was called the Sherman
law, and made the proud boast, that
while the Democrats under the Bland
law had only given the country $24,-
600, 600 of silver per annum, they had
increased it's coinage to $50, 600, 900 per
annum, that while the Democrats had,
by the active aid of President Cleve-
land, driven down the price of silver,
in the dollar, from % cents to 20 cents,
and wheat from more than 81 90 to 70
cents per bushel, they had, by means
| Of the Sherman law, raised the price of
! silver from " cents, where the Demo
Gratis left it, to 90 cents, and wheat
from 70 cents to 81 % per bushel. They
claimed thus to have increased the
value Of the silver bullion in the treas,
ucy 800 900, O00; and to have increased
the value of the wheat crop, in the
hands of the farmers, 1854, 900, 600; and
all other farm products in like proper
Uion.
Then it was that the Republicans
proudly proclaimed: In the presence
of such facts the Democratic party
must stand dumb or argue itself an
ass" But alas! What a change was
to come over the spirit of our dreams.
In 1898. President Cleveland called
the special session, liz continuation of
his fight against silver, and the Repub-
licans, with one consent, helped him
to destroy all their former boosted
benefits to the people by wiping out, at
one blow, the So, 900, 900 of silver coin
age, and for the first time, in the his
tory Of the government, placing us I'm
reservedly and fully upon the single
gold standard basis.
This ~dastardly act, on the part of the
Republicans-for the Democrats could
not have perpetrated so great a crime
without their help-drove down the
price of silver from SO cents in the dol
lar, in 1890, to AZ cents three years
later, and the price of wheat from
about 80 cents to so cents per bushel