The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-03-31
AN EX-REPUBIICAN ANSWERS
PEARSON.

I
Of his constituents giving them advice
as to the course to pursue in the com
inc campaign. One of the parties to
whom he wrote, Mr.. j. r. Young, OF
Micaville, Yancey county, replied to
the letter giving the Hopper from the
Ninth District some nuggets OF COM
mon sense that the Duke of Richmond
Hill may well consider. There is so
much truth and wisdom in the letter
that we give it below. Each numbered
paragraph is a reply to a paragraph
of that number contained in Mr.. Pear
sons letter, and the answer explains
Mr.. Pearson's point in each instance:
Nv Dear Sir: Your letter has been
received by me, and before answering
/ have studied each article OF 1T closely
and will give you my views on each,
which l hope have been prompted only
by honesty and fairness to all con-
cerned.
/. | will now say that it does seem
to me that there ought to be some
restriction on the pension policy OF the
Republican party, for strange indeed
it is to me that after the lapse OF 81
wears since the close of the war the
nension list should be increasing in
stead of decreasing. Well does every
we'll informed man know that there
has been and still is a great deal of
fraud committed in procuring pensions.
T do think every deserving old soldier,
who is suffering from wounds received
or disease contracted while in actual
service in the rebellion, should be pro-
perlv pensioned. But | further think
and know that it is time for the Re-
publican party to stop robbing the
treasury of the United States under
the name of pensions in order that
their party may have the votes OF the
old Federal soldiers, when 1T is EVIL
dent to every thinking man, Populist
or Democrat, that it is intended as a
bid for their votes. / further believe
the present administration has acted
well, honestly and wisely in cutting
off fraudulent pensions.
2. | am really pleased with the de-
feat of the bond bill. ! am opposed
to the system, let it come from any
party. even from the Republican party,
where it originated, and | do really
think with their past record on the
bonded debt of our country that 1t
would be very becoming to them to
play a game of shut-mOuth.
3. AS you stated the free silver bill
has been defeated by an Overwhelming
majority. and that too by the party
that howled so pitifully for the white
metal in the South during the last
campaign. Now my dear sir don't!
let me beg YOU DON'T try to saddle
its defeat on any other than the Repub-
Iican party. "The President would have
vetoed it had we passed it." Oh my!
oh nv! Lord have mercy on your tim
id souls. But what if he had vetoed;
that is no excuse, my dear sir, for the
conduct Of this Congress, and such
pitiful whining excuses will not do
Won or any Of your colleagues any
good in your respective districts; for
this, with the past record OF the RepuD-
lican party, has made the cloven foot
of your party on this so plain that you
need never again expect TO deceive the
friends Of the white metal. ! do think
man occupying the proud and eN-
allied position you do, having the IN
telligence with which you are accred-
tied, ought to be ashamed even 70
intimate that your party is at all favor
able to the white metal. Indeed, Il IS
sickening, disgusting to hear you thus
TRYING to deceive the laboring masses
of the old Ninth with such empty pre-
tensions.
4. AS to Senator Butler and the new
single issue silver party, ! have moth
ing more TO say than that il he is hon.
est in his views on the financial qnes-
ton, he cannot longer affiliate with the
Republican party, the father Of the
gold basis in the United States and the
daddy Of the gold trusts that are sap
ping the life out of our Treasury.
And as to fusion am and have been
and will ever be opposed to It. You say
it will be just as consistent in 1896 as
IT was IN 1894. Well, certainly it is
for there was, and still is, no resem-
blance of consistency in it.
And as to the necessity Of fusion to
save the fruits of "our great victory
as YOU term it. the prayer of your hum
bic correspondent is, God save the peo-
Die of our blessed old North State
from such another victory, a victory
that has cast a terrible, damnable blot
upon the fair name and character Of
a people so pure, so noble as the peo-
pie Of our own North Carolina have
ever been. and as the great majority
of our white people will ever be, in
spite of all the demagogues that are
willing to even defame our names and
characters if it only give them an of
fee.
/ wou4d like just here to mention
some Of the outrages perpetrated by
the last Legislature upon our people,
but prizing so highly the good name
Of our State I cannot afford, as a son Of
North Carolina, to further give publici-
ty to these terrible legislative out
RACES.
). You say we might just as we'll be-
gin to prepare to make the fight this
Year on fusion lines, and that it is eyi-
dent that no man, nor no thousand men
can stop fusion. And you say further,
let us be fair with the Populists and in
dependent Democratic friends. May I
ask what is the object Of this course !?