The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-11-17

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subsidies for the Merchant Marine, and
a Protecgionist of the Mckinley va
riety.
These things must be kept from the
people, I am told. Why 500 Haven't
the voters a right to know for whom
they are votiDg9
Had Populism always been so ex.
! quisitely careful about giving offense
TO the favorites OF class legislation,
would there today have been any such
thing as the Peoples perty3
Mr.. Sewall represents nothing which
Populism seeks. By his local environ
ment, by his financial interests, and by
mis- political principles, he stands in
complete entagcnism to Populism. Not
even upon the silver question has he
tho right to demand the support of the
Peoples party. He has not been known
az a champion of the cause; he made
no protest when Maine nominated a
goldbug Democrat for G Governor on a
gOidbug platform, although he was a
member Of the State convention. He
was not known, publicly, as a friend
to silver until Ju1e 1895, and the fact
that he inserts the gold clause" in his
own contracts proves either a want Of
the sincerity the occasion demands, OR
a lack of that faith needful to the NOV
ing of mountains.
Mr.. SeWall, then, having been re-
jGcted by the Peoples party, and the
compromise ticket having been made
up of Bryan and Watson, this compro-
mise should have been accepted in good
faith and carried out.
Not only was the acceptance Of the
ST. Louis compromise on the part of
Mr.. Bryan's managers necessary to
pGcify the PopUlists who had bitterly
opposed the fusion programme, but
this compromise which put a man from
the West and one from the South to-
gether on the National ticket was
earnestly desired by the great mass of
the Southern and Western Democrats.
These Democrats Of the rank and file,
who were not seeking Office, realized
that a golden opportunity vas offered
to unite the South and West, and thus
join in political alliance two great Sec
tons whose interests and principles
were the same, and which, if united,
could dominate the union and redeem
the Republic from the ruinOus class
legislation of the East and North.
Not only did the Democrats realize
that loyal adherence to the st. Louis
compromise was necessary to unite the
South and West, but they saw thai it
was also necessary to the combination
which was expected to give all the siI-
yer votes to Mr.. Bryan.
Hence, almost toa man, the rank and
file of the Democrats of the South and
West said: 'The Populists have gone
far enough; we ought to meet them
half way and thus unite our people,"
But the Democratic managers would
not have it 90. They we're not ashamed
to say that the Democrats of the East
and North would leave the ticket by
thousands if a Southern man were put
/ UpOA4 Vs AOpOAA3V0 "C4OC APCSeON w w
patriotic enough to vote for the Demo
cratic nominee, but the Democrats of
the East and North were not expected
to be patriotic enough to vote for the
POpulist nominee. Every intelligent
Democrat in the South and West knew
that the East and North were not go.
ing to help us win this silver fight.
Not one electoral vote could be expect.
ed in those class ridden sections.
Therefore the bold policy of making
a direct appeal to the South and West
as against the money power and cor
poration Influences Of the East and
North, was the one policy upon which
the two great producing sections could
have been united the silver forces con.
centrated, the Populists and Demo.
Gratis harmonjz9d, and Mckinley utter.
~ routed.
Instead of this plain, manly and log
ical campaign in which the Populist
masses could have been enlisted, do
votedly and unanim ously, we have had
the crafty policy Of fusion which COM
pels the Populists to vote for Sewall,
and which has disheartened our men
and filled them with disgust. A vote
for a Sewall e~lector, means g vote for
Sewall, and nc POpulist can vote for
Sewall without abandoning his creed.
II once we support a man who stands
for the national banks, corporations,
railroads, trusts, and Mckinley tariffs,
as Sewau does, PopuIism can never be