The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-08-18
FROM BRO.

Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
DENVER, Colo,
August 8, 1896.
THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER of August
Ali at hand, and have read with min,
gled sadness and pleasure your edito-
rial on the situation. Sadness, that there
| should be ''cause" for what you say;
! pleasure, that honesty, manhood and
patriotism is breathing from every SEN
teECe.
The late convention, as distinguished
from an early one, was the .gravest
political mistake of a contury-sO
grave, SO far reaching in its effect that
it will be cIassed in the future as a po-
Iitical crime, a political murder" in
the fret degree. 1t will not soften the
blow, nor avert its consequences, to
say that it's perpetrators were honest
and meant it for the best.
There is but one thing in the Demo
cratic platform that is common to the
| people, and that is %SilUer, and that is
/ the least Of our demands.
l tremble lest the people may. vote in
| a platform that declares ''Chat gold and
silver are the only money Of the Con
stitution." That would lock up a metal
dollar every time it issues a paper one.
That means contraction fatally con.
tracted. Why cannot the people see?
Why will they continue to be fOoled3
Why will they be led by so styled
leaders,
One of the National Committee told
me as we were on way home from
the convention that they called it after
the other so as to take advantage Of
their mistakes.
Yes" 1 responded, ''and they took
advantage of ours"
A reform party that depends on the
intelligence of the people for it's votes
must always take time and plenty of
it to spread and awaken that intelli-
fgence. How could Intelligent people
make such g fatal blunder?
Shameful, shameless deal. TIE men
whom we have honored, whom we have
trusted have shamelessly made this
unholy alliance and filled all POpulists
full of shame. They have led their
trusting followers into an enemies
camp. They have disrupted in a few
short months what it took long years
of toll and sacrifice to build up.
Yes, your members have made the
same mistake that thousands of others
have made, sired and mothered, a
strong vigorous boy, cared for him I'm
til he could walk and run, until his
ambition was aroused, his passion a
flame, then withdrew their sustaining
arm, their wise council, at the time
they were the most needed, and the
boy has emerged from contest with
greed and passion, covered with slime
and filth and dishonor, that threatens
his very existence, when had the AL
lance done its duty as his parents, he
would have come out, as comes u the
victor in all grand struggles of the peo-
pie for justice, for liberty, for human
ity, smiling and rosy, clean and glo-
rlCu5
Allow me to hope that you will keep
the Order growing in the South, for
the same work is waiting to be done
that vas waiting six yeara ago, with
the need greatly intensified.
Three different State Secretaries,
heard from within a week, state that
when their (our) demands were adopted
four years ago by a political party hat
they thought CHER members) that
their work as an organization was per-
tected, that there was no need to keep
up the work LONGER. They now real
iz9 their mistake, that we cannot de.
pend on any political party, to take
care of the people, but that the people
must forever be on the alert, ever
watchtul and vigilant. Perhaps this
is the lesson that we needed. At anv
rate the tone Of my correspondence is
that we will now have our great and
permanent growth.
Cooperation is the prevailing
thought now, and is receiving the ma,
jority part of our time. You want to
read the letters from the different
States in the Alliance Of the Rockies.
Nearly all the councils are doing well.
and all your members have to do ia to
keep up your organic Ltion, attend the
meetings, keep up with the procession
ard be ready to lend a hand when the
hour comes for q universal movement.
which will come il a few ears at most