The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-07-14
THE LOGIC OF The SITUATION.

w . OSA6&SN
Der, the Senate will contain thlrty,nl
Democrats, thirty.nine Republicans
and eleven Populists and unattached
silver men. Any change from these
figures will be in the direction of a re-
duction of the Republican and an In
crease in the silver strength, for 1t is
probable that those Senators from the
silver mining States who refused to
bolt, such as Brown, of y cab, and Car
ter and Mantle, of Montana, will be
forced by their constituents to follow
the lead of Teller. Republican control
of the Senate, therefore, is already a
thing of the past.
The Populists have the balance Of
power in the present session Of Con
gress, and while too weak to pass any
good financial legislation, they man
aged to prevent the passage of much
bad legislation. But if the 80 called
silver Republicans and Democrats had
stood to their alleged principles good
legislation could have been passed.
They did not, and that is why we are
unalterably opposed to any utilization
with parties so far out of line with the
Populists.
This paper has been criticiz ID for its
middle of-The road fight. We have no
apologies to offer, ask no one for sym
pathy. So long as people are mas
tiers of the situation and gaining every
day, we shall hold to our ideas and
fight to the last ditch. AS we see it,
compromise or fusion with either wing
of the silverites nationally will be a
cowardly surrender, and the first step
toward final dissolution. If any Of our
friends want to go that road they can
bid us good bye at any time. We will
not play the traitor.
To vote for the Chicago nominee will
be to throw away your ballots. By
standing firm and inviting all patriots
to Din us, we car continue our work
until a maj ority is secured in Congress.
In the meantime we n no worse off.
As we said above, we hold the balance
of power in the Senate, and no bad
measure can pass by a party vote.
By virtue of his position, and with
the power of veto and patronage in his
hands, the President can WELD a won
derful influence. But, what can a sill
yer President do with a goldbug Con
gress against him7 Elect the best man
in the country President and he will
De comparatively helpless unless Con
gress contains a maj )rity of equally
coed men, Wall street men will laugh
long and loud, and when it is certain
that times are no better, worse, per
haps, they will say: Nov you see that
a silver administration is no better
than a gold one" They have got the
attention of the whole country focused
upon the Presidential nominee as a
blind, and they are q lietly selecting
Democratic and Republican candidates
for Congress who will pose as silver
men in silver districts and as gold men
in gold districts. But when they are
elected they will prove utterly unscru-
pulous. Where candidates have been
dominated this has already cropped
out. Remember that you will never
get financial reform until you elect
financial retormers. Old p~artyites can't
be purified, because the managers of
the old parties are impure. We have
already advanced far enough to keep
things from getting worse, politically;
why not hold what we have got and
strive for more and better thinRs2