The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-06-18


ing, evcn-to got from between the
plough handles himself, or to rescue
his family from tho hoo and the field
but he thinks ho would enjoy seeing
some men he knows dismountcd from
high horses, forced from what he re
CARDS as easy and luxurious cnjoymcnts
and required to share with him the
heat OF July suns and the backachcs
acquired by picking out bum blcbce cot.
ton-a variety OF tho plant SO named
because OF the traditional sarcasm that
the insect referred to can comfortably
sit on the ground and suck substance
from the top demonstrating October
and November. He thinks he would
enjoy it, but probably he wouldn't, for
he is generally % good fellow at heart
without real malice.
But he has his prejudces Physical
pcrspiratiOn and Sunburn arc the only
badges of Il toilcr he is willing to ac-
ccpt as gcnuinc-thc only symbols OF
industry really blown in the bottle.
White hands and laundcrcd linen arc
10 him tokens and evidences OF oppres-
sion and tyranny, whether thcy are
worn bya clerk working fourteen hours
u day for $;}3 q month or Il corporation
president, who woOS sudden death and
cultivates insomnia for $l5,O year.
Against untanned complications and
blcachcd shirt fronts he has declared
war; and against them he is marching
under tho banner OF the free and un-
limited coinage Of silver at tho ratio OF
10 to !. He is being carefully drilled
and urgently melted by politicians and
local leaders, who probably realize as
family as he what they mean and what
they are doing.
COMING OUT OF CHAOS.
Among them they arc tearing the
Democratic party in the South into
solid South. With the "black rule"
spook cast away, with fidelity to the
Democratic organization no more Il re-
quiremcnt for respcctability, with all
political tics rent, all political tradi-
tlons forsaken, there is chaos and doubt.
Yet results are beginning to take shape
amid the confusion, lines arc being
drawn and ranks formed. The Demo
cratic party hardly exists in the South
to-day. 1t is merely a name, a shell.
Unless there is some wonderful change
or reaction in the next four months
tho whole thing will crumbc in No
vembcr.
In South and North Carolina, Geor.
gia, Alabama and Virginia, nearly
every white man will tell you that he
Is a, Democrat, but those who say they
Will vote the Democratic national tick
ct arc lew and tie number OF them is
diminishing. The free silver men are
vociferous. They vocifcrato that they
will not vote for the Democratic nomi-
nees unless they are uncompromising
free silver men on an uncompromising
free silver platform. The sound monev
men arc quietcr, but in all the towns
and cities have been in, in the States
named, every solid money man-ant
nlno-tenths Of the urban voters arc tha
way -Suid if a free silver man were
nominated at Chicago he would vote
, the Republican ticket If he voted. II
! the country many OF the leading farm
, crs, substantial and prominent men
. who have made money and have in
, vested or loaned it, say the sanc.
, l. am satitiel that the sound none,
mon could have developed more
, strength in the party primaries ant
conventions than they showed, bu
thousands OF them carefully rcfraincd
from taking any part in those cXhila
rating exercises because they did not
intend to bind themselves to support
tho Chicago ticket.
THE NEGRO'S POWER.
And there is where the negro comes
in. In eight Southern Statcs-includ-
ing six cotton States-he can give
victory to the solid money men by cast
ing his vote with them. He holds tho
balance OF power between the two ele-
mcnts of tho whites, split far and wide
asundcr.
Whatever the Republican party is
the negro is. AS II rule, he knows
nothing of currency or tariff, and cares
less. He is Republican, ;.s solidly 80
as he was in 1870. The Democrats have
made no effort to conciliatc or convert
him. Their skill and energies have
been devoted to humiliatc and subvert
him. The Democratic newspapers
have fallen into the habit of reporting
as foot notes to their local election re-
turns that "the negroes took no inter
est" or many cOlored men voted the
straight Democratic ticket" but that
is merely a politely conventional form
of words to explain abnormal Demo
cratic majorities and to polish and
smooth rough and rocky appearances.
The truth is a negro who is not eager
to put himself to any trouble and cx-
penso and loss OF time thut may be
necessary that may onablo him to vote
q Republican ticket is as infrcqucnt as
IL white crow. All over South Carolina
negroes are travelling from fifteen to
thirty miles, and puzzling over the rig
ors OF the new registration law that
Incy may DC ready 10 vote IN NOVCm-
Der. hear OF cases OF negroes from
40 to 60 years old who have deliberately
gone to work to try to learn to road the
constitution and arc tOiling patiently
over that task overy night. a CLEAN
OF hope that they will be allowed to
vote and that their votes will be count
ed will lead cvcry negro voter to the
polls rs light in a Mississippi SWAMI
at night gathers bugs, and every one
OF them will carry Republican ballot
CONSOLIDATION UNDER PRESSURE.
The white and tho black are boina
forced together under the pressure
which bears against them both, by the
aggression OF ~ common enemy. The
free silver people in the South arc do
ing their best to construct Il combina
ton of tremendous strength agains
themselves. Tho "aristocracy," tn,
conservative and business element, tn,
bleachcd skins and laundcrcd shir
fronts, and tho workers for fixed wages
OF oil grades, will voto the Rcpu 5lcar
ticket, because it will represent aount
| money " hiph fhnu 4 h,; ;,,t