The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-08-11
1.-THE BLACK EAGLE OF NEBRASKA"
AN IOWA DEMOCRAT ON BRYAN
The Fight of the People Against
the millionaire Spectators of the

| EH5t.
: Columbia State.
DIR. B. Il. Duckett, of Greenwood
has received the following letter fror
Mr.. G. w. Scott, q prominent attorne
OF Davenport, Ia, In reply to one writ
ten him recently, asking him to stat
his position in relation to the presider
tial campaign:
DAVENPORT, Ia, July 30, 1896
DR.. B. r. Duckett, Greenwood, S. c..
Dear Sir-Your welcome letter cam
to hand several days ago, and owing t
sickness in my family, | have no
found time until now to answer. Il
reply to your inquiry IL l am support
ing the nominee of the Chicago con
vention, beg to remind you that wa
a Democrat before the convention an,
am a Democrat now. The platform
reads like the Declaration of Inde
pendence and brings the Democrat,
party back to the ancient mooring
established by Jefferson.
Next to the truths of revealed reli
gion believe in the Democracy pro
mulgated by the Chicago convention
Thirty odd years ago at my mothers
knee learned my first lessons in DO
litical faith. I was taught to have
confidence in the masses and in the
wisdom of the Democratic party. There
[ lear ned that the American voter was
neither swiDdler, repudiator nor
an anarchist. Siuce then u new gen.
Grafton of voters have come into the
arena of American politics and they
have been taught to believe that abuse
Is not argument, nor villification a
substitute OF education.
| Every four years there is contest
between two opposing forces in this
nation for mastery. 1t is the old
| struggle Of the ideas between Hamil-
ton and Jefferson 1t will be so in this
campaign. Every citizen has a right
to ally himself on either side. You
can not control him by abuse. Every
voter will be guided by his own judg-
ruent, aud the dictates of his own con-
science That right was reserved to
him by the trainers Of his government.
preservation OF that right. Before the
cry of anarchy the American voter
will not cover as a sheep before the
shambles.
Under our form Of government every
man has right to his own opinion.
That right and privilege has been
vouchsafcd him upon hundred battle
fields OF the republic. 1t is the ancient
prerogative bequeathed him by the
founders of American independence.
1t has come down to us on the stream
of time, sanctioned by long unbroken
line OF Democratic statesman. 1t was
won amidst the smoke of belching
cannon and vOlleys of musketry when
titled aristocracy died amidst the
throes of revolution. Under the stars
and stripes every man is the Judge of
his own political action. He is the
keeper of his own conscience. No man
can abridge that right. Upon that
principle the Democrats in this cam
paign will recognize that the oppOsi-
tion have rights that we will in duty
be bound to respect. We will demand
the same concession.
God Almighty hates a political cow
ard. The American people despise a
political trimmer, buifoon, mug
wump and dude. They hate lag.
gard in peace and a bastard in war"
Our boiling Democratic brethren have
erred and their power to injure the
cause of Bryan and the people is pass
ed. They are SO powerless that a
coffin of cobwebs will hold them in
November. You scratch the skin of a
boiling Democrat and you will find Re.
publican blood beneath. | do not know
whether you breed any such Democrats
in South Carolina or not, but we have
q few Of them in this State who have
usually been Democrats because it was
to their interests to profess to be Dem
ocrats.
The people are going to do the vo-
ting at this election and not some one
for them as in the past. The people
supported Washington when he
scourged the British lion from our
shores. They gave MS Perry on Lake
Ny,in nf / L
jackson when by an unauthorized pur.
chase he overturned precedent and
gave us the Louisiana territory. They
rallied to the support of our leaders
when they snatched Texas and the
great Southwest from the clutches of
Mexico and made the American flag
the symbol of our power from ocean to
ocean. They gave the government o
Lincoln, the railsplitter, Grant from
the tanyards of Galena, and Stephen
A. Douglas from the prairies of Illi-
nois. And now when great wrong is
to be righted and the government
restored to the people, native son of
that old commonwealth comes to the
front, William j. Bryan, the Black
EaJ Jle of Nebraska.
repudiated McKinleyism and driven
the despoilers Of the masses to the
jungles of political despair. They
have seen the protected barons of
| Wall street once again marshalling
their forces to plumber and pillage the
American people. They have heard
| the chosen agents Of subsidy under the
leadership OF Mark Hanna, frying the
| fat from the protected manufacturers
preparatory to final campaign against
the producing classes. The great
Democratic party OF this nation, voic-
ing the hopes and aspirations of the
| people, has turned once again to the
common people for leader.
That party has not turned deaf ear
to the cry and needs of the people in
this year of grace, 1896. 1t has not yet
been hypnOtized and lulled to sleep in
the lap Of John Sherman. 1t rebels
against being Shermanized at the ratio
of III to 1, The Democratic party will
never die or surrender as long as there
is free government upon the face oil
the earth or the hope OF securing one
Long before the Chicago convention
convened it had seen the Ruths CLEAN
ings in the fields and had heard the
mourning voice OF Rachel in the land
1t has turned again to the people, ant
its leaders have quit courting over
grown wealth, corporations and monop
olies and once more espoused the cause
of liberty and humanity.
1t has selected q great leaders
commoner from the masses, and the
ides OF November will bring to oul
standard bearer we'll earned ant
merited victory. There Is but on,
party of the people In this country
and that Is the Democratic party-on,