The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-06-30
DECLARATION OF THE SILVER
MEN.
Manifesto Issued by the Men Who Bolte'
the St. Louis Convention.

the St. Louis Convention.
ST. LOUIS, Mo June 10 The silver
men who bolted the Republican con-
vention yesterday, today issued the
following address to the people of the
United States in justification of their
action:
To THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED
STATEs:-Obeying the call of duty, and
justifi ID by the common citizenship of
this republic, we address this commu
nication to the people and the forth
coming conventions Of the United
States. In doing so we claim no au
thority or right other than that which
belongs to every man to express per
sonal convictions; but we respectfully
| solicit the CO operation of all who be-
lieve that the time has coma for a re-
! turn to the simpler and more direct
method of naming men for national
| service than has obtained in recent
years
Political party orgeniz stion is neces
! sary because without it the individual
voter is dumb, but the party is only
the means, not the end; it is the voice
and not the sense. As the world ad-
vances in this wonderful epoch Of in
~tellectual development and physical
Improvement there is constant re-
qlirement for better things. The in
dividual feels that requirement and
heeds it, or fails in life's endeavor. Par
ties must also obey the same law. 1t
follows, therefore, that the moment a
party shall choose to stand still or re-
trogress it becomes inefficient to
achieve the end Of which the people
are necessarily destined. There is no
sanctity in mere party name, and the
mark of decay is set on individual
strength in a nation, when the absolute
rule Of political organic alton coerces
men from truth for the sake of expe-
diency and Establishes an insincere
submission to partisan rule for the
sake of power.
Recognizing the value ard the splen-
did achievements Of political p lrties in
this country, as elsewhere, we are yet
constrained to believe that for more
than twenty years no one of them has
been entirely sufficient for the needs of
the people. The great trend to better
things resting in the heart and purpose
of all men, has been stayed during the
latter part of this generation by the
failure Of parties to express in their
achievements the highest hope and as
p%irations of the mass Of the people who
constitut the parties. And there has
been growing in this Country-swelling
with each recurrence of national cleo
tion-a great mass Of independent
thinkers and voters, which failing
within itself to control, has gravitated
between the two great parties. Since
1872 excepting possibly the election OF
1876 the pendulum has swung from
side to side with each four years. In
l 1872 the Republican party elected the
President; in 1876 the Democracy
claimed the election; in 1880 the Re
publican party elected; in 1884 the
Democrats elected; in 1855 the R9pub.
licans elected; in 1892 the Democrats
elected; in 1896 (uutil within a few
weeks it has been conceded that the
Republicans would elect. What has
been the cause Of this mighty oscilla
ton of a mass which this year has
probably obtained controlling proper
tions. Every man can answer to him
self. If he has been an observer, if be
has had interests that were affected; il
he has felt a hope to see greater justice
done and has e @ that hope blasted il
he knows that the general dissatisfac
tiOn has arisen from the fact that party
promises made vera broken to the
people by party performance, he knows
that as soon as the election was over
and successful candidates installed
they became the servitors Of the party
and the advocates of a narrow and
non-progressive policy within which
alone there seemed to be an assurance
of selfish safety and partisan approval
During all this period we have lacked
a great constructive administration
NJ new social truth has been put for
ward in an effective way. While il
all the departments of physical life
there have been developments anc
achievements of e .se and comfort tx
the favored of m kind; in the still
greater and more important domain
of social reform, we have stood still Of
retrogressed.
1t is not that the people have not fel
the STRINGS of determination, tina