The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-09-07
OPEN LETTER TO HON. MARION
BUTLER.

A$NH N~f WIZ @~Nt@Sf
NY DEAR SIR:-I have read carefully
your speech made at Wadesboro, ana
noted its contents, and will say, IN re
ply, that I coincide with you in regard
to mo1opolies, trusts and combines;
the owe which they exercise IN con
trolling elections, ETC., In the ranks OF
the two old parties. It is an evident
fact, which has been clearly demon
strated IN the last two National cleo.
tions, that it matters not to the money
kings which one of the two old parties
is in power, just 60 they promise and
comply with their wishes and demands
l believe that you are correct in regard
to the issues the two old parties are
coming on in the next elecSion-the
poor old negro and free trade for the
Democrats, and high tariff for the Re
publicars. But ! wish to whisper to
you so the Democrats can't hear it,
that the negro and free trade tune is a
thing Of the past, or any other tune
they (the Democrats) may sing.
The people of this country have taken
more pride in reading history since the
election of Grover Cleveland five years
ago than they ever did before; they
have learned the fact that the Demo
cratic party never, in its history, when
it controlled the branches of govern
ment, gave a prosperous and fruitful
administration, but on the other hand
wrought d~esolation, ruin and distress
every time. Andrew Jackson, the
father of the Democratic party, during
his administration wrought one of the
worst panics that ever the United States
experienced, by closing the United
States Banks. This was when an in
FAINT, with Andrew jackson for its
guardian, and when she lives to be of
a ripe old age and departs this life, not
speaking anything of her life she has
lived, but goes down to her grave leav
ing Grover Cleveland for her admins
TRAITOR to wind up unfinished business,
and the result was her life had been q
failure; her house was built upon the
sand, and her incapability Gle erly de-
mOnstTated an assignment was made
to the Republican party, as follows:
Liabilities, many hundreds of millions
Of dollars, withan additional two hun
dred and sixty two million to de
fray the past administration expenses.
Property on hand, civil service and a
single gold standard and another panic
upon the people of this beautiful land
of ours.
No free trade howl, no negro domino
ton howl, can raise her from her tombl
It is sealed with the wax of eternity,
and on it is engraved in bronzs letters,
Here lies the oppressor Of humanity"
How can you call Bryan honest, after
making the speech you did in the .. S.
Senate in regard to the Dem ocrat Con
vention adopting a silver platform and
nominating a free silver candidate for
Presidents
Sir, he can't be honest and accept a
nomination from a gold standard party,
with a gold standard Vice, and be q
free silver man, as he says he is. Such
Inconsistency was too big a dose for
Southern people to swallow, which was
clearly demonstrated but l confess l
swallowed it.
Had our party stayed in the middle
of the road in National politics, we
would have been stronger to day. /
have no criticisms to throw at our Rep
resentatives in our Convention for en-
dorsing Bryan. l believe they thought,
under the circumstances, it was best to
endorse Bryan, that it would be for the
betterment of the party, and had some
hopes OF electing him; but a mistake
was certainly made, and we are hurt
by it to some extent.
Now, I hope and trust all P0pulists
will unite and drop all petty differences
and come together again and be as one
body and press forward in our work.
We have accomplished a wonderful
good in our State. We have overturned
their little democratic court house rings
in many counties, and exposed their
frauds and showed their deficits, which
has been smuggled and kept from the
people, and overturned one of the most
damnable, corrupt democratic State
rings ct our Capital that ever existed
in any State; and, above all, we have
secured a local self government to all,
and allow. every citizen a free
vote, with the assurance that it will be
counted.
With the record which we have made
and with the bright future which we
are looking at, it certainly behooves us
to stand together as one.