Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1897-04-02
Hormony.

uSo space lOE lecture on the lulpOr- !
lance of harmony to the success of
the party in virginia as well as in
the country at large. But there is
something more important than har-
mony. Harmony secured at the sac
ri6ce of principle is too dear for any
organization.
In any discussion of this subject
the first thing to be doue is to draw
clearly the line that divides the peo-
pie of this country into parties. The
World has endeavored to do this
time aud again. We have endeavor
ed to show that neither the tariff nor
even the money question is the real
dividing line. The wealth of this
great country, produced by the brain
and Drawn of the great mass of its
industrious and energetic people, has
been concentrated into the hands Of
tie few. This result has been reach
ed by the use of the powers of the
government in the intere It of the
favored class. Special privileges
have usurped equal rights aud equal
opportunities. The people are now
beginning to realize that this is the
cause of their troubles, aud the strug
gle between the favored class and
the people has come.
All men do not see this truth, and
intelligent citizens throughout the
land are constantly finding them
selves with the wrong crowd. The
divisions of the people upon the
great question as to whether their
government shall be used to promote
their interest or prostituted to the
purposes of centralized wealth is
slowly but slowly proceeding. We
believe it TO be the duty of every pa
triot to do all in his power to advance
this tendency.
Mr.. Bryan was not the candidate
of party, but of an element chat
will yet become a party. Those who
opposed MIR. Bryan put their votes
and their influence on the side of
special privileges to favored class
The place where harmony is of the
utmost irpor lance is in the element
should make any embarrassing al
liances.
Let us face few facts in Virginia.
In 1892 Weaver polled about 10000
votes. In 1896 this vote went to
Bryan, and though there were defec
tons from the party amounting to
about 1000 for Palmer and Buckner
and perhaps few thousand for Nc.
kinley, the State was still Democrat
ic. If Mr.. Bryan had not been sat
isfactory to the Populist voters there
is every reason to believe that we
would have lost the State. Ger
tainly if he had been radically op
posed to what is term I'd the Popa
list tendency in the Democratic par.
ty in the State, he could not have
carried Virginia.
Can the Democratic party, rs a
matter of policy, afford to recog
nize this element this year? If it
must choose between this tendency
and the boilers who border so near
to full fedge Republicans, is it not
clear as to which would be the most
polite choice? But as matter of
principle, what is the proper course
: to pursues Is not the Democratic
party nearer in principle to the Pop
nlists than to tho boilers? We sub
NIT that if the English language still
survives there are more points oil
u agreement In the Democratic and
; Populist platforms, than in the Dem
J. ocratic and indianapolis declarations
}, Ii the Democrats OF Virginia were otc
choose between the Indianapolis plat
form and the principles of the Popu
t list party as declared at the last ma
= tional convention, we have no doubt
n that they would be overwhelming fol
It the iatter.-Roanoke World.
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