The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-07
PASSING OF CAPT. KITCHEN.

Neck, N. c., y. 8. Al has furnished
the Democratic press with a letter he
recently sent to q Democratic friend of
his. In this letter he reviews the po
Iitical situation and tells where he ia at
as neal as he can jldge after boxing
the political compass. Capt Kitchen
ia a good man and an able one, and
anything he says On any subject is of
more than ordinary interest. He ut yer
fails to add TO the gsyety of the nation
when he opens fire on the ranks Of the
political horde. However, in this par
ticular instance, the Captain leaves us
IN doubt as to what branch of the poll
tical church he has decided to com
mune with. In fact, we think this let
ter a little premature. just now the
folks are wrestling with the gold stand
ard, five cent cotton, and other plaques.
Then, too, it is just in the heat of tax
paying and other teethpulling exercis
es, and naturally the people are not
caring much about what Mr.. anybody
thinks about the misty past.
The captain starts out by giving
Pritchard, Col. Andrews and Butler a
few upper cuts. Then he assumes a
tragic attitude and calls Cleveland and
Butler STUFFED prophets" 1t is evi
dent that the captain is not in love
with the prominent men Of either Of
the three largest political organize
tions. Now we wish to inject a little
free advice. The captain should or
ganize q party of his own and then go
up on the top of a mountain and roll
rocks down upon the heads of all ere
alton.
After getting warmed up a little
more, the captain declares that he has
never been off the Democrotic plat
form, and adds that when the Demo
cratic party undertook to ''cram
Cleveland down his throat it made as
big a mistake as Butler did whom he
tried to make me swallow Eco Vance
Walser." We respectfully suggest
that the captain save up such little
nuggets as the above until the cam
paign opens in earnest. The game is
young yet. Then he gets off a racy
paragraph about the Democratic party
having secured a divorce from Cleve-
landism and other things equally as
obj ctionable and advises every
christian gentleman who left the
Democratic party to return and aid the
party re-establish good government
in the State" This is the best j0ke of
the season. The captain ought to have
gone on and told US why every "Chris
tian gentleman" ought to do such a
generous act. There r quite a mum
Der of christian gentlemen" in North
Carolina who shudder when they even
think of the possibility of a IRE -estaO
lishment of Democratic good CD gov
ernment" in this State, with all the at
tending ostracism, bourb0nism, domi
neering spirit intolerance and dozens
Of other things, which, when In vogue,
became so unbearaOle that the masees
of the people had TO rise in their might
and throw eff she ~shgcales, which we're
more CALLING than the shAckes of
| slavery ever were in the palmi ct ca e.
The present State ana county govern
ment is not perfect; the last legFsla.
ture was far from satisfactory, but the
people fad many thugs to admire and
a feeling Of liberty pervades the land
AS a matter of fact the present State
administration is very satisfactory TO
all except the ''outs," The Judiciary,
from the Supreme Court down. Is more
satisfactory than it has been IN many
years. The people of North Carolina
would like to have a better govern
men than they now have; they would
like for some bad men to be u and
have their places flied with better
ones, but, as a whole, things are rock
ing along very well. Toe people of
the State are not ready to change
from the present to what they know
will be far worse. By and through co
operation the people have been enabled
to use the ballot and they now know
they can defeat any man who may be
put up if they think best to do SO.
Under the Democratic ooIfgarchy
which once existed this was not al
ways possible in a good many coun
ties where every means was used to
prevent people from voting and where
ballot boxes were manipulated and the
verdict of the people changed even
while the votes were being placed in
the boxes. No, the people are not