The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-09-27


zen's duty to nominate him, even if he
has incurred the enmity of the boss by
opposing some of his pet schemes. In
fact the best way to do is to stick to a
good leader, but drop him, as you
would a hot potato, as soon as he de-
generates into boss. Steer clear of
the party that fails to take a stand; of
the party that tries to retain both ele-
ments by endorsing one by words, and
the other by acts.
Investigate your candidate and the
record of your party, also the records
of other parties. If it claims to favor
free silver, see if it has always voted
for it; il it claims to favor the gold
standard, see il it's Congressman, are
anti free silver; if it says it favors
economy, see how it's officers act
and see if other parties have not saved
more; il it claims to favor lower~pas
senger rates, see if it endorses those
who "prove their faith by their works"
We are glad to see of late years that
people realizs that there has been, and
is yet too much reckless voting and
''too much bending to partisan rule"
First view the different parties from
the standpoint of q man and patriot;
then be Populist, a Prohibitionist,
Democrat, or a Republican, but first be
a man and a patriot. We do not be-
lieve the Populist party of the State
objects to having its record scrutinizsd
and compared with the record of other
parties.
Each citizsn makes his cwn choice.
Lst him do so without prejudice. The
PROGRESSIVE FARMER will stay in the
fight, and while others may appeal to
the prejudices of the people, we be-
ieve that they will not allow prejudice
to triumph over reason, hence We shall
use argument and truth as our weapons
and leave the people to make their
choice.
And while we have had something
to say Of the man who bribes or intimi
dates voters, we want a word also with
that citizen who says that politics is so
dirty that he takes no interest in il,
and therefore refuses to read and
reason on matters affecting his coun
try's welfare. This citizen is found in
almost every neighborhood. He claims
to be Christian, and man who is in,
terested in the wellbeing Of his coun-
trymen. He should remember that
the reason he gives for staying out of
politics" is the very reason why he
should enter the political arena. If
politics is dirty, if bad men are in con
troll, then it is doubly important that
every Christian man go into the thick
Of the fight and exert all his influence
for good and for che election of good
men. Very often such men do not
vote at all.
But this citizen who refuses to read
and reason wisely refuses to vote, A
worse citizen is the brother who re
fuses to read and reason, but insists on
voting, when perhaps he can give no
better reason for voting as he does
than that his daddy voted for that
party" Very likely that party is as
far away from the principles it advo
Gated in his "daddy's" days as the
Equator is from the North Pole.
If one of our soldiers in battle should
load his gun and then fire in any aud
every direction and never notice
whether he was firing at Spaniards or
Americans, Uncle Sam would see that
he was severely punished. Yet the
man who goes to the polls and votes
without having studied the questions,
without knowing whether he is hitting
friends or enemies, is allowed to 60
scot free. We insist that he is dan
gerous char acter.
And another word about the chap
who can give no other reason for voting
as he does than that his daddy voted
that way: Suppose that in some
battle with the Spaniards, q soldier
from a Northern State had fired into
the forces under command of General
Wheeler. An officer rides to him and
in quires "what under the sun he is
shooting American soldiers for, and
marches him away for trial, perhaps
by court martial. The only defense
the soldier gives is this: His father
was in the Union army and fought
Wheeler and his Confederate cavalry.
In shooting at Wheeler he was simply
shooting the way his father did"
Il is not at all likely that such a
driveling idiot would ever be allowed
to fl sht in American ranks again. And
vet are not the poor creatures who