The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-02-17

lowed In this state DY the party WOulu
drive, in my humble judgment, at
lea forty thousand silver democrats
into Russell and Buffers so called sill
yer party, or into some independent
organization or keep more than that
number at home on the day of the
election.
If the party should be SO inclined
and act so in the next campaign, ]
don't believe it would elect, outside OF
halfdozen towns in the State,
single candidate ia the State from
constable to member of congress.
do not believe you could find
silver man in the State to accept the
nomination from constable to con-
gresham, with the silver plank left
out. Butler and Russell would rejoice
and be exceedingly glad. To ignore the
financial question would create the
ed-rock, the foundation stone for their
new silver party.
In fact it would destroy the demo-
cratic organization in this State and
put to route horse, loot and Dragon
the entire democratic army. Who
would follow leadership that would
not and could not proclaim and defend
Its principles? Who would enlist and
fight under banner that represented
one thing to day and another thing
to morrow? II free silver was demo-
cratic in 1900, in 1920, in 1887, in 49,
60, in 1878, in 1896, it will be demo-
ocratic in 1898 and in 1900.
If free and unlimited silver at the
ratio of Is to l Is not democratic, then
disown democracy and have never
been a democrat. If the republican
party had stood by silver, it would to
day be on parity with gold at 16 to 1.
If our government will remonetize it,
1t will march up side by side with
gold, and walk arm in arm with it, In
spite of and in defiance OF all Eu-
rope. Nothing but hostile legislation
has ever or will ever depreciate silver.
Lift the iron heel, and withdraw the
mailed hand from its PROSTATE body
and it will mount its throne and hold
its own on equal terms with gold
Join both gold and silver together in
the holy ties of wedlock, stand by and
defend each alike, and they will never
part company, but will live together
forever to bless and make glad the hui
man family.
My friend, do you know that very
large number of silver democrats feal
the money power great deal more
than they do the power Of the negro
Do you know that thousands of silve,
democrats prefer negro domination
to gold-bug domination?
Have you ever thought Of the de-
vouring, inhuman, heartless, soulless,
crushing power of money?
Have you ever considered how hard
or experience how hard it is to gel
from under the power and dominion
of money?
So far as negro domination, the white
people will in their might and indigna
ton, break Its backbone and crush it il
twenty-four hours. Negro supreme
cy Is not fixture, gold supremacy viii
be. We don't fear the negro as a per
nancy, nor do we propose to submit
to his supremacy or dominion but
that is no reason, we should tame1y
and cowardly submit to the money
power, and put our necks under the
yoke and our hands in the letters. i
the party is true to its principles, te
its honor, to its traditions, to Its plat
forms and to its members, it will joi1
the white metal and the yellow meta
together, and white supremacy, and
INVITE all honest men in all parties
to cooperate with them, and place
all upon the same footing, they viii
drive the mongrels, the thieves, The
tyrants. the incompetents, the corrupt
the Kirby Smiths, and the Hancock
and the whole tribe of plumber hunter
and buzzards into private life and into
outer darkness. And anything shor
of this in my opinion will be fallur,
and will bring defeat and disgrace upo1
the party.
If the five thousand or even say ter
thousand antl-sllyer democrats canno
go with the 5000 silver democrats
for the sake of getting rid of Russell
Butler and the negroes, then you can
not be much opposed to either Russell
Butler or the negro. The democrat
down here in Halifax are desperately
opposed to all three and to all thei
heelers and clackers. We are opposed
to negro rule, to Russell and Butte
rule, and to the gold-bug or single
standard rule, and propose to fgh
J both with the same weapon, in thu
same campaign, under the same leader
, ship, with a fiXedness of purpose ant