S1VA1L 1 inlir 11
A. M. Woodall, Editor
CAROLINA, CAROLINA, HEAVEN'S BLESSING ATTEND HER!"
Subscription 01. OO Per Year.
VOLUME 10
SMITHFIELD, N. C, SATURDAY, JUNE 27. 1891.
NUMBER 8.
.DIRECTORY.
tt'NTY oi'Fl' I.KS.
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Smithfif.i.d Collect vte In-jcs
sriTi Ti . Jink tni lsll
iji KKY : "Has thi: United
States kkachkd its Zenith."
SrKi.cn ok J. W. Aycock,
FIRST DEUATEK ON 1HE
AiriRMATrvi:.
Mr. President Ladies and Gen
tlemen: The subject lot discus
sion" this evening is "Has the
United States Government reach
ed its Zenith." and I stand here
much agrieved that the truth
compels me to say that this our
once grand Republic, a perfect
type of civilization has long since
reached the top round in the lad
der of fame.
No one who possesses the pow
er of contemplation can for a
moment consider the condition
of landed property all over the
U. S. at the present time without
the gravest apprehension and
alarm. The states of the West
are universally reported to be
covered with mortgages to the
full assessed value of their lands.
In Pennsylvania and the far
South the condition is the same.
And here, in the very best section
of North Carolina in many local
ities more than To per cent, ot
our lands are mortgaged and the
n.w1ition rrrnws no better. In-
deed but few of the debtor farm
ers are able to meet their yearly
payments of interest. And who
iare the mortgage holders? -Arc
-ihey farmers? No they are not
farmers, they are the money men
of the country. And they are
rapidlv taking and destroying
the homes of the people. The
consequences of this may be seen
in many localities. Residences
that once were happy and com
fortable homes of refinement and
intelligence and independence are
now entirely uninhabited or oc
cupied by only those who can do
with the very smallest wages the
greatest amount of labor and
five with the very least on which
human life and animal strength
can be supported. People with
neither independence nor educa
tion and who know notning iet
tcr than to be the obedient slaves
of those whose lands they occupy
In a few short years such must
te the condition of those who
inhabit the rural districts. Wnat
must become of those who once
owned happy homes and reared
intelligent and patriotic
iappv
sons and daughters on those very
hills and vales? God alone knows.
What has brought about all
this? 1 know the answer, it has
ljeen brought on by elass-legista-tion.
Class legislation ! What
does it do? It has the tendency
to coticcntrat the wealth of the
country into the hands of the
few. This establishes a landed
aristocracy on the one hand and
dependent tenants on the other.
(And I'll just tell you the tenden
cies of our Republic to assume all
the outward forms of Royalty
and the steady and rapid
strides it is milking towards the
monarchical system of the world
arc not only exciting the fears
and apprehensions of the friends
! of Democracy in this country but
are attracting the attention oJ
the disinterested observer of the
()1d World.) The best calculators
tell us that thirty years will be
sufficient for all the bonds of the
1. S. to be brought under the
control of rO,00O men. What a
plutoctav that would lie! What
power can prevent those 50,000
men from getting possession of
the Government? And what
power can dispossess them after
thev have once gotten possession
of it?
A whole country of tennants
who hold possession only at the
will of the land-lord who can say
at any time "vote as I say or
leave."
Xow 1 wish to call your atten
tion to the early existence of our
Government when we had no ex
tremes of wealth or poverty, we
had neither the millionaire or the
pauper. The I. S. Bank had no
existence. Trusts were unknown
and railroads were built and
operated on legimatc business
principles. Distinction depended
I upon merit. There was no aris
i toerv. no pomp ami no ostenta
tions displavs. Xow we arc
cursed with all these evils. We
adopted Ivnglish financial policy.
We loaded the eople with the
lmrdconsomc debt as a basis of
plutocracy. We established the
Efokl standard and concencrated
our currency volumn which squeez
billions of wealth out ot the
property of industry into the
cotteis ot the creditor classes.
The financial laws enacted by
the American Congress from
j 1SG7 to 1S77 were the blackest
i frauds ever perpetrated upon any
i people. And has succeeded in re
s ducing the masses of the Ameri-
I riti iwuili ir. n irinl 1 1 Jmi Abso
lutely worse than chattel slavery.
So far has this matter gone
....
that they can never again regain
their liberty, never! never! !
There is a combination that is
more powerful than the Govern
ment because it dictates what
the Government shall he. The
banks at a single days notice can
act together so that no act of
Congress can resist their decision.
We behold in tangible from a
power so terribly strong that
with a touch it can paralize
armies. We behold it graudly
weaving around us a net from
which it is impossible to escape.
And changing with a stern ac
cent which brooks no denial a
RIGHT OE FROPERTYIX OURSELVES
OUR EARNINGS, OUR INDUSTRY AND
our children. To its influence
we can track most of the poli
tical changes which perplex man
kind and bafile explanation. The
wisest of o;ir statesmen have
tried to check its advances and
failed.
This is the money power. It
has its roots in the National
Banking system which dishes
out the money as it sees fit. Its
branches are the thousands of
Corporations and Trusts. This
great Upas tree that is breathing
out poison on every fabric of our
political and social structure.
The nation is in the hands of
the fund holders, they arc our
creditors and likewise our mast
ers. They have but to command
and their subjects obey. And
voting or old men who wish to
n hnve to tlo tneir mrlmnor
- -' . - . "
and hide and screen their hellish
plots and methods to despoil
the people in order that the-
mav share the glory as velL'ts
as the spoils ot their irasters.
Thus the highest honors are con
fered upon those engaged in the
most iniquitous and damnable
proceedings. Jf a man refused
to le bought or coxed or cajoled
into supporting the schemes of
wickedness or remains passive
as to their consummations, he is
ridiculed, ostracised, "read out'
of the party and followed home
j and leatcn for a re-election.
Land monopoly is infinitely
the worst in the whole category of
evils and every system of class
legislation ; every law that favors
are at the expenses of many and
every measure . that tends to
centralize the wealth of the coun
try is a step towards the con
summation of Land monopoly.
It is the resul' aimed a. It is the
object to le obtained. Its con
summation vould be a .Might
not only on this generation, but
on those that are yet unborn.
Land monopoly must be the re
sult of such infamous system ol
class laws tnd this is the worst
form of robberv.
To encourage progress, to in
duce invention, to reward genius,
it may be said that inventors
should reap for a time the lene
fits of their skill and industry
But such can not be said ol the
land. It is the gift of God. It is
the source from which the hu
man family obtain their sub
sistence. From its fertile resources
flows all wealth and upon its
proper distribution depends the
happiness, comfort and prosperi
ty of the people.
"In the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat bread" is the decree of
Almighty God, it was uttered
more than 0000 yeais ago, and
is as immutable as time itself.
Labor is man's proper function.
The decree of God hath made it
honorable. Man smites theearth
and from its inexhnustable foun
tain flows the means of hap
piness, comfort and prosperity.
Who ever works preforms the
natural function of mankind.
The idler is a drone; he shrinks
the immutable decree of the
Deity, he feeds on the labor of
others; he ;s a parasite on so
ciety ; he is ;i robber. The earth
is God's gift toman. To monopo
lize this is to enslave labor and
to do this is to strike at the
Vifv foundation of lilerty, to
violate the law of justice and
equity and rob the peopl of their
God given heritage.
lie who noes it sins against
God and the nation that permits
it will be wiped from the face of
the earth.
Usury and extortion leads to
land monopoly. For the viola
tion of this lav God hath de
stroyed nations and he will con
tinuc to destroy all that violate
this law. History is repeating
itself in our own fair land. Mo
nopoly is eating out the vitals
oi our existence, i surv ana ex
tortion have fastened their iron
iaws on every industry of the
land. Labor is burdened be von d
endurance. Trusts, Syndicates
and Combinations demand extor
tion on every thing we buy, and
transportation companies,
"pools" ' and middle men levy
tribute on everything we sell.
We are traveling the same road to
death that the nations that have
arc told by the politicians that
thev will saveus, so we have ever'
been told, and so were the people
of those fallen countries told.
We set our faltering feet in the
tracks they have left by the wav
side and vt have followed their
trail for more than twenty yx?ars.
We follow m the road that leads
to certain ruin. The history of
other nations must surely repeat
itself in ours.
That which wns spoken by the
prophet "Death upon the white
horse, and hell follow after him"
must be veiified in the annals of
history.
Now Ladies and Gentlemen, by
way of conclusion, I a'sk you to
compare the condition ot tne
country in 1865 as acknowledg
ed by the Government authorities
with the condition at the pres
ent time as shown by the Census.
Twentv-five years ago the Sec
retary of Treasury, reported that
the people were out of debt and
.
some Duraenea witn money.
And this is what the Census
Bureau says at the present time:
Farming lands are mortga ged
for their full assessed value. The
farmers cannot produce enough
to par even the interest on
their indebtedness and support
their famibes.
This is the condition that con
fronts the American people today.
SPEECH OF P. D. WOODALL
FIRST DEBATER ON THE NEGATIVE.
Ladies and gentlemen : In be
half of the negative, I maintain
that our country has not reach
ed.itsZenith. Patrick Henry, the
greatest orator in thedays of the
Revolution, said in his famous
speech: "We must judge the
future by the past." Judging
the future by the past, I must
affirm that we 'will develop,
higher and higher, and become
a brighter jewel in the crown of
nations.
At present the II. S. stands cn
a foundation as solid as a rock.
Other nations may threaten
crushing it to ruin, anu predict
its downfall; nevertheless, it
will scale the heights of lofty em
inence higher and higher as time
rolls on.
Our country has made great
progress e;er sineej independence
was won by our patriotic fore
fathers. There is not in history
any nation that has made so
much progress as ours has for
the past four or five decades. We
are growing to be a great nation,
an educated and a christian na
tion. We embrace the whole
region between the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans. Hast and West,
between Canada ar.d Mexico,
North and South. We have pro
ductive soils. i.reat cities and
railroads extending all over the
country. With all these, what
can hinder further devclopement?
Let your minds revert a cen
tury, and see how we have ad
vanced in education, wealth and
in Christianity. Then no lands
were in cultivation to much ex
tent. Rich lands, covered by
these great forests echoing with
the songs of the birds and the
terrific cries of wild beasts,
were lying dormant. Many peo
ple were in poverty for the lack
of these lands to cultivate. The
great forests haveleeii cut down
and the timbers converted into
articles of use, and the lands pie
pared for cultivation. The mer
ry song of the laborer is heard
ringing over its hills; the shouts
of progress are being heard on
all sides. Thousands of bushels
of cern, wheat, oats and other
valuable products are being pro
duced from these lands which a
few years aco were Ivinur in the
lonely forests. This shows that
the wealth of the the country is
increasing.
Not many years ago, the towns
and cities of our country were
very scattering. This caused
great inconvenience to the toil
ing masses. The produce they
raised was so far from market,
it took much time to haul it.
But now the conditions arc
changing. Great cities are spring
ing into existence, where, only a
short time ago was nothing but
a vilci wilderness. J owns are
being built where thev are neces
sary for the wot king classes.
Previous to the year 1830 the
conditions of the country were
bad in the wav of conveyance.
For a longtime the farmers haul
ed their produce in barrels that
roiled on the ground. 1 his was
a irreat inconvenience. Later on
carts and wajrons came into use.
Long journeys were made in
stajre coaches drawn bv horses.
The merchants hauled their goods
wagons from oriecity to another,
some times, a distance of many
hundred miles. All this caused
commerce to advance very slow
ly. Thinjrs worked this way till
the vear 1830 when Peter Coop
er invented the locomotive. Rail
roads are being built all over the
country. 1 he thundering loco
motive goes sweeping by with
the speed of a hurricane. A per
son can make a trip in me hour
that previous to the invention of
the locomotive required 1 J hours.
Merchants can haul as many
goods in one day, as they could
tnen m ou aays. i nis is euusmg
commerce to double and treble.
and the wealth of the country is
increasing in proportion.
Previous to the year 184r4
news could not be carried faster
than a horse could travel. To
have carried a message from
Washington City to the city of
Raleigh would have required
many .weeks; now, only a few
seconds. With our telegraphs
the news can be sent over the
country as quick as thought. A
mnn m the I.-. S. can talk to a
man in England. What an im
o
you can, oi
r
our errand-fathers if they could
rise from their long sleep and see
the great improvements along
this line since their days on earth.
Every decade that rolU by, we
erow to be more moral and more
reliprious. Some of tlu- older
men in this audience, doubtless,
i-fmemler when .people were
provement this is on the old slow
wav of carrying: news ! Imagine
the astonishment, it
more, careless about attending
church, and when there were but
few churches to attend. These,
except in towns and cities, were
built of logs. In the earlv days
fof the Republic, it was not tin
common lor men to go out hunt
ing on Sunday morning and
shoot game till church time.
Then during services take their
guns and the game they had
killed in to the church. Such con
duct as that now would be a dis
grace to civilization. But it was
a custom then. It was the way
they were taught, and all the
morality they had As time ad
dvanced, so did morality fcd
vance. These things occured in
some sections forty or not more
than fifty years ago. It was con
sidered in those days no disgrace
to get drunk. Seme of our fath
ers have been taught in school
by men who were frequently too
drunk to walk to the little log
school houses. When a man gets
drunk now, it is a disgrace to
him. Fifty years ago where we
bad a few lot; houses in which to
worship the great Creator, now
we have elegant buildings estab
lished. It has not lcen long
since we
had verv poor
4
managements in
educational matters. A few lit
tle huts were built for school
houses, and furnished with a few
half-made benches for seats for1
the children. There were no !
glass windows. The pupils
learned their letters on paddles
which the teachers had carved.
The teachers knew comparative
ly nothing. Thev taught their
students to say "izzard" for Z,
and they would spell buzzard
"buizzard-izzardard." The con
ditions have changed, good and
comfortable school houses are
being established all over the
whole Union for the purpose of
educating the youth of our land.
We have teachers who are ed
ucated in the true sense of the
word, teachers who do their
duty in educating the ignorant.
We have, in the U. S. an average
of five mouths free school in the
year. What a benefit to those who
are seeking education! We are
furnished witn a variety of good
am a
school books, and learning is
making great progress.
A few years ago the farmers of
our country were poorly tum-
ished with tools. This caused
them to progress very slowly.
Why was this? Because people
had not lccome far enough ad
vanced in art. Some of the farm
ers could'nt get tools, if they
did'nt make them themselves This
was a verv bad condition of af
fairs. Those tools that the
farmers made were not worth
working a farm with. But as
time advanced, so did the farm-
. t . i
ers. .now tne country is Deing
flooded with good agricultural
implements. Every farmer can
mve any variety ot tools he
needs. He can cultivate his farm
in the way that it should be done.
Before the year 1793, verv lit
tle cotton was raised on account
of separating the lint from the
seed. People planted in small
patches and produced but a few
pounds. They s?perated the lint
from the seed with the hands-.
Thinirs worked this way until
Eli Whitney invented the cotton
jjin. This invention has proven
a blessing to the Republic. Mil
lions ot bales of cotton .are be
ing produced ever' year which is
adding greatly to the wealth of
our countrv.
We see, now, how our country
has developed in the past and
how it is developing at present.
This shows very plainly that our
Republic has not reached its
Zenith. These are facts that I
have stated to you. Does the
fact that wc have been progress
ing in the past and at present
moving on, prove that we are
at our Zenith? Is now the time
for us to stop and fall by the
wav-side and be crushed to ruin?
Is now the time for that great
machinery which commands the
master springs of the nation to
stop its great work? Is now the
time for our Country's shining
light to ie blotted out from the
ereat galaxy oi nations ; is now
the time for the stirring melody
of progress to be hushed forever?
I say no; and the very truth is
on my lips. Only thespringtime
of our progress is at hand. In
the distant future I see a place
where the cold North winds of
winter have ceased ; where" the
white flakes of snow fall no more;
the warm days of summer have
come, and the !eautiful songs of
birds with melo lies sweeter than
ever before, arc heard. The
forests are dressed in robes of
green, breathing yet more odor
ous fragrance than ever. This
place represents our Republic as
it will be. She has gained the top
most round of the ladder of fame
her hard fought battles are
over; jierfcction is piescntiug her
lovely face to every eye. Why
do I make these strong as
sertions? Because I see how fast
our country has devclofted dur
ing the last fifty years. I have
compared the past conditions
with the present, and I see that
the present conditions of the
country are far better than they
have ever lcen in the past.
Arc we at our Zenith in wealth?
My opponents maintain that wc
are. But the minds of great men
run sometimes in the wrong
channel. I maintain that the U.
S. has not reached its greatest
point in wealth, (io back into
the pat and see ho.v fast we
developed in this line. The valu
ation of our countrv in 1850 was
$8,000,000,000. In 1800 she
had increased to $10,(00,000,
000. In ten years time our coun
try had doubled her wealth.
From 1800 to 1870 our countrv
had increased to $30,000,000-
000. An increase of $1 L000,-
000,000. From 170 to 1880,
our country had
$4-3.800,000,000.
increased to
vn increase
of $13,800,000,000.
In 1880,
we employed one million more
hands and cultivated one hun
dred million more acres than we
did in 1860. We see now that
our laborer.- had increased one
million and out farms one hun
dred million acres in 20 years.
The wheat crop of 1881 exceed
ed the wheat crop of 1883 bv
92,000,000 of bushels. The far
mers, in 188G. raised 70,000,000
of bushels of corn. In 1883, 08,
000,000 of bushels. The farmers
exceeded the latter by 8,000,000
of bushels. In 1884 there was
one million more acres of oats
than in 1883, and 12,000,000
more bushels raised. Is'nt this
plain evidence that we are not
at our Zenith of wealth ? After
going back into the past and see
ing the wealth we accumulated
in jieriods of short time shows
that it will le the same way in
the future. If you accumulated
$10,000 more the last ten years
than you did the ten years before
it is evident that vou have not
reached your greatest point in
wealth. It shows very plainly
that you will gain more and
more in the future. So it is with
our country. It has doubled its
wealth in the past in periods of
short time. It shows verv plain
ly that we will add more to the
wealth of our countrv in the
future.
The Census of 1870 shows that
of our 50,000 square miles of
territory, 4 0,000 were still cover
ed with forests. Four fifths out
of cultivation. The richest land
in the U S. lies yet untouched.
Bv the wonderful help of the
agricultural departments, the
sterile hill side will bloom like
the rose. Lands turned out haye
recently been reclaimed and two
tD three tons of hay cut from the
acre annually. Does all this look
like wc arc at our maximum
height? The geologists views
the rich lands of the Mississiappi
yallev, and savs if utilized will
support the entire l. r. the
flowers of the wild honey suckle
and vellow jessamine have waft
ed balmy breezes 6000 summers
undisturbed.
The richest lands are yet un
cultivated. They are lying dor
mant. But,ncverthrlcss, the day
is comming when they will wake
up. Millions of bushels of wheat,
oats, corn and other valuable
products will be produced from
these lands when they are in cul
tivation, and the wealth of the
country will be increased.
Are we at our Zenith in the
literary sense.' To prove that
we are not, we must judge the
future by the past. Notice how
our country stands to-day in the
liter- ry sensc,'and how it stood
hfr v ears back. on go over
the countrv and observe it care
fully, you will see Colleges that
are leh:g established for the
purpose of preparing voting men
for high and noble lives, where
needed. You will see almost in
every community good school
houses that have rccentlv lcen
built for the purpose of educat
ing the youth of our land to till
the places of distinction and
honor. But what was the con
ditions half a centurv ago. There
were very few Colleges establish
ed and the minds bt young men
Wire receiving very little at
tention. There wee but few
school houses and childien were
growing up in ignorance. Five
per cent, more children can read
and write thi year than last
year. The way thing? havelieen
running in the past, the dav is
coming when nearly all the chil
dren of this Republic will be edu
cated; when nearly all men w
Ik." posessed with honor. It will
fe a glorious and iim iortHl day:
a day e ; to be remembered in
the aim ils of history when it
will come to pass
When the sun ln'gins to rise in
the morning and shoots forth
her golden rays across the broad
earth, an-1 the lieaulifnl deep
bine sky is elf ar of clouds, ai.d
the .bird: singing with sweet
melodies in the forests, this is
evidence of a beautiful day ap
proaching. So it is with our Re
public. When you see progress
rising, as it is now, and shooting
forth its joys over the whole
Union and hear its songs as it is
now, and sec nothing to hinder
it, this is evidence of a great
victory approaching.
This glorious Republic of ours
has walked up the ladder of fame
ever since she declared herself to
be free. She has withstood the
storms unocr- which other na
tions fell. - My opponents will
speak of the rising and falling of
Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece
and Rome. They will try to
make it apjiear that we are drift
ing toward the same doom. But
the minds of great men are some
times a thousand years behind
the times. Why was it that these
old Eastern countries came to
such a terrible doom? The mass
es were kept bound down in ig
norance, except leaders, and the
cries of the public were not Iieard.
They were under the rule of
wicked kings that burdened them
down with tyrany. They turned
away from their true God, and
built altais to Molock ; reared
golden Calves, and would fall
down and worship them instead
of their great Creator. For these
reasons, God blew his breath
against them, and they died.
Mr. President, J am proud to
say that we are an educated jxro
ple. The majority rules. We
worship the great Creator in
stead of idols, lie smiles on us,
and blesses us with health and
prosperity. And by the blessings
of Him, we will keep progressing
on and on, as the livers that
flow into the great sea.
Our government was founded
on pure ' politicial principles.
There is not any other govern
ment under the canopy of the
heavens that excels ours in the
principles of justice.
It was on the Ithof July, 1770,
when the bells of liberty rung,
when joy was spread over the
land, and when the s'td hearts
lost tncir sorrows. 1 his was
when our Republic was born
It starte'' on a foundation that
has never uprooted. It shon
as bright as the purest of dia
monds. A century has rolled by,
and our Republic is still on a
mighty foundation tha': can't be
uprooted. The sweet tones of
the bells of lilerty is still sound
ing in every man's ears. It is
II in the great stages of prog
ress.
Mv opponents have hardly
nothing to substantiate their
arguments. They maintain that
our lands are drifting into the
hands of a few per cent of our
people. They have "strained at
a gnat, and have swallowed a
camel." It is a mistake. God
will not suffer it. He has givn
the land to the jeople, and it is
theirs. They will maintain it.
The way things have been
running in the past, the day is
coming when this Union will 1e
the garden spot of the world.
Then the magnitude of this'ques-
tion win oe unown.
It is true, empires have risen
and lanen, generations ot men
have come and cone, nations
have lived and died, but never
theless this glorious Union is
rising to shine for the guidance
of other nal ions as the morning
sun rises to light up the world.
Oh! It makes me exclaim : Hurrah
for this glorious Union !
The speeches of E. B. Gran
tham and J. H. Peeden will ap
lear next week. Editor.