Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-08-04

one uo ISSUE tor tne people TO C0nsld. !
er atths coming contest" It Is a splendid
campaignhocument and we would, if spacx
would permit, gladly furnish it in full Al
it is we must be satisfied with Quoting
rom it. Speaking of the party in power
ne says:
The party in power is helpless to do what
is calling to..be done. It reeks with corrnn.
iior. Its 100000 ofice-holders stand
Eight across Toe way OF a reform i'm our civil
service. It's Jobbery has become proyerbial.
Its wastefulness of public money is attract.
ing attention on all sides. It's refus Al 10
tighten our taxes by way of revenue and
tariff reform is mockip2 the cries of labor
for relief. Tne country is ready to spew it
out OF power, it SO be another and a bet.
ter, worthier party stands ready 10 ad-,
minister the government. Pointing with
pride" and viewing with alarm" in plat
forms OF the dominant party has lost its
charms with all men who read and think.
He refers to the fact that in the Attain
tic States, with, little reference to party
affiliations, the party upholds high tariff
and has always favored protected indus
tries, He says:
Each of the old parties in, that Quarter
stands by measures and politics which the
great west is calling to be modified or
wiped out entirely. When western Opinion
on this score gets authoritatives enough
tnis eastern bulwark which has be, 4
erected about certain protected industries
will give way and our agricultural and la
boring interests come to the front. For
this hour we labor and wait. 1t is in the
future. Monopoly cannot in
definitely postpone its coming. The pres.
ent office holding army with its enormous
corruption funds, piled up to carry elect-
lions with, will not win the battle against
the enlightened public opinion of the land;
famed into consuming flames by the hot
wrath of down trodden and overwhelmed
labor. All we. want Is work and faith.
Wehave lost two national elections. one
by fraud another by money stolen from
the treasury in star rout matters and other
wise But this need not dampeii our ar
dor: Let all such events make our vision
clear and hearts honester: Both in 1875
and 1880 we lost battles, but we gained
The wholesale purchase of q
western states votes by stolen funds and
levied contributions can never thwart the
American people in theirdetermination TO
turn the Republican party out of power.
They have had enough of its later methods.
1t is to them plainly to-day no longer the
oarty of the people. 1t now has no great
and honest name for leader. and
1t is the party of "bossess" and monopo-
lies.
OF Kansas matters he speaks out IN
plain terms and his arguments will be
hard to answer:
In Our own state the essential element Of
the prohibitory amendment the people Of
Kansas will not repudlate. The law now
upon our statute book should be modified
and brought into harmony with what q
majority of the people want. Its lack of en-
forcement now comes from the tact that
public opinion does not approve OF it. It
was enacted by set of POLITICIANS and
the senatorial candidates who themselves
did not believe in its wisdom at the time
they voted for it. The senate passed 1t
first and then depended upon the house to
modify it. st. John here saw his oppor-
tunity and counseled his followers In the
house to stand by the bill as it was: This
was his political coup d. etat. he took this
senatorial and ofice-seeking crowd at its
word. So we have law to-day the Re-
publlcans themselves. dare not enforce, ,:al-
though they hold the Offices and run the
courts and pay out all the public money!:
Our self-respect as party demand that
we ask to be fairly represented upon all
the disbursing boards OF the state. 1t ia q
great shame that the dominant party In
free Kansas refuse to place single DEM .
ocrat upon the board of charities which
spend thousands of dollars every year
taken from the common treasury. The
ha .o,1 10 - 49,,
board. For seventeen years past, with
forty-two regents appointed during that
period. not Democrat at the time Of ap-
pointment ever held place on that board.
This board too, handles the public funds
and discharges public trusts. In other
states, in congress, every where In free gov
ernme ents, minority parties are accorded
fair representation upon committees and
disburseing boards. the people OF Kan
sas are brave and just people. They
will order a correction of this and many
similar abuses by the fat of public opin-
ion, when brought to their notice npon the
stump and In our platforms: 1t does not
look well to see state house commission
ers, Agricultural college regents, state
prison inspectors and all that, selected year
In and year out from one party exclusively. .
or practically so when one of the chief
functions of those boards is Ito dIsburse
public moneys. Let Kansas put away
tais shame for the future.