The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-12-12
MORAL COWARDs.

The Lawrence Tribune says that
many who advocate a constitutional
convention in public, fear it in pri-
vate." If there be any such they are
crankS and towards who prefer their
own isms and idiocies to the lawfully
expressed will of the people, which
none but fools seek to obstruct.-EM-
PoRIA NEWS.
You mistake. While there may be
many such among those who are afraid
OF 1.-The lawfully expressed will of the
people," there are many thoughtful
meu in Kansas who believe In submit
ting to the viii Of the people, but who
do not believe that it can be made
manifest by convention composed of
politicians, whose interests are per-
sonal ones and who seldom vote in con-
vention from principles, but rather as
the combination with which they are
connected dictateS.-Lawrenee Tri-
bune.
This is mere trifling with the mat
ter. MANY thoughtful men who do
not believe that the will of the people
can be made manifest by a convention
composed of politicians" etc. And
pray who are these "thoughtful men,"
and why are they all at once thrown
into spasms of fear at the mention of
constitutional convention composed
of politicians? Why should such
convention be any more harmful in
this state than in other states? Your
contention, if it had any force, would
keep the four new states out of the
Union indefinitely. because they could
only enter through the door OF ''con-
stitutional convention composed of
politicians" But they were only too
glad to be able to hold c inventions
and adopt such constitutions as the
wants and needs of the people, as well
as the exigencies of the times called
for, and that they did well, We think
will not be denied,
Now, will the Tribune say that the
standard of political honesty in Kan
sas is lowered so much below that pre-
vailing in the Dakotas, Montana or
Washington that convention cannot
be trusted to frame decent and we'll
ordered constitutions Is that the
Tribune's estimate of the morale of the
party which it supports, upholds and
depends? If SO what hope is there for
the statep
OF course our contemporary will
hasten to disavow the impeachment.
and contend that this is not the time,
tina we must wait. Wait for what?
For the politicians to all die, or be
transported ike Elisha in fiery char
lot, or for their conversion and sancti-
flcation? We have been waiting for
years, and but for a strange and unac-
countable fear and moral cowardice
concerning another vote of the people
on prohibition, new constitution
would have been submitted before
now. Just here is where the difficulty
hinges. All this talk about the fear of
political iconoclasm to our institutions,
of danger to the homestead and ex-
emptiOu laws is poppycoek of the worst
sort. It is unmanly, quibbling shuf-
fling, cowardly, and betokens an IN
Outstanding simple and unschooled.
Do not these moral towards know that
their evident fear and palpable cow
ardice, is equivalent to q confession
that. if resubmitted, the popular YER
dict would be against prohibition?
Does not such confession have a ten
dency to still further swell the volume
of popular feeling against the law?
Would they not act far wiser when a
demand is made for prohibition, such
as now exists, if they would have the
courage to say "all right; we know
that We can wipe the prairies with you
ants, and have no fears to meet you
on the green. Come OUT
But no. The courage is wanting
and like poor devil OF a debtor who
Knows that ruin awaits him, and tries |
to stave it of as long as possible, these |
people fight against going before the
people with new constitution, put /
ting 1t OF until the people rise up and |
smash the party that no longer has
the courage to deal in a fair and manly
fashion with them.
SOME one, who OF course knows all
about it, says that Glen. AlRer does
not like Brewers appointment on the
supreme bench. Whether he does or
not, makes very little difference. The
president is not running the govern
mene this year expressly to meet the
views AMI wishes OF Algsr. or anybody /
Else with q bee IN his bonnet