Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-11-20
PETERS Doctrine.

night, shall indulge in the wholesale
vituperatioB, SANDER and billingsgate
which has been characteristic of Mrs.
Lease, and a number of other peoples
party speakers during the campaign
just closed. Mr.. PETER is not organ
lied that way. He possesses the in
stincts and education of a gentleman
and his political views, though at
times inconsistent and imPracticable,
are always expressed with the view of
convincing his hearers that he believes
what he is saying and that every man
has the inherent right to entertain diff
ferent views without having his mo-
tives questioned.
Judge PETER entertains a great many
political notions that are antagonistic
to the views Of many Of the leaders of
the peoples party. He does not be-
lieve that every man who was on the
republican ticket is a villain and a
horse thief In the Kansas Farmer he
has this to say of Governor Humphrey,
after his first nomination:
''Mr. Humphrey, the successful candi-
date, is good man in every sense of the
word "a clean honest, upright man whom
the writer. of this has known intimate
ly many years and he will, if elected,
make a good officer, intent on perform
ing his duties hOnorably and faith
fully"
doubtless if Mr.. PETER could
lay aside his recently acquired political
affiliations be would make the same
remark about almost all of the rest of
the republican candidates.
Judge PETER does not believe in the
wholesale: denunciatiO of our state, or
in the unreasonable and slanderous cry
of poverty and oppression which the
speakers of his party have so freely in
dulged in. In the Kansas Farmer he
says:
''Kansas farmers are in as good
condition as those of any other new
state not any older than ours and they
are in better condition than those of
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa were
when those states were as young as
Kansas is. This idea of pnupeTizing
Kansas aCiU pass uncbdllenged only, zoe
suppose, By persons tob0 erpect to gain
some personal, OCllln1Sicdl or partisan dd-
Uantdge. Go to a convention of Kan
sas farmers; go to Kansas county
fair; go to Kansas country church,
and you will see as well dressed body
of men and women as can be found in
communities of equal age anywhere.
The 40 or so per cent interest for
money lent or land is passed; we are
now getting money on long time at 6,
Z and 8 per cent and low commissions
and nine-tenths of us will pay out in
few years if it be the good Masters
will that we have fruitful seasons and
when we get through this will be the
grandest commonwealth of all"
Mr.. PETER believes in protection
to our industries" and teaches that
those who oppose the encouragement of
home manufactures is an enemy to
the farmers. Quoting from the Kan
sas Farmer again, we find Mr.. PETER
using this strong and terse language in
favor of our American system of pro-
tection'': 1--WE would plant manufactu-
ring establishments close to the people,
we would have Kansas wool and cot
ton made up in Kansas factories, and
Kansas fat stock slaughtered in Kansas
houses; We would multiply customers
of the farm everywhere until the time
when American farmers would have
market in their own country for all
their produce. Inviting farmers of
other countries to supply our manufac-
tories with materials will not help our
farmers. and we submit that when this
paper or any other paper advocates a
policy which will'heIp our own farmers
rather than those of other lands, We
ought not to be ranked among farmers
enemies. The people want no more
revenue from import duties than the
government needs, but they want all the
protection which that amount can be
made to afford by judicious discrimina-
tions in the law" Speaking of the
election of President Harrison Mr..
PETER says: "The lesson of the late
election will last all parties at least a
quarter of century. There will be no
other attempt, we believe, during that
time to strike down our protective
system" This is the same doctrine
that is taught by every republican in
Kansas, and if Mr.. PETER should 90 to
the U. S. senate he will doubtless be
found voting with Senator Plumb on
this great economic question.
So far as state legislation is concern
ed, from an interview published in the
pap ors this week, Judge PETER appears
to be in thorough accord with the
principles laid down in the republican
platform. Upon the questions of pro-
hibitory law, over hauling our tax
laws, reducing official salaries, electing
railroad commissioners, state control
of school books, upon which questions
the peoples party platform is silent,
Judge PETER expresses himself as be-
ing in thorough accord with the repub-
hcan platform which declares unequiv-
ocally upon each of these issues.
About the only issue upon which Mr..
PETER makes an effort to radically