Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-08-07
"VHo Is PoLK9"

man named Polk. hailing. it is said,
from North Carolina. A few days
ago the Capital of this city contained
several notices of this bold, bad man,
ard one long communication column
or more, under conspicuous and sug
gestive heading s'Who is Polk" woye
a web of silly abuse, and finally rested
on three distinct charges, namely: (D
That Polk was rebel; ~ That he is a
democrat; (Sl That he deliberately came
to Kansas and talked to the people
about their common. interests.
Let all these three charges be
soewas Bullock, SO was Alcorn, so were
Longstreet and Mosby, all of whom
were raised to places of grave response
bility under the government, one of
them sent abroad to represent the
nation he did all in hiapower to divide
The gentlemen pan4d and many
others like them do noE stand high in
the estimation of theae traducers of
Polk, and yet this North Carolina
farmer has done more evithin the last
two years to nationally j. the people of
this country, to establish brotheshood
and permanent peace, smore 20 encour-
age the workers and Join their hearts
together, more to esrow hight and
cheer into the cabins OF the poor, more
TO nd tho int of
the masses, more to bsuih p q new
and better cizisissaiaa, than Bullock
and 4Aleorn and Lonasszees and s9osby
and o AundEsd like eAem have done
es thought of doing ias sill of SheiE lives
Efe js q democrat. SO afe Vance and
Vest, and Vorhees ana Hcf'hersoa,
Carlisle and Cleveland-aH geaf1emen
nos esteemed unfit or uAceagenial
assoeiases OF Sherman, fngalls, ffoxf,
Hale and E3arsisoa. Nos day passes
that We do not read reports Of szna-
tors and congressman. democrats and
republicans pasred. No closer friend
ships are formed within than without
party lines. The cheif justice OF sbe
United States is dem mocrat, and it is
not two years since democrat Hetired
from the presidency. 1t is not, there
fore, dishonorable to be a democrat
They do not charge Mr.. Polk with
appropriating quarter million dollars
OF any other SUM OF his states money
what about Q0as? They do not
charge him with purchasing voters ia
blocks Of iye-what about Dudley. .
They do not charge him with, using
hiss office as a condait tsro,,es which TO
slip money to his friends about
Tanner and Raum? They do not
accuse him of selling patronage what
about Belkaap, and Mckee, ct id on,ae
9enuss They do not accuse him OF
purchasing or attempting to purchase
office-what about the christian
statesmanyn He is not accused of
trading in 4bfged bonds, nor, indeed,
is he accused of ever depriylaga fellow
man Of one legal right.
But he came to Kansas was
audacious. And he talked 70 the
people-fhas was worse. He came ia a
generous friendly mood, ne behaved
bia,3seE decorously, was not found i'll
eSil places, nor did be indulge exces-
sively in strong drink; he gave nc
offence 20 anybody, spoke kindly to
the people and did more in his hall
dozen Kansas speeches toward bring
ing the North and the South together
than all che platform orators who
have been preaching hate the last
Tdozen years. Ees, this plain, big
hearted man came among tine loyal
people of &ansae and todd them 4 great
many good things without saying one
word ill-nasuredly about anybody
Interfering in no uas with the loesl
went as becones man of hears aud
gbrains out on great mission. And
shall he be condemned because he is I
gentlemaA? Was it infamous
dsar maiikner, for Peters aud Plumt
af d Sherman and Mckinley to 60 te
Virginia, to North Caeel7nia, to Xen.
nessee and louisiana to talk To tht
people there, and do they 1seed To b
covered all over with the filth anC
slime of party henehnen because o.
their impetsinence2 Shame On meN O.
the loy1, big-hearted north, that they
should raise "a hand against such mar
as this ewing come to us with message
of peace. Would that they 'shoult
come in tens and hundreds. and alious
ands with like friendly gresAngs il
the mo3shs ofotheir commanders. Th,
Kansas Farmer welcomes Mr.. Poll
and Mr.. Beaumont and dall other mel
and women who, like them, cone to d.
Gus good. These meR are friends t.
the toiling poor AND are dsvoting thei
time and energies to improving tn
condition of men generally, Will
J their slanderers are supple tools in tn
; hands of men thatdule the nation wit