Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-05-22

There really seems TO be little for a dem
ocrat to find fault with in the politics
Senator PETER, who halls from the eccentric
state of Kansas and who enters the upper
house of cor gress rs representative of the
farmers alliance. His attitude on the
principal political question of the time is
essentially democratic, and that he will
act with the party Of Cleveland, Hill and
Villas would be Il fair inference from vari-
Gus of his expressions at divers times,
even if he had not virtually made plain
declaration to that effect on at least one
occasion
A lmost up to the time of his election
MIR. PETER was republican. He be-
lieved that the republican party was the
party OF justice. But he found reason to
change his opinion. Congress was deaf
to the demands of the farming interest
that taxes should be low; that federal leg
islation should not favor the bankers and
manufacturers of the east at the ex-
pense of the struggling west; th9t the
benefits as we'll as the burdens of the gov
ernment should be equally divided.
The stringency is seduIously looked
after in New York, but not the strin-
gency in Kansas, where, said Mr..
PETER, there is a stringency in every
family A change, according to the new
senator is imperatively required. 1--WE
cannot get relief" he said, "from con
gress; we ask for relief and they laugh at
us. When it comes to voting, will vote
for the principles of the peoples party;
when | left the republican party left it
for good. What the principles of the
peoples party are Mr.. PETER himself stat
ed. He said that free trade. absolutely in
many articles, is oftimes the very best
form of protection We believe in raising
revenue to deiray the expenses of the gov
ernnent, and after that in the adjustment
of duties. Let us get out Of the adjust
ment all the gooG we san for our own peo-
pie. We believe in equal and just taxa
ton; we are opposed TO tine taxation of
one industry ior the support of another;
we are opposed 20 high tariff dues upon
any article OF common use.
Senator Peffer is opposed to the forma
tion of new independent alliance free
trade party scheme that seems likely 70
divide the national union conference now
in progress at Cincinnati. He is quoted
as saying Monday that he looked upon
such party as probable before 1899, but
he doubted whether it would be wise for
us to 60 so far at present :" 1--WE should
act prudently and cautiously, says he.
And by talking thus he is obviously en-
deavoring TO defer Immediate action under
Tie conviction that events have so shaped
themselves in the recent past as to give
hope that party is now in the ascendent
pledged to insure the relief that the agri-
cultural element would endeavor to attain
through a new political organization.
Mr. PETER is by no means an EXTREMIST
in the matter of fiscal reform. His public
utternnces thus far show him in fact to
A''N Nit"o bhttt are HIttlN NtiSC4 Ntt1lNt
and tend to place him in the category OF
sound Legislators in monetary affairs.
On other national questions also Mr..
PETER is apt to act with the democracy.
He is a liberal and progressive character,
and it is entirely improbable that he will
at any time be found favoring the wrong
ful sectional issue which sheer desperation
caused the republican party to toment In
this particular be will again be in accord
with the democratic party, which in a
general way seems likely to make positive
gain by his election to the senate The
republican majority in that body is now so
narrow that it will be practically impossi-
BILE for it to carry through any radical an d
obtrusive measures for the house to sit
upon.