The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-11-27
A SCORCHER.
An Open Letter From Gen. John
II. Rice.
Why the Peoples Party Met Its Waterloo
Calamity Howlers Not Wanted In
Kansas-The People Too Honest
to Tolerate Reputation.

In recent open letter dated at Fort
Scott published in the Lantern of that
city and addressed to w. ii. Biddle,
president State Alliance of Kansas;
Levi Dumbauld, chairman State Gen.
trail Committee peoples party, and
Thomas w. Gilruth, president Citizens
National Alliance, Gen John II. Rice
rakes the peoples party leaders over
the Goals in the following scorching
style:
GENTLEMEN: AS member of your organ
iZAtion. and with no personal aspirations
whatever under any circumstances, allow
me to ask:
''Watchman. tell us of the night.
What Its signs of promise are?"
Iespouscd the principles of what is known
as the St Louis agreement of 1859 in good
faith. That platform was the char of the
alliance in 1890, and upon that alone was or
Ranized the peoples party of Kansas and
the National Citizens Alliance With those
principles as chart, the peoples party"
of Kansas I'm 1880 achieved the most wonder.
full triumph and overthrow the reign of the
most stupendous political mountebank and
egotistical bubble ofthe century. These prin
ciples now cordially indorse. They were
formulated into that agreement by accredit-
ed representatives of the Farmers Alliance
and knights of Labor. February 6, 1889 and
two days thereafter agreed to by the repre-
sentatives of the Farmers Mutual Benefit
association of Kansas
Realizing the necessity for a national or
ganization upon those principles / orlgI-
mated. and was the author of the ''cail for
the conference at Cincinnati" When wrote
that call the one focal idea was to have a
conference for the sole purpose of consul
tatiOn upon the propriety of forming lin the
futurel a new party with the same charter
and compass for its guide
] quote from the original draft now be-
fore me:
Whereas. In unity there Ia strength.
therefore, it is desirable that there should
be a union OF all the various named in
dustrial organizations that stand on COM
mon ground
"To this end the individuals from the
various states. whose names are hereunto
signed, make this call for national confer
ence, to be composed of delegates from the
following Industrial organizations, namely:
"The Farmers Alliance, the Farmers Mu-
tual Benefit association. the Cit zens' AL
lance. the Knights of Labor the COlored
Farmers Alliance and all other Industrial
organizations that support the principles of
the st. Louis agreement of 1881"
1t was to be conference" not TO form
but a conference preparatory to the forming
of a national union party. 1t was only con-
that delegates from all the indus
trial organizations that indorsed the St
Lo lis agreement of 1859 would send dele
gates to Cincinnati and re-discuss fully and
freely those principles from a national
stand point, and il, after such conference had
met, it was the sense of the conference that
1t was expedient to form national union
81 Il
address to the organizations in all the states,
representation, for delegates to
meet on a day named and form the nation
nj union party" by perfectiug a national or
ganization and prescribing method for a
state organization in each state.
1t is relative to what has transpired since
that original call was signed and promui-
gated to this time that take the liberty of
you this open letter-open be-
cause every citizen of Kansas is vitality in
terestei in the discussion. and the members
Of your organization look to you for guild
arce.
IL very soon transpirpd that controlling
officials of the Farmers National Alliance
and the national assembly of the knights of
Labor were content to "reign in Heaven" "
but nothing else. They must control this
new movement or squelch II, and the national
officials and nationals editor, DIR. McCune,
tried to suppress II, when they found that
they could not, and the conference. after a
met in Cincinnati in May last
a part of these officials were there and with
their friends were prepared to control the |
Rc; ion of the conference
The organizations in less than half the |
states were not represented, or at least by |
merely nominal (and in many cases) self |
appointed representation. Kansas furnished |
more delegates Qeaving out Ohio) than ali |
.hr rest of the United States
While hundreds of good, honest, conscien- |
ious men went from Kansas to that confer |
,uce, it is also true that every crank. siiys- !
er. demagogue, socialist, anarchist and re- |
DudiatOr in Kansas (and there were many of |
he I, rec irstnamed classes) that had joined |
he peoples party, or alliance, also went to
Cincinnati
Was that meeting conference" was /
here serious discussion of the principles
If the St Louis platform from a national
Did it not more closely ap
)roNimate a wild mob than gathering of in
ellectual men for n serious matt r? Did not
he mass of the Kansas delegation go there
With 'whoop and hurrah" for the instant
and organization of a new party? |
And as matter of fact did not Kansas cast
majority of the votes east on that ques-
ion? l so understand It. Had their action,
however. been based upon the "St Louis
agreement" it might have been we'll But
he serpent was there to beguile. 1t was at
)cala, and even that intelligent assembly
vas beguiled into the adoption of the wild,
impracticable and ruinous
cheme of what is known as the sub-treas-
iry IL being DIR Macune's bantling, which
vas a violation by the alliance of the st.
iouis agreement The Cincinnati confer
nee as sumed to bring this new party into
'eing at once, at the demand of these Kan
as crankI, with few others from Indiana,
and other states. and they, too.
Deguiled by this same serpent and drunk on
wild political excitement. indorsed this
scheme and came home shout
ng it as the sheet anchor of all their hopes.
Right there commenced the Had of our
'arty's woes Remember that at this time
he Farmers Mutual Benefit association,
>itiZens' Alliance, knights OF Labor, Col
red Citizens Alliance or the Grange had
lot adopted the sub-treasury scheme. As
oon as this conference launched the party
n this way upon the country, and even be-
ore. Messrs. PETER. Simpson, Mrs. Lease,
'rof. Vincent, notably. and Others conceived
he idea that they were specially called, not
" anv regular constituted authority. but
prompted by a misconception of
heir ability and urged by their innate ego
ism and self assurance, to 20 forth as mis-
ionarics to carry glad tidings ito the peo-
'le," promising deliverance through SIAN
Ter, population. socialism and disgusting
onsense. 1t was a mercenary mission for
here were ducats behind IL.
They went FORTH as it were, upon the wings
4 the wind. TO New York-they were brave
and bearded Wall street in its own den
hen to Georgia: away to Ohio and Indiana,
hen to Texas and back to Kentucky, and
o on.
Kansas, their own home; Kansas, that
made them all they are-that gave them all
hey have. was slandered and traduce1, un-
il ''calamity" hung like pail over her
eautiful praries and she became a sneer
nd by word kansas. Ito use my own
Fords in lss5l day is the garden spot or
he world redolent with the fragrance of the
richard and the field; teeming with the
ZONES of over a million people; pulsating
Tith the vim and vigor of proyress-a land
4 fruit and flowers; n land through which