The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-09-07
A TALK WITH Mr.. PETER
The Kansas Senator Has Something to
Say of His Party's Affairs.
It's Prospects end Principles Discussed by Its
Western Championship Ohio Campaign
and the Financial Question Touched Upon.

Senator w. A. PETER, the long W hiskered
Kansan who rode into the Senate on the
Alliance wave which overwhelmed John j.
ingalls,. arrived in the city on Saturday.
Unregistered at the Sherman House, where
yesterday he was besieged with visitors
throughout the day. He will be the prnci-
pal speaker to-day at the Knights of
Labor celebration of Labor day
at the fair grounds. 4 Journal
reporter found the Senator at work on his
correspondence last night, but the farmer
editOr-statesman courteously welcomed the
interviewer. Yes" he said, in response to
question concerning his part in to-day's
celebration. II am to speak tomorrow
afternoon. Ny subjectf Well, it will be
q presentation and discussion of the idea
embodied in the proposition. The laborer
is worthy of his hire The man who works.
/ hold. is entitled TO the profits of his
labor. and the discussion Will play around
that point. l Will speak extempOraneously.
and what / say will depend on how start.
The address will be political In the sense
that it will deal with political topics, but
it will not be partisan. There is a great
distinction there. you understand"
What is your programme for the fall
Il will go from here TO Missouri. and
then TO Kansas. to remain. during
September. In October l will 20 to
Ohio again. l have made four speeches
there. having large audiences except at
Cleveland. where the meeting. owing to
the weather was failure. Ohio presents
Al promising field for a very large vote for
our party. This prospect has grown materi-
ally brighter, IL my opinion, since Governor
Campbell has shown so much weakness on
ba oil Ms
calls for free silver. and so does the Demo-
cratic platform. but Governor Campbell
has tloundered so concerning sil-
yer that | expect the Peoples
The opposition, led by Mckinley and SEN
ator sherman, both strong men, has
dropped the tariff and is making an able
fight on the silver question. We can form
no estimate of the vote the Peoples party
will probably poll in Ohio. for the reason
that we are constantly gaining recruits
from unexpected sources The same
was. true of the campaign last year
in Kansas There we received $1,000 Demo-
cratic. $1,000 Republican. $1,000 UniOn-La-
Dor and 1000 Prohibition votes. making
about liz. 600 i'm all. We drew, proportion
ately. stronger from the Democratic than
from the Republican party. and owing to
CampbelPs gingerly treatment of the silver
question we Will. no doubt, do the same In
Ohio this fall"
lyon are trying to drive Senator Sher-
man from the Senate. 80 the Hon. Mr..
Simpson says" remarked the reporter.
Don't put it that way, was the reply.
Senator Sherman IS an able and honest
man. who has the personal respect of
all. His views, however. on the
subject of finance are clear. positive and
monOmetallist For this reason | would
not be surprised to find that the next Lcgis-
lature had ~ majority opposed to him. We
have nothing personal against him. any
more than We had against Senator Ingalls,
in Kansas"
What will the Alliance do in 1S92p
I'VE are not giving the matter much con-
Germ yet. but am satisfied we will be
factor III the next campaign. The Alliance
Is constantly growing' SO that our efforts
are devoted entirely to giving direction 10
the thought and principles of our new
recruits. and In forming a nucleus around
which the people can muster. The Alliance,
you understand. is nOn-partisan, just as
elements composing the Alliance aesimilate
with the Peoples party. The growth has
been very rapid in the South. and In the
State of Texas alone ] believe there are
75.cO0 Alliance voters among the. whites,
and the blacks will vote with us in large
numbers. The division of the white
voters will bring about change of methods
down there which will result In the negro
being allowed to vote"
lis not free silver the most salient de-
mand of the Alliance?"
Not at all Free coinage of silver would
not give One-tenth the money the people
need. 1t would not give us more than $780,
OO0.G0O additional. while 81 .000. 600 600 is now
needed. How should this be- issuedf Itmigbt
he done by taking the old banking prIn-
ciple of four paper dollars to one of coin,
ana issuing cay two and one-half times the
amount of certificates against the S4O0.0O0.-
600 of silver. This would make the thou
sand million dollars, which | said /
think is needed. The Alliance. however.
demands that silver may be used to pay the
national debt. Under the funding act of
1870, the bonds were made to read payable
ineness. Three years later. silver
was left ont entirely from our coin
age. thus making the debt payable
only in gold. When silver is remonetized,
as we demand, the debt will be payable in
silver. as we'll as gold. But. as a matter of
principle, in my opinion. gold and silver
are no better than paper to serve the pnr.
functions of money by act of law.
and except that the people want gold and
silver because .hey have been used to it. as
basis OF money. the law might just as well
make money Of any other arti-
Gle; Two leading Alliance prn-
sub-treasury scheme. The land-loan is
most prominent IN the West and North.
west. where the financial burdens are
mostly upon land, and the sub-treasury
scheme is dearest TO the South. Both arose
out OF desire to be rid of
high interest and big commissions and as
the land-loan idea was new To the South
taken together they enable the Peoples
party to cover the whole field"
Senator Pefler will probably begin his ad-
dress at p. NJ. to-day.