Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-16
MR.. SIMPSONS CREED.
The Head of the Farmers Alliance
on Questions of the Day.
NOT A PROPER LEADER
Novel Ideas on Patents, Labor Saving Ma
chinery and Railroads.
PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF The MAN


WASHINGTON, March 15.-I called on
Representative Jerry Simpson, of Kansas,
at his hotel in Washington yesterday. 1t
is unnecessary to explain to the regular
reader of newspapers who Mr.. Simpson is
further than to say that he is the "sockless
statesman" made famous during the recent
campaign in which the Farmers Alliance
was so successful in revolutionizing politics
in the State of Kansas.
l found Mr. Simpson sitting with his
legs carelessly crossed and derby hat
percned on the back of his head, attending
to rather voluminous correspondence. He
is a man of attractive manner. His figure
is not striking or graceful, but there is
calm earnestness in his face that would
draw attention to him in almost any as
semblage.
Has a Distinct individuality.
His face is oval, his features conventional,
but there are deep lines about his firm mouth
which denote distinct and individual char
acter, as does the short-crOpped, black mus
tache, touched with gray, that hardly covers
his upper lip His frank, gray eyes look
out at you through a pair of gold-bowed
spectacles. His nair, which is Of conven-
tional cut and style, has rusty gray color
and wiriness distinctly bucolic. His face,
too, is weather-beaten and speaks of ex-
posure to sun and wind.
1t was shortly after he had made his first
speech before an Eastern audience that 1
called on him. He was pleasantly but
modestly excited over the interest he had
created His speech made a declaed inn
preston not only upon the Alliance SYM
pathizers who were in large majority in the
gathering, but also upon those newspaper
correspondents and other strangers who had
dropped into the meeting to find amusement
in what they had thought might be an exhi-
bition of uncouth oratory.
He Confesses Stage Fright.
"Iwas little afraid to speak the other
night" he said when l referred to the i'm
preston he had made. 81 said to our Presi-
dent, who sat beside me- that ! felt like that
man out West that they call 'Young-Man-
Afraid-of- His-Horses.' was little afraid
of nv audience, and I did not want to speak.
But thev wouldn't let me of. don't know
that said anything that ought to have at
tracted any attention"
This new Representative never prepares
his speeches. He has made social and po-
litical problems the study of his life. He
is a man of strong convictions, but possessed
of all the courage that should accompany
them, and SO familiar with his subject that
he needs no prompting when once he has
started on it. He talks on as ghbly as
though he were reading from the printed |
page. Tie illustrations which he uses to |
point his remarks are not always original, |
but they are always appropriate and forci- |
bic. There are certain proYincIalisms in |
his delivery which will attract some atten- /
tIon and perhaps create some laughter when
he gets up to address the House of Repre-
sentatiVes next December.
The Backwoods Vernacular.
He SAYS "heerd" for heard, and there are |
other suggestions of the backwoods in the |
twang and twist of his words. But his |
audience will not get much merriment at his
expense. Few men In the next House will
have more attentive audiences.
talked with Mr.. Simpson for more than
an hour, chiefly on political topics. He
says great many extravagant things
things which 1 should say would attract the
favorable consideration of popular audi
cnce, but which are hardly calculated
TO win friends Tor him in the
House of Representatives. He talks great
deal about the "scoundrelS' in public life
who have been ''plundering the people, for
some indefinite period. But these extrava-
gances seem to be lapses in his conversation,
which is usually quiet intelligent and
Torcibe. He says the Alliance will un-
dOubtedlv have national ticket in the
field in 1892. "And Mr.. Stanford will not
be the candidate OF the Alliance either"
he said in response to a suggestion of mine.
VI think he is sincere in this bill of his to
loan money on lands. He NAV have an in
vitation to be President, but 1 think he
wants to do some good in this world But
we couldn't nominate man who had made
Fortune by Wrecking Railroads,
drawing dividends on watered stock and
plunderlng the people We could not stick
10 our principles and nominate man VINO
old not represent them"
I asked him if the Alliance would indorse
the Stanford land loan bill as Mr.. Stanford
thinks it will. Mr.. Simpson told me that
the Alliance would modify the Stanford idea
materially. Their chief objection to it is
that II proposes to loan money indefinitely
on any or all lands. The Alliance would re-
strict the loans TO small tracts OF land, and
would not have money loaned on land which
is not occupied.
asked Mr.. Simpson if he did not think
that the Alliance was likely to 60 to pieces
within the next two years.
THE Alliance has come to stay" he said.
THAT is, unless the old parties do something
TO remedy the condition of things. The
method of accumulating wealth and of do
ing business in this country has been en-
tirely revolutiOniZed by the building of the
railroads and the opening of the new coun-
try. Our system of law-making and
Our Laws Have Not Changed
with the new conditions. We have the
same kind of government that we always
have had. No one in either House of
Congress seems to understand tine situation,
We are coming here to try and solve the
problem. One of the first steps toward its
solution is that the people must control the
railroads and the telegraph which is the
peoples property. The Government ought
to own the railroads and run them for tine
benefit of tbe people"
l suggested that possibly Government
control would be less economical than
control by private individuals and that un-
der it cost Of service to the public might be
greater.
THE management of our Postoffice De-
partment said Mr.. Simpson, 'has shown, l
think. that we can manage our affairs eco
nomically. But even if we did not, it would
be better for the people than the present sys-
TEN, perhaps; for the money would at least
be better distributed under a wasteful Gov
eminent control.
A Question of Civil Service.
There is one thing to be considered
seriously in connection with this, and that is
the amount of patronage which would be
put in the hands of the party in power |
Perhaps it might be necessary TO dsfran-
chise these railroad employees under some