Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1891-10-24
coNcERNMo pLurocRArs.
ansas City, Mo-. journal.


1ksm The Kansas City. Mo-. journal.
The word .'plutocrat" has particu-
larly acrid taste on the palate of q GER
tain class of social theorists and politi-
cal agitators. It is used on every oc-
casion by these people to designate q
class Of citizens whose energy has made
thsm prosperous, but whom the theo-
rists and agitators find it best to abuse;
and now the word, which once was
rarely met with outside OF books and
incendiary meetings. has become q
common term in political parlance.
It's advent into common society
marks the dawn of a new era in Amerl-
can politician era OF new lssues'
Heretofore the ISSUES OF our country
have turned on questions of policy al
fectine all classes, the rich and the poor
alike. Legislation has been asked for
in the past which would affect all the
people-the merchant, the laborer, the
mechanic and the farmer. The relative
wealth of man In comparison with bis
neighbors in any profession has never
before Influenced his vote on any ques-
lion before the people, nor has it ever
been impugned that such was the case
before. The rich have never been in
line against the poor, and be who would
have attempted to bring about such a
fight would have been branded traitor
irstead of demagogue. But the word
s.plutocrat" is from the socialists vo-
cabulary; it's inference is that he who
is rich is a robber, and the frequency
with which it occurs is alarming, because
it indicates the prevalence of this idea.
It indicates that the demagogue ID
abroad in the land and that his work Is
telling.
In Kansas, the state of the Union
where. above all others, men are nearest
q financial level, this word ''plutocrat
has found footing. The alliance ora
tors use it on the stump, the alliance
papers fill their columns with it, until
it has come to pass that every law
abiding citizen who pays his taxes, has
lifted his mortgage and votes the re-
publican ticket is known as ''pluto-
GRAFT" And in the opulent use OF the
word the absurdity Of its inference is
seen, and the cure for the evil its pres
ence threatens is thus effected.
But however this may be, the fact re-
mains that the word now used with such
JUNCTION by the alliance is one of the
principal weapons of the anarchist, the
socialist and the communist. And this
fact indicates that the inspiration of
these theorists and partisans is the in
SEPARATION of the alIiance-discontent
and desire to reflect unjustly upon
the prosperous. It also indicates that
their object is the same and their pa
triotism is of the same negative quality
which characterizes the agitators of the
European cities.
There is after all very little difference
between Jerry Simpson and Herr Most
except in methods. They are after the
same thing. Mrs. Lease is typical
anarchist. She is proud of it, and in
her speeches justifes herself by saying
that "Christ was the first great anarch-
ist." PETER denounces this government
as severely as the German socialists de-
nounce their government. He may or
may not be sincere; and the same is
true of them. But it is not patriotism
in him any more than it is in them.
The alliaIce attempts to stir up the
poor against the rich; the Communists
attempt the same thing. And it is un-
fortunate for the alliance that it has
borrowed its vocabulary from the bomb
throwers aud dynamiters. "Pluto-
Gratis" should be eschewed. Men and
parties are known by the company they
keep.