Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-12-02
THE KANSAS ELECTION.
Tne People's Party shows that 1t Is Able
TO Wheel Kansas Into Line in 1892.

"COhS prior TO tue late election
republican and democratic papers
were filed with trash relative to the
olslntegration of the alliance and the
peoples party, and the return of the
members to their former affiliations.
just after the Salina meeting a pur-
ported interview with Frank McGrath
was published in which he was made
70 say that the alliance membership
mad fallen off during the past year from
AZ, 600 to $4,000, and this was heralded
all over the country with view of dis
couraging not only the members of our
own state, but likewise the people of
other states, who have been looking to
Kansas as foremost in the impending
political revolution. The most disrepu.
table methods have been persistently
pursued before the election to deceive
the people respecting the issues of the
contest and the sentiment and strength
OF the peoples party, and since the
election the same persistent effort and
the same disreputable methods are pur-
sued to deceive with respect to the re-
suit A stranger reading the scare
crow headlines in the daily papers and
being ignorant of the unscrupulous
character of partisan journalism, would
conclude that the alliance and peoples
party had been literally annihilated
and wiped from the face of the earth.
The predicted ''disintegration" would
be supposed to have come to pass.
The Advocate is not given to vain
boasting, or to the publication of state.
ments that will not bear the scrutiny
OF friends and the assaults of enemies;
and IN giving a summary of the results
OF this election it will as usual be con-
servative, and its conclusions will be
found to be more than verified by the
most careful analysis of the vote when
the official result is fully known. The
day was very unfavorable for a full
vote. A cold, drizzling rain prevailed
over the greater part of the state that
undoubtedly kept many men at home
1t is only natural to suppose that most
of these were in the rural districts
which were at a distance from the
polls, rather than in the cities where
the voting precincts are convenient.
AS the peoples party strengh is mostly
in the rural districts it is only natural
to suppose that our vote would be most
affected by the decrease of the total
vote
Notwithstanding this, in a great many
counties we have made a large actual
gain in our vote over that of last wear.
In other counties we have fully held
our own. In few counties the actual
vote is less than last year, but fully
equal to 1T in comparison with the total
vote cast Taking into consideration
the diminished total vote in those coun-
ties, it will be found that we have re-
tanned our full per cent of it and in
many instances more than this. Of
course all apparent losses are seized
with the greatest avidity by the opposi-
tion press wherever they occur, and
without making any analysis of the
vote or instituting any comparisons to
determine how our per cent Of loss cor
responds with the decreased per cent
of the total vote, such apparent loss,
insignificant though it may be, is
paraded under flaming head lines as
an infallible indication of the total
and utter annihilation
of the peoples party in Kansas Ra-
than this. They recognize in all this
bluster and growing of political roos-
ters the whistle of towards approach
ing political graveyard in which their
polluted carcasses will soon be buried
in oblivion. Placing the most con.
servative estimate upon the results of
the election, it may be regarded as alb
solutely certain that in this "off year.
in politics, without any systematic
such as we conducted last
year, relying solely upon the educa-
tional work of the past, and the limited
local campaigns conducted by the sew
eral counties, and in the face of the
campaign against us seldom surpassed,
even in a presidential year, we have
still fully held our own in the apgre-
gate, while our per cent. has unques-
tionably been largely increased. We
are of the opinion also that not only
our per cent. but our actual vote cast
will be found larger in the aggregate
than 1T was last year. However this
may be, in view of the facts now we'll
known to the people everywhere, we
would ask where is the evidence of the
disintegration that the enemy is talking
about?
1t is true our candidates for county
offices have been defeated in some in
stances, but how has it been done? 1t
has been by the union Of the old par
ties that have for the last thirty years
been waging a relentless warfare
against each other for official spoils.
They have forgotten all the bitterness
of the past The hard names thev
have called each other are remem-
bered no more. They have kissed and
made up and gone to bed together.
The official offspring of this unholy DO
litical marriage seems to be largeiv re-
publican. With the exception of two
democratic judges it would seem that
the democrats were not Gin it" Thev
were easily satisfied.
There is very grave condition of
things now confronting them. Know
ing as they very well do that the peo-
pies party is superior to either of them
singly, what will they do next year?
Will they separate and each place an
electoral ticket in the field? Should
they do so they are both defeated be-
1O4O OhCy OOSAA Vic campaign. VIII
they remain together? If so what will
the ticket be? Will it be Harrison and
or Cleveland and Harrisonp
These are grave questions and on their
determination depend many spoils. We
shall see what we shall see.
So far from any disintegration hav-
ing taken place in the peoples party of
it is to-day stronger, more de-
and better equipped for
future contests than it has ever been
before. Its strength will continue to
Increase. The work of organization
and education will be renewed and
pursued during the coming year with a
Vigor hitherto unknown; and when the
south shall have declared itself. as it
must do, and the two great sections of
our common country actuated by COM
mon interests shall stand in q solid
phalanx shoulder to shoulder in the