The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1891-11-05
WHAT DOES rms MEAN,

Last Friday evening ct Knights Of
Labor hall in this city . meeting
was held under the auspices Of the
propaganda OF the peoples party.
Among other things said Mt that
meeting for the dissemination Of re-
form doctrine, IL the following by r.
A. Levitt, county attorney Of Saline
county:
"-Now I rant TO say to you bankers,
| merchants and business men here
that II this city casts a solid cofe
| against the peoples party merit Tues
day, that White the farmers are NOD
in Jdror Of starting cooperative
stores, and hare no idea of doing so
at present-weu a man has q right TO
take care Of himself"
The election 10 now over, and the
force Of that remark as far as 1t re-
lates TO the event of Tuesday is lost,
but as IL does relate to the future
prosperity of Salina and Saline
county, and every town in Saline
county, and as 1t concerns the COM
munity vitality I'm it's future pros
perity, those words are still potent,
and pregnant with meaning at once
Ill concealed and sinister. There Is
only one way to construe those
words that Is as an attempt on the
part Of the peoples party through its
mouthpiece, Mr.. Levitt, to bulldose
its opponents and those who hon.
estly differ into voting the ticket Of
the peoples party. Never before
has an attempt been made In the his
tory Of this state to abridge the
right Of citizenship or by threat to
carry elections, since the days OF the
border rufiisus.
We do not know whether the
sentiments above quoted are those
of the Farmers Alliance of Saline
county or not; we most sincerely
hope they are not. II not il is high
time to put an end to incendiaryism,
and the bull-dozing tactics which
characterize the elections of the
southern states. II the above are
the sentiments Of the Alliance then
does that organization indeed show
the nature of the people from which
it came; but il can never be success
fully trsnsplsnted to Kansas soil.
We demand Of the Farmers Alliance
OF Saline county that 1t make its
position clear on this point. Mr..
Levitt says the Farmers Alliance Of
Saline county have no idea OF be-
coming identified with this moDopo-
ly at present, and that it, ever doing
SO is contingent upon the people Of
this city passively yielding up their
born rights to free speech and voting
as they please. Is 1t true or not I?
Does Mr.. Levitt speak with authority
or on his own responsibility?
There Is no length which Is Just
and proper to which the people Of
this city will not go with the farm
ers Of this county in obtaining Just
and needed laws for the benefit Of
the farmer, because all our interests
are one, just the same as the hand
and the mouth are members of one
body. Neither could get along very
well without the other. But when
the farmers demand anything be-
yond the limits of justice, or fair
ness, or even good sense, then the
people of Salina can no longer GO
with them. The great preponder-
snce OF trouble i'm this world Is the
result Of misunderstanding. We
urge the farmers and the inhabitants
Of this city to be sure that they I'M
derstand each other before either
makes a peremptory demand that
the other forfeit its right to exercise
their constitutional rights, and ac-
companies its demand with a half
concealed and cowsrdly threat to
boycott the other. The farmers
have no just quarrel with the people
Of this city, and we hope they will
not be SO short sighted as to con-
jure up one.