The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1892-08-17

are not, and the proposition as advanced by
the peoples party might, under certain cir.
cumstances, be eminently beneficial to the
masses of the people, while the republican
party has accepted the doctrine as TO tele-
| graph and telephone lines only, which are
instrumentalitles used almost exclusively by
bankers, merchants professional and Ger.
tain classes of business men, but not of the
slightest value, as rule, TO the masses Of
the people of the country; hence, your party
! has adopted the principles advanced by the
peoples party, but limited it to agencies
which are used almost exclusively by the
few instead of the many, and by the rich
instead of the poor.
SecOnd-The peoples party also advocate
what is termed the "subtreRsury scheme
do not endorse it. Like the other propo.
siti0n, regard it as an impractioable and
dangerous one. Now, your party has set the
precedent for this Identical doctrine. 1t has
demonetiZed silver, destroyed its value aa
an article of money, and placed it upon
purely commercial basis. Now, if it be
sound policy to purchase and deposit in the
national treasury silver bullion, an article
of commerce and limited in its uses, and is
sue therefore certificates possessing the
qualities of money for all public and pri
vate uses, then can you tell me the differ
ence in principle between the deposit of
silver bullion and issuing certificates there
for, having the qualities of money, and the
deposit In public warehouses of such pro-
ducts as corn and wheat, articles of prime
necessity, of universal use, with as firmly
established market values as gold and silver,
and issuing for such wheat and corn certih-
Gates in the form and manner that silver
certificates are issued? Now, if you can
point out the difference in principle be-
tween the two propositions, you will be
public benefactor, and do little bit more
in the way of metaphysical reasoning than
any man that have yet been able TO find.
So, my dear sir, the fact is that whatever is
good in the peoples party platform, and
there is an immense amount of il, is essen
TALLY democratic. Whatever is bad ia purely
republican. The democratic part of the plat,
form embOdies the living principles of
political action of to-day, and presents in
sharp and clearly drawn lines the vital is
sues Of present importance between the,
democratic and peoples party on the one
side, and the republican party on the other
side. Hence, there can be no disgrace, no
dishonor whatever in unity of action for
the time being between democrats and the
peoples party upon these vital issues.
We Have Passed the Dark Ages.
The other matters advanced by the peo-
ple's party, and with which do not now
agree, are not of q character to suggest any
immediate public danger. Not only 80, but
think we have got beyond the dark ages.
Men may now advance new thoughts and
new ideas and for 80 doing are not to be re-
garded as heretics, cranks or challengers Of
the public peace or national security. l
think the very essence of good government
is freedom of thought, freedom of action,
freedom of speech and freedom of discus
sion. This means an intelligent conflict of
ideas, and while 1t may be true that the
theories advanced to-day, may be regarded
as impractIcable distractions, yet we must
bear in mind that the crank and enthusiast
of to-day, may and often does become the
philosopher and pratical statesman of the
generation to follow.
l used to think that aRy person or party
advancing a new doctrine, new idea, or
new theory, was a fanatic and q crank, but
the intellectual freedom of this age has got
beyond that. II is from new theories and
new ideas so advanced, discussed, analyzed
and utilized that new industries, new plans
of social and political action, new methods
of intellectual development, and new pro-
cesses Of industry are obtained. Processes
and instrumentalities that were regarded |
as dreams but few years ago have become |
the practical and useful agencies of to-day, |
So, so long as the peoples party are as
sentially sound upon the vital principles |
that confront US to-day, and upon the real |
questions upon which the next congress will |
be called to act. shall not waste my time |
in quarrelling with them, in regard to un-
democratic distractions borrowed from the
republican party.
The MIX In the COcOanut.
/ am afraid that the cause of your anxiety |
is not the destruction of the democratic |
party, nor the success OF the peoples party, |
but may be explained by the following lines
in your letter:
"You are welcome to all the consolation
and comfort that you can get out of it, il |
you think that you are promoting the cleo
tion in the slightest degree of Grover Cleve-
land.p
There we have it. This, my dear friend,
Is the milk in the cocoanut. This ia where