People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1892-09-16
THE PEOPLES PARTY.

lies.
The claims Of the third party nove-
ment for support rest upon its necessity
as means Of restoring to the masses
of the American people their proper
share in the government The follow
ing remarkable prediction made by
Abraham Lincoln at the close of the
war for the nation, has been signally
fulfilled:
las result of the war, corporations
have been enthroned and an era of cor
ruption in high places will follow, and
the money power of the country will
endeayor to prolong its reign by work
ing upoh the prejudices of the people
until all wealth is aggregated in few
hands and the republic is destroyed. |
feel at this moment more anxiety for
my country than ever before, even in
the midst of war. God grant that my
suspicious may be groundless.
There is not an informed person in
the nation who does not know that the
conditions thus forecast have been
abundantly realized and that the power
OF the people in shaping legislation has
been reduced to nullity by concentrat-
ed wealth and indefensible privilege
Money in few hands dominates every
thing. 1t dictates our laws and con-
trolls our industries 1t is fast reducing
the wage-earning millions to merciless
servitude. 1t has oppressively aug
mented the burdens of the debtor class
by the dethronement of silver and the
consequent enormous enhancement OF
gold, the purpose being to make money
scarce and dear aud to increase the az.
gregate Of debts, without additional
consideration, by making gold coin the
sole metal of ultimate redemption for
all credits and for all other forms OF
money. This debasement of one of the
money metals by the money power con-
stitutes the elimination Of the conspir-
acy Of greed and privilege against the
wealth-producing population of Amer
lea. Its disastrous consequences, al
though the worst is come, have been
widespread and are making themselves
felt in every lowly home in the land
The conditions Of massed wealth and
corporate supremacy, with reeking cor
ruption in high places and the debauch-
ment of politics, which were foretold
by Lincoln, have grown up and taken
root in every state of the union under
the auspices and through the agency of
both the old parties, and the control
ing machinery of those parties is now
hopelessly subject to the power that
has made itself practically supreme
over the destinies of the nation. Hence
the only rational hope of reasserting
the legitimate authority of the people
in our government, of purifying our
politics, of infusing into our industrial
system the qualities of God-given
justice, of restoring the coinage to the
status given it by the founders of the
republic, and Of preserving the herit-
age Of freedom and the rights of free
men bequeathed by the fathers, depends
upon availing ourselves of new and
interrupted medium through which
the people can express and enforce
their political convictions.
: To serve this purpose is the mission
of the peoples party, and it has right
full claims upon the support of all citi-
zens who realize the impressive fulfill
ment of Lincoln's forebodings, and the
surprising Importance of checking the
aggressive and dangerous advance of
corporate rapacity and the schemes and
: corruptions OF abnormal wealth.
No one should be swerved in this cri-
sis from course Of political independ-
: ence that is inspired by the highest de-
mands of duty and interest, by the dis
: couraging assurance Of the enemy that
the new party, without organization
: and without wealth, can have no chance
of success this year against the old par
ties, powerfully organized and with
limitless pecuniary resources. We are
told that one or the other Of the old
party presidential nominees is sure TO
be elected and il we would not throw
away our votes for president we must
) choose between them, according to our
preferences or prejudices.
: The answer to this kind of partisan
! sophistry is that we have no choice be-
3 tween the presidential candidates of
the old parties, that both of them are
: inexorably committed to the dangerous
| elements foretold by President Lincoln,
and that TO support either would be to
d strengthen with our countenance and
votes the very power that we recognize
e as perilous TO the country and its pros
h perity But this is not the only
5 answer Believing in the necessity for
S the new political organization, il popu
$ lar convictions are ever to be given ex'
{ preston and force, we recognize that
i it must have a beginning, and that
s duty requires its present support with
+ out regard TO the degree Of success OIL
: failure that may attend the popular eff
= fort this year. II partial failure shall
q be the result the people will none tn,
o less have laid the foundation for the
s fullest fruition Of their hopes at fu
o ture day.
n But the failure can only be partial
s for though money and privilege secur'
the presidency for the next four years
n the popular impulse that is now taking
Is independent shape cannot be prevente'
o from scoring victory this year Of stu
$ pendous import to the rights Of tn
B. American masses The Importance a
= this juncture Of great popular protes
against the consuming and unrighteou
greed Of corporate wealth and its defl
ing influence on the legislative funC