The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1892-04-14
AMONG TIE PEOPLE.

L ES~N~~S~~~~I
accept the gossip of their small cir
Giles in cities and towns as rejecting
the sentiment Of the country at large
run the risk of making serious
mistake.
For some time past campaign of
education has been in progress
among the masses. 1t matters not
how it started, or who started it
the fact is all that need concern us
now. The campaign was originally
intended to instruct the people in
certain economic questions, but the
result. of that instruction has been
to fire the popular heart and preciri-
tate a crusade of the masses against
the classes.
| Whether you find the toilers and
producers Of the country leagued
together in labor societies, in third
party, or in the great body of the
democracy you will find them ami
mated by the same spirit, and de-
handing the redress OF substantially
the Same grievances.
| If these legions and hosts of voters
have not reached the point where
there is unity of action, they have
certainly reached the point where
there is unity of thought.
Now, what mysterious power or
agency has brought these millions
of citizens together? How is it shat
; the masses of the far south and the
masses of the far northwest think in
concert, express the same ideas, de-
nounce the same evils and demand
the same reforms ? This tremen,
dous epoch in our social and politi.
cal history is not the work of party
leaders it is here in spite of them
| Nor is it the result of famboyant
stump oratory, for there has been
very little CT it thus far.
| There is only one explanation oi
this rapid spread OF the facts, thoughts
and opinions which are now clamor-
ling to be heard. The press has
been utilized to the utmost by the
retormers-by the people themselves
and it has already wrought revo-
luton in American thought. The
food Of cheap reform papers, pamph
lets and books seen in the earl,
stages of the French revolution haI
been paralleled here within the pas
three years. Alliance and labo,
papers circulate hundreds OF thous
ands of copies. Pamphlets ant
tracts on economic subjects delug,
the land at one or two cents each
| Novels dealing with the labor cues.
ton are sold everywhere. Eloquent
and fiery books like 'The Coming
Climax" retail at only fifty cents,
half the usual price Of such volumes,
| One publishing house in the north
advertises over two hundred popular
works on the economic questions OF
the hour.
| One thing is evident-all these
publications would not be in the
market if they did not find readers
and plenty Of them. They are read
and passed from hand to hand or
the prairies of Nebraska and Texas
from farmhouse to farmhouse il
the south-Atlantic States, and iron
cottage to cottage among the work
ing men Of our cities.
But the dignifed party leader, tn,
complacent party journalist and tn,
well-to-do business man will ga,
that they have never seen thes.
printed sheets and books-nevel
even heard of them. All the wors.
for you, then You are blindly
drifting to the point where you ant
the people will part company. You
have planned your work under the
conditions Of the past, and conscious.
ly or unconsciously you are on the
side of the privileged classes. The
people-your old followers-have
emerged from their quiet campaign
Of education with the determination
to take control OF the government
and reform the whole unjust and
dishonest business of our financial
and tariff systems. When the peo.
| pie are in this mood what is to pre-.
vent them from having their owr