The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-12-30
A FOrclble Presentation of Pending
Issues and ReIOrms..The People
TO be Enlightened.
by the Reform Press of Kan.
Sas at Their Meeting in Topeka,
December 90.
A Paper Read by ]. P. ESterly Of Marys.
vile, Before the Reform Press
at Topeka.

'J Nii r. o"S"N " P"ueHC
effort the great fact embodied in the
well known statement that "eternal
vigilance is the price of liberty" Are
we fully conscious of the fact that true
political and social liberty was never
in such perilouS straightS beforeP am
not pessimist. Were | not an opti-
mist should declare that liberty has
been destroyed or driven from our
land. 1t must be fight. battle for
light and truth-the revelation of tho
truth concerning our own condition
and tho tendency of the forces of ciyi.
liZatioA.
l fully believe that we, that is, the
American republic, shall survive, but
not by resting supinely at case and
saying "all is vol, but because there
are many good and true men who $40
clearly that liberty must be fought for
and that her foes are 1T hand and
powerful, and these men are at work.
This hope IS the reason we are here.
There are yet in our land, yea in our
own grand state, many people who are
not aware of the fact that plutocracy
"has craftily and with criminal in
tent taken possession of the slowly
organized party machinery which was
built up in purer times for the con.
uenience of the people in governing
themselves" and that this machinery,
while retaining the original names, no
longer obeys the hand Of the masses of
either party for whose good 1t was
created, "but has come to be malgn
engine that serves the privileged
few ut the expense Of the despoiled
many" We must fight for their lib
GRAFTON from the thralldom of partisan
prejudice by using every argument
and every means to show them their
slavery.
We must fight not only for the en-
largement of the ranks of reformers,
but also for the preservation Of the
principles of true reform within our
ranks As the reform party increases
in numbers and power, the tendency
will be toward party spoils and parti-
san conquest and tho neglect
of fundamental principles. We
shall need to guard well against such
tendencies. Let us survey briefly
some Of the forces against us in this
contest.
The plutocratic press sustained by
the corporations, constitutes the most
active force against us. This is sus-
tanned by the advantage Of having the
field and by its sklllful use Of the
of its readers. thus keeping
their eyes closed to the truth. The
hearts OF tho people are intent upon
right, and we must gain access to
them by persistently though patiently
and kindly bombarding the fortress
now held by base means. TO paralyze
the efforts Of the secular plutocratic
press we must strive for accuracy and
truthfulneSs in the presentation Of
argument. and freedom from personal
To neutralizc the vicious influences
of the religious press to win them 10
our cause we must present higher
code of morals then that cuisines is
business" and show the people that
the business of men as distinguished |
from tnat OF mere money gctters, iS to
live and help live. TO say ''live and
let live," is beneath the moral stand
ard Of true madness. do not mean
to say, nor to be understood as init
mating, that the whole influence Of
the religious press is vicious, but that
there is Vicious influence in it; for
while it may denOunce usury, it has
no moral standard for determining
what usury is. In New York and sew
eral other states, it is usury to charge
more than six per cent interest. In
other states the limit is seven, eight.
ten. twelve, or any rate agreed upon,
and the churches and the religious
press are content to let this rest upon
legal grounds, doing nothing whatever
to learn and teach the moral elements
involved. 1t is one Of the elements of |
the fight before us to stand for the !