People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-07-07


have filed congress with men who
represented every interest on earth,
but labor and agriculture. If our in
tereSt has been neglected, is it not our
fault? Is it not natural for men to
look after their own interest; then
why blame these men if they have
managed politics in their interest by
and through class legislation.
We are told by able statesmen
that legislation did not produce
present conditions, nor legislation
can not remedy the same" / for one
do not believe this assertion. Legis'
latiOn has TO a certain extent pro-
duced existing conditions and proper
legislation will as certainly remedy
the same. If there is no benefit in
legislation, why do manufacturers
clamor for high protective tariff:
Why did the money power of England
spend One-half million dollars on Oul
American congress to demOnetize sill.
yer in '73? Why do the Wall street
bankers and moneyed men of the east
oppose free coinage Of silver?'
Does not law, (which is nothing but
legislation either raising or lower.
ing the pensions, affect our old sol.
dierS? Did not the legislation of 81
and '62 create paper currency which
carried on the war of the rebellion
and restored the union? Did not the
act establishing the Mason and
Dixon line prevent the extension OF
slavery any further north? Did not
the law controlling the U. P. railroad
lay the foundation according to a pre-.
arranged plan to manufacture several
mllllOnaires at government expense:
Why do the railroad companies Op
pose the maximum freight bill? Why
do the money sharks oppose the re.
demptiOn law? Why are saloon
keepers and whiskey men opposed tC
prohibition laws? Why do gamblers
oppose and fight gambling laws? Is
this not legislation? Does not legis.
latiOn produce certain effects and can
not legislation remedy existing evils:
Yes, a hundred times, yes. All, gen,
tlemen, every act of legislation, both
state and national, has clandestinely
concealed in its language the veal OF
woe OF some human being. If this is
not the case, Of what use is our laws:
If we are fooled and deceived longer
by these slick tOngued, sO-called
statesmen, it will be our fault. As a
rule they are corporation lawyers and
are working for bread and butter.
The changing of these existing
evils reverse the legislations, enact
laws based upon justice and equity, is
what we call reform. We, the farm.
ers of this state, having been for sew.
eral years studying these political
Questions, have at last decided tC
take hand in the fight in our own
interest, just as the other fellows did
in the past. Two years ago we elect.
ed fOur-flfths of the lower house OF
representatives, consisting of mer
whose interests were ours, upon Z
platform representing certain needed
legislation. The people expected
much, but we found ourselves con
fronted by a hOld-Over Republican
senate. The house passed bills GOV
ering every pledge made to the peo
pie who sent them there, but nearly
every measure was killed or allowed
to die in the senate. The people
needed the laws promulgated ant
passed by the Peoples party repre-
sentatives and when they realized thai
they were killed by a Republican sen
ate, it added fuel to the political con
migration; they became incensed anC
voted to turn down the Republican
senate and elect a senate who wert
the friends of the common people fol
the next term of the legislature.
The Sth of last November told tn,
story. Only one Of the thirty-eight
OLD senators were returned. The Peo
pies party elected twenty-fOur mem
bers, the fusiOnists two. We alst
elected, by handsome majority. al
1.-THE state officers, three-fourths of tn,
county and township officers of tn,
state. but through the rascality O.
county clerks, fraudulent election
boards, an armed mob, a partisan su
preme court, the Populists were beat
en- out of the house of representatives
This senate redeemed every pledg,
made the people and the house proved
the enemies of the people. Thi,
brings me to the legislative muddle
A. G. FORNEY.
lTo BE CONTINUED