People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-11-17
Campaign Echo.

SdHpdlSn ECHO.
EDITOR VOICE:-The campaign is
ended. the election is past and our
ticket is defeated. To many of US
the result is only partial surprise.
Individually, | didn't expect to be
elected. There were too many fac
tors against me-chief among which
were the Democratic party and the
fusion element in the Populist party.
There has never been day since
our convention when either Mr..
Casey or myself could have been
elected. The middle of the road"
PopuliSts would never have endorsed
Mr.. Casey nor would the Denis have
endorsed me.
The reason for the defeat of the
rest Of our ticket is patent to any
close observer Of our county politics.
As all who are acquainted with me
know. have stood for middle of the
road" politics and | now point to the
result Of last Tuesdays election in
this county, emphasizing the vicious
ness Of fusion. Parties are aligned
on platforms. Politicians align on
places. | believe and have maintained
that parceling out Of the offices be-
tween parties is degrading to any
Self-reSpecting citizen. Personally
the members Of our party are entitled
to respect the same as another.
don't know of any reason why a Dem
Ocrat is not as good as a Republican
and vice versa.
But do know Of many good rea-
sons why the Omaha platform is
vastly superior to the Chicago plat
form or the Minneapolis platform.
Believing, then, in the principles
enunciated in the Omaha platform,
can gladly welcome to our ranks all
comers, regardless of nationality,
color, or past party affiliations.
| have held and still hold that our
party has made serious mistake by
nominating candidates from one of
the old parties, not because of their
personality, but because of their poll
tics.
How often during the campaign
have we been taunted with the re-
mark, anything to down the Repub-
licans" or Democratic scheme to
break up the Republican party" l
confess that | could not deny the
charge with the same candOr and Wig
or that. l could had the ticket been
composed entirely of Populists.
But these things are past and the
duties of the hour demand our atten-
tiOn. We are defeated, but not dis
cOuraged. l candidly believe that
the result of Tuesdays election is a
protest rather than a measure of
party strength. Let every sincere
Populist put himself in training for
the campaign of '94. Read again the
Omaha platform, Tom Watson'S 4th
of July speech, delivered at Douglass
vile, Ca, Weayer's Call to Action, ="
and then compare the present with
the paSt-the time when you received
500 per bushel for your wheat and
the present with wheat at 3S cents
per buShel. Experience is a hard les
son, but we certainly have learned
ours as a party. The battle must be
fought on the old lines already laid
down.
"And right the day will win;
To falter would be sin"
What matters it if our candidates
went down last Tuesday? Their
places can be filed every day in the
year by just as deserving, just as mer-
itoriOus material from the ranks of
our party. Candidates are Of small
consequence compared with our prin-
ciples. Henceforth let US stand with
both feet on our platform and nOmi-
nate no man for Office who is not an
out and out PopuliSt.
/ l Cannot close this article without
expressing my gratitude to those who
stood by me so steadfaStly all through
the campaign. l shall alwaysremem-
Der your words of cheer and kind
counsel. Defeat under such condi-
tiouS is robbed of its humiliation,
r RRIrCE MAGFF.