The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-11
A P0pULIsT PLATFORM.

In reviewing, few days ago. the net
eonQuests Of the Popuist party at the late
election, THE CALL regretted that the plat
form of the new party had not been defined
with sufficient dstinctness for people TO
understand it. The new Governor of Kan
sas, whose name is Lewellyn, and who
belongs to the Populist party, contributes
some information to Gil the deficit. In his
inaugural he observes:
'.Ihe survival Of the itIest' Is the government
of Drutes and reptiles, and such philosophy must
give place TO a government which recognizes
human brotherhood aud protects the rights OF
the 7ab0reT and tile producer. ctiOnal AMI
mostly must be forgotten. Tie state is greater
than any parry. But the citizen is greater than
the state, While the family The citizen produces
is the priceless jewel Of our civilization. The
problem was now to make IL possible for the
citizen 10 live by Iis own labor. If the Govern
ment failed OF these two things it ceased to be
OF advantage 10 the citizen. He was absOlyed at
once from his allegiance and was no longer held
by civil compact But thu Government is not a
failure. THIS is a generation which has come 10
the rescue. Conscience is in the saddle, and the
grandeur Of civilization shall be emphasized by
tie dawn Of 4 new era 10 which the people shall
reign, when The witheted hand OF want shall be
no more out>tretched for charity, and when
Liberty, equality and justice shall have perma-
nent sbidiug-place in this republic.
Il is impossible to say what may come in
the millennium, when the withered hand of
want is no longer outstretehed. aud liberty,
equality and justice find an abiding resting
place IN the republic. People who are more
familiar With history than Governor Level
lyu appears to be are not touched by his
halcyon visions of the future to come when
the Populists are in power. They imagine,
sadly but very decidedly. that until human
nature HndeTgoes radical change. crime,
vice and misfortune viii always yield their
normal fruit in want, and that il is beyond
the power of any political party or any
political creed 70 prevent occasional assault
upou liberty. equality and Justice. Dreams
OF such utopian felicity as Governor Level
lyn predicts occur to young ladies' in their
graduating year. and it is cheering to hear
them expressed in duleet tones in vaedic-
tory addresses But among men. with
boards on their faces, and the wrinkles of
care on their brow, such notions are called
flaDdoOdle.
The Governor seems to misapprehend the
object Of governments. lie says that if
government fails to make it possible for the
citizen 10 live by his labor 1t ceases to be OF
from his allegiance. He evidently does not
understand that it IS no part of the business
Of government to make it possible for
citizen to live by bis labor. That is not
what governments are established for.
They are created to maintain order. 10
prevent and pun,sh crime and generally to
do those things for the community which
individuals cannot conveniently do. But
4 rft In
profits OF production. That is the concern
of the individual. II he grows wheat, and
it sells for less than what it costs him to
grow it, he has no one but himself to blame
OF 20 commiserate. He has no call to turn
round upon the Government-wbeh is, in
reality, nothing more than the community of
which he is a member-and 10 insist that 1t
shah make his wheat sell for more than It
is worth. When he does so he makes him.
self a laughing stock.
In a certain sense, however. it is the duty
Of Government to see that combinations of
capital do not create conditions which make
production Improbable. 4 transportation
company which takes TOO large a portion Of
the proceeds arising from the sale of
products for hauling the same to market is
a proper subject Ter Government discipline.
i q THIS tAteuk TIC utl4ldtu "a inc Dbu4leto
that Government should make industry
profitable is well founded. The CALL has
no means of knowing how far Governor
Lewellyn is authorized to speak for his
party. The views OF no one man should be
taken as the absolute purpose of party.
This is a country Of free spsech and every
body is at liberty to yentilate his views,
however absurd other people may regard
them. But the American people are not 10
this day Of grace going to be led into wild
excursions into the realm Of Daternalism.
In the normal American mind the line
which divides the delegated power of the
Government from The natural power of the
people is very clearly drawn. The Govern
ment is expected to take care Of its end Of
the stick, but the people do not want its
help 10 take care Of their end. When dis
asier befalls from causes not directly trace
able TO disagreement, it IS the business OF
the individuals who suffer to repair it. if
they can. In despotlc countries Govern
menis which usuTped all power and au-
thority made themselves responsible for all
misfortunes. aud the farmer not unreason-
ably fell foul Of his ruler when his fields
were swamped by a freshet. But In free
countries it is simply childish to try to hold
the Government responsible for providen-
tial accidents or business disasters. He
who does 50 e0nfes5es that he is ignorant Of
the spirit OF American institutions. and the
public will quickly decide that he has 20
standing in court.