People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-01-13
THE COMING FIGHT.
A Paper Read BY j. p. Easterly, Of Marys-
Vile, Before the Kansas Reform Press
Association at Topeka, December 20.

Association at Topeka, December ~.
1t must be a fight for liberty. We must clear
| ly comprehend by patient 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 politi-
cal and social liberty was never in such peril
Gus straights before; l am not a pessimist
Were l not an optimist should declare that
liberty has been destroyed and driven from the
land In its place we have plutocracy and pow
erty.
Consider this truthful portrayal Of conditions
as we find it in the Coming Climax:
"0i late years new and malign entity forci-
bly, intruded itself into the complex life Of our
nation A hitherto unknown but altogether
formidable power slowly and surely assumed
absolute dominion over our industrial, COM
mercial and political systems. When this end
finally came the people perforce gave their oil
garchic master name and they called the all
potential hydra-head the plutocracy.
Loosely but sufficiently defined, the plutoc-
racy is the aggregated wealth Of the nations
rich men and corporations thoroughly organ
lied and massed under talented, energetic and
INSCRIPTIONS generals These leaders advance
| the column along the whole line against the
wealth creators Of the country for the purpose
of taking the fruits Of their toll to the utmost
The prosperity OF the producer is trampled I'M
der foot By the invading host, and now the lib
critics Of the citizen vanish amid the general
| spoliation.
THE triumphant plutocracy has destroyed
| the nice balance between the rights OF property
and the rights OF men as they once existed, and
now when issue is joined between money and
man the man Is forced TO the wall 1t has
changed the peoples courts Of justice into the
plutocracy's courts Of law 1t has made the
legislative function Of the government its hum
| bic servitor. While under its subtle necromancy
the forms Of our popular institutions remain,
their spirit has gone and these United States
are no longer government Of the people, by
the people and for the people
'1he old-tme theory that the only valid rea-
son OF being democracy is to do the greatest
good to the greatest number Of citizens has
been put away, and now its sole mission is held
TO be that Of an umpire. If the strong and
crafty compel the weak and simple to fight
them on their own ground with their own weap-
ons, the government must take no considera-
ton OF mercy justice and eternal mOralitieS
but keep its eyes fixed on the rules Of the com
bat as laid down by the plutOcracy and let the
duel to death 90 on 1t is as if the shepherd
sat on a stump and implrtially allowed the
wolves and sheep TO fight it out and il the
sheep happened to be lacking in the matter Of
jaws and teeth it was merely their misfortune
and the wolves legitimate advantage
"The idea that the republic was under any
| rio ohliua ton 70 do "a II aor,1d
the well being OF the mass Of its citizens is
voted by the plutocrats to be rank heresy 1t
is next door TO that dreadful thing paternalism,
which positively inculcates that it is the duty
of a republican government TO have kindly
concern for the prosperity and happiness OF all
its people
In the opinion Of the plutocrat only one cir
cumstance more horrible than this could posi-
bly, happen, and that would be for Jesus Christ
TO appear on earth and inaugurate the millen-
mum.
ITO sum up the case Of 100000 American
producers, they charge the triumphant plu-
tocracy with subverting popular government
and so prostituting the judiciary and debauch-
ing the lawmaking power that the people can
obtain neither judicial nor legislative protec-
ton from its boundless rapacity and oppres-
sion"
Now upon the Kansas Reform Press associa-
ton devolyes the duty Of awakening the people
to these awful facts in such manner as to enlist
the cooperation Of the great masses 1t must
be fight, too battle Of ideas, battle for
light and truth-the revelation Of the truth con-
corning our own condition and the tendency OF
the forces Of civilization.
fully believe that we, that is, the American
republic, shall survive, but not by resting su.
pinely at ease and saying "all is WE'LL" but be.
cause there are many good and true men who
see clearly that liberty must be fought for and
that her foes are at hand and powerful, and
these men are at work This l 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 interest taken pos
session Of the slowly organized party machin.
cry which was built up in purer times for the
convenience Of the people in governing them.
selves, and that this machinery while retain
ing 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 O
mahgn engine that serves the privileged few al
the expense Of the despoied many" We mus
fight for their liberation from the thraldom OF
partisan prejudice by using every argument
and every means TO show them their slavery.
We must fight not only for the enlargement
Of the ranks Of reformers, but also for the pres
ervation Of the principles Of true reform within
our ranks AS the reform party increases in
numbers and power, the tendency will be to
ward party spoils and partisan conquest anC
the neglect Of fundamental principals. We
shall need to guard well against such tenden
cies Let US survey briefly some Of the forces
against US in this contest
The pluiocratic press, sustained by the cor
porations constitute the most active force
against US This is sustained by the advantage
Of having the field and by its skillful use Of the
preiudices Of its readers, thus keeping thell
eyes closed 10 the truth The hearts OF thu
people are intent upon right and we must gaiI
access to them BY persistently though patient
ly and kindly bombarding this fortress nov
held by base means. To paralyze the efforts o.
the secular plutocratic press we must strive fol
accuracy and truthfulness in the presentation
OF news, and by fairness in presentation of ar
gument and freedom from personal invective
To neutralize the vicious influences OF thu
religious press and to win them to our caus,
We must present higher code of morals thai
that business is business" and show the PEG
pie that the business Of men as distinguishes
from that Of mere money getters, is to live anC
let live. To say Give and let live" is beneath
the moral standard Of true manliness. do no
mean to say, nor TO be understood as intimat
ing, that the whole influence OF the religion
press is vicious, but that there is vicious in
fuence in it; for while it may denounce usury
| 1t has no moral standard for determining wha
usury is In New York and several othe
states, it is usury to charge more than pc
cent interest In other states the limit is :, {
TO- Il, or any rate agreed upon, and the churche
ard the religious press are content to let thi
rest upon legal grounds, doing nothing what
ever to learn and teach the moral elements in
VOlynd II ia ono ~ the - .ho al