Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-04-27
SOUND SENSE.
MEMORIAL OF THE SEVENTH
DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC
COMMITTEE
TO PRESIDENT CLEVELAND.
Tt Sets Forth the Wisdom of the Fusion
Which Defeated the Republicans
In Kansas in 1892.

mttee of the Big Seventh district, rep
resenting thirty-seven different cOun
ties, at it's meeting in Wichita, April
7th, appointed d committee to draft a
memorial to the president of the
United States. The following is a re-
port of the committee:
WICHITA, KANSAS, April s, 1893.
TO the President of the United States:
At meeting of the democratic COM
mittee for the Seventh Congressional
: District of Kansas, held at Wichita OIL
the 7th of April, 1898, the following
resolution was adopted:
Resolved, That a committee of five
members of this congressional commit
tee be appoi nted to draft and present
to the president of the United States,
in behalf of the democrats of the Sew.
enth congressional district of Kansas, a
memorial of the political situation in
Kansas and indorsing Senator John
Martin.
Pursuant to this resolution this COM
mittee desires to present to you this
memorial on behalf of the democrats of
this congressional district.
During all the time that Kansas has
been a state, the democratic party has
been in such a minority that, until the
present. year it has never but once been
represented, in the national congress,
and has but once elected state official.
The rule of the republican ma jority has
been characterized hy a bigotry,
fanaticism and intolerance, and depth
of corruption unparalleled among the
states OF the Union. During all periods
the democracy of Kansas has main
tanned democratic doctrines in their
purity and preserved a democratic
organization undismayed by the GER
tainty of present and future defeat.
The sins of ropublicanism which
have worked the disintegration of that
party throughout the Union, at length
brought around the disruption of the
organization in Kansas. The revolt
against republicanism took the form of
OF radical schism, which in 1890 led
90 a new organization, separate from
the democratic and republican parties,
and substantially equal in numbers to
the remaining portion of the republican
party. The democratic party took the
field as usual that year, under candi-
dates whose character and ability gave
distinction to the campaign, and with
pledges of adherence to the vital doc
trines of democracy. The new organi-
Zation had drawn to it many democrats
who had grown weary of the long,
Intellectual struggle with republicanlsm
and the democratic party in that year
found itself still unable to cope with
its foe.
In 1892 the democratic party of Kan
sas was confronted with a situation
which contested it's devotion to its
principles and called for the utmost of
political wisdom. Many of the essential
doctrines of the peoples party were
such as no democrat could indOrse; at
the same time upon at least one vital
issue of that campaign, it had taken the
same ground which the democratic
party had selected as aparamount issue
of the campaign that of tariff REFORM -
The democratic party, however, did not
seek or contemplate union or cOmpro-
mise with the peoples party upon a
platform. 1t found, however, that it
was within its power to render pOssi-
BILE vital service to the democracy of
the Union, in wrestling the vote of the
state of Kansas From the republican
candidate for the presidency, and thus
indirectly give the benefit of such vote
to the democratic candidate. To do
this it was obliged, with great reluc-
tance, to forego the sentimental salts
faction of voting for the regularly
nominated candidates of the demo
cratic party. At the regularly assem-
bled state convention at Topeka, the
democratic party of Kansas nominated
the peoples party nominees for state
officers, in order to further the primary
aim of taking the electoral vote OF
Kansas from the republican party,
WDllc IQ0 uclcdG VI IhO ACpubiiShh Pohoy
so arrogant in its long uninterrupted
svay. was of itself much desired con.
sumation.
The result Of this action was, that
the republican party was for the first
time defeated in Kansas. The majority
of $4,000 in 1888, the largest in the
Union, was changed to a minority. The
state government was given to the pop,
ulists. and the balance of power In the
legislature secured to the democrats
BY this means, Kansas is now repre-
sented in the United States senate by a
democrat, and that the most distin
cuished member among the democratic
leaders Of the state. Senator Martin
has been for nearly forty years resi-
dent of Kansas. He was for twenty
years chairman of the demo ;ratic state