Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1893-03-01
A WAITING GAME,


The Peoples Demands Are Eased Upon
Eternal Justice aud Must Finally Win.
The New Nation takes strong in
terest In the outcome of the several
struggles over legislative organizations
and senatorial elections in the populist
or semi-populist states of the-west We
want our side to win in all these cases
If it fairly can, but the way in which
we view the general situation makes it
difficult for us to become very much ex-
hiliarated or depressed over particular
details of success or disappointment
The record of the peoples party in
its first national battle has been made
and is greatly satisfactory. What we
are looking at is the million and more
votes cast by the people for the party
that looks towards nationalism. 1t
would be well if the representatives of
the party in the senate and house of
representatives were more justly pro-
portioned to the popular vote. but the
exact number of men elected is not so
important as the number of people who
voted for them. So long as we have the
people and can hold them, the offices
will come along fast enough and per-
haps quite as fast as we have men prop
erly fitted to fill them
We were not among those who be-
lieved or pretended to believe that it
was possible for the peoples party to
carry the country in the late election.
Now that the election is over we are
free to say that it would have been a
very doubtful blessing if complete sue
cess had crowned our banners 1t is not
always an unkind providence that con-
demns party with radical platform
to a longer period of minority that its
members would like. 1t is rather dis
pensation calculated to fit it for
larger and more complete career when
in the end it shall triumph. The period
of minority is school for the close
study and digestion of the party prin-
ciples, which, as soon as the party wins
power, command prestige of success
which is unfavorable to thoughtful
criticism
Let the offices for the time being
take care of themselves; let us keep
our hold on the people. SO assured are
we of the near and necessary triumph
of the nationalist principles, as yet best
represented by the peoples party, that
our chief concern is to see the party fit
ting itself to use power for the largest
and best ends than to hasten by a year
or two its attainment
The campaign of education to which
we should now devote ourselves is in
our opinion of greater moment than
the political campaign just closed. No
American party ever before had so
much need of such a campaign, for
none ever advanced principles so new
and startling to old prejudice, nor
could any party before find so great
promise in such a campaign, for none
ever proposed ends which when real
lied will be so vastly beneicent and in
good sense revolutionary.
The peoples party, already so thor
oughly nationalistic, will, either under
its present or some other name, eventu-
ally adopt the programme of national
ism We would not hasten by an hour
that full adoption, because we would
not have it take place till the pro-
gramme is freely and intelligently ac-
cepted. But when the party triumphs,
1t will be as nationalist party, and
that will be triumph worth waiting
and working or.-New Nation.