People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-10-06
KANSAS POPULISTS.
COMPARISONS AS TO RkDICALlSM IN
, SuNFLoWER POLITICS.
Peoples Party Leaders Are What the II.
tie Implies, While the So Called Lead.
ers Of the Old Parties Must Needs Be
Pushed Along-Has Come to Stay.


ers of the Old Parties Must Needs Be
Pushed Along-Has Come to Stay.
A staff correspondent of The Outlook
in a recent letter discusses the Peoples
Party Of Kansas. He visited the state
and claims to have made a close study
Of its politics, and also Of the personnel
of Peoples Party leadership. Following
is an extract from the letter:
The Peoples Party in Kansas is as
much more radical than the Peoples
Party in the south as the latter is more
radical than the Democratic party in
any part of the country.
In the two old parties l had always
found that the leaders were much more
conservative than the body of their fol-
lowers. Upon the questions of reducing
railroad rates, using government notes
instead of bank notes, suppressing the
liquor traffic. taxing corporations in
fact, upon all questions relating to the
distribution of WEALTH. had always
found that the party leaders were as con-
ciliatory toward vested interests as the
voting public would allow them to be.
Among the Populists, however, the e1-
act opposite holds true.
The leaders of the radical party are as
much more radical than the mass of
their followers as the leaders Of the con-
sentative parties are more conservative
than the mass of their followers. 1t
seems that in all parties the men who
are kept in the front are those whose
views suit their most active and power
full supporters. In the old parties the
richest and most influential citizens prac-
tically name the candidates and draft
the platforms. In the Peoples Party this
element is wanting, and therefore can
didates are named and platforms drafted
by those who are most active and zeal
GUS in the cause of reform. These are
naturally the most radical.
Twas somewhat surprised to find how
little the line of division between the Re-
publican and Populist parties is prop
erty line. l had supposed that the Sub
stantial" people all over the state were
Republicans, and that the heavily mort
gagged and tenant farmers were the Pop
uliSts. | soon learned, however, that no
such division exists. Indeed, was told
by Populist at Topeka that "the Re-
publican party in Kansas is made up of
two aristocracies-the aristocracy of
wealth and the aristocracy of poverty"
The Populists who heard this remark
were inclined to confirm it, bat it hardly
held good. The richest people in the
state, especially the bankers, railroad
men and lawyers, are almost always Re
publicans. The very poorest people in
the state, especially the negroes and in
valid pensioners, are generally Repub-
licans. But the great body Of the Re-
publican party in Kansas does not con-
sist Of these two extremes.
Among the farmers-and thrce-quar-
tiers of the people of Kansas are farm
ers-there is no difference as regards
wealth OF social position between Pop
ulists and Republicans. A man belongs
to one party or the other according to
his temper and his moral spirit. If tie
element Of hope and the desire to make
things better predominates in his make
up, he is likely to be Populist; if the
element of caution and the fear of max
ing things worse predominates, he is GER
tain to be a Republican or Democrat.
Mostof the earnest temperance people OF
the state are of course Populists. On the
other hand, most of the culture of the
state is Republican.
! In the neighborhoOd Of Usage City
met good many Populist farmers, but
the first one | met seemed to me later
the typical POpulist. He was the nomi
nal owner Of farm which his father had
bought good many years ago, subject
to a mortgage of $780, His father hat
been unable to make ends meet, had lei
the mortgage grow to 81 200 and finally
had turned the land over to his son
Thus far the son also had been unable t
REFUGE the Indebtedness. If the lane
were sold now, it would not, with tn,
improvements that have been put upol
it, more than satisfy the mortgage.
This young farmer believed in the in
crease of the currency, both by the fire.
+ coinage of silver and the issue of green
t backs, in order to lessen the rate Of il
terest Gndrest0re to land the money valu
. which it had when his farm was bought
He also believed in the reduction o
I freight rates by the state and the owner
ship Of The roads by thest as soon a
I that could be brought about. lie wa
S not a socialist, though he had 10 obicc
{ ton TO the theory that every man shoul
n get simply what he earned and saved
and the interest upon capital go to til
public. Upon the liquorquestion he wa
! a PrOhibihonist. In politics he was
= POpulist. In religion he was a Friend
d 1t seemed typical of the Quaker spiri
y for him to tel me that every member 1
: the meeting" to which he belonged wa
@ either POpulist or a third party Prob
3 bitionist.
=, The position of this man and I'll
views OF this man seemed to me frol
! the first to be the position and the view
@ of the rank and file of the Peoples Part
|, in Kansas. | did not meet enough farm
ers to speak with certainty, but this in
preston became an extremely stron
Y one: There Is no human probability tha
4 the Pcpulsts will ever return to the R
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