Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-03-23
Waite, Coxey and Tillman.

The vagaries of Governor Waite in the
west, of j. S. Coxey in the east and OF
Governor Tillman in the south viii DO
more to open the eyes OF the masses to the
insecurity of the foundation onwhichthePop
ulist agitators haYe sought to erect a per
manent party organization than any other
influence that has yet developed itself.
Waite is a thoroughly representative
type of the west ern Populist, intemperate
of thought and of speech, accepting and
preaching as gospel truth the most eccen-
tric political and economic theories and
with Just sufficient dash of anarchy in his
composition to entertain no scruples about
threatening violence against govern
ment that will not shape its practice in
conformity with his ideas-the same gov
ernment, by the way, to which he ap-
pealed for help against his enemies few
days ago. There is neither reason nor
method in Waite. When he found him
self antagonized in Denver by police
which he wanted to dissolve, instead of
state courts, as he was morally and legally
bound to do, he proceeded in his bull
headed fashion, to call out the militia and
browbeat into submission the men who, as
a safeguard against just such perform
ance as this, had already gone into the
courts on their own account and obtained
Lee rapt for temporarily holding
their Dlo6s. The police commissioners
refused to be browbeaten, Mustered the
entire police force under arms in the City
hall and defied Waite to push violent
measures against them. The result is
that Denver is now in state of literal an
archy and that the people who committed
the folly of electing Waite governor on a
Pspulist platform are considering the ad-
visibility as having him locked up as a
lunatic.
Agitator Coxey, at his home in Massil-
Ion, o., is working towards similar end
by different means. Having conceived
the IDEA that the lawmakers elected By
the people are a set Of traitors aud trick
sters, Coxey has hit upon the brilliant idea
of collecting an"Army or Peace" made up
of the unemployed workman of the conn
try, conducting this body of men to Wash
ington, massing a mob of 100000 around
the capital and demanding the issue of
$500, 600, 900 in fiat money, to be paid in
wages to the suffering toilers of the United
States. He will also require the secretary
of the treasury to lend money to any mu-
nicipality that chooses to ask for it. This,
ofcourse, is merely the Jack Cade crusade
in modern attire, with the prospect that
the "Army Of Peace" will be much larger
and more disorderly mob than Cade's bat
TALON of "reformers." Singularly enough
it is being widely indorsed by Populists in
Pennsylvania and Ohio, and many Of these
itimate and sensible means of impressing
upon congress the necessity of enacting
laws which the people have not asked for
and will not ask for at the polls. 1t will
ington has been tried with the inevitable
result that the injurious reaction will be
felt by the class of people whom Coxy
represents.
Governor Tillman, in South Carolina,
combines the intolerant stubbornness and
combativensss of Waite with the exag-
gerated "reform" tendencies of Coxy.
Being opposed to the liquor traffic, he OBJ
tained, through his personal influence
with the legislature, the passage of bill
making the state the sole dealer in liquors.
Every distiller, brewer, Wholesaler and re-
taller was driven out of the business, and
a system of state dispensarles, with official
supervisors and bartenders was established.
To prevent violations OF the law, force of
spies was created, and to these the govern
or gave authority to break into the house
of any man who might be taxed, rightly or
with selling liquor on his own
account. Tillmsn himself has aided in
making raids aud has made the coarse de.
that be would not hesitate To
shed blood in order to compel obedience to
the law providing that the state shall have
a monopoly of the liquor business.
The kinship among these three men is
manifest. Each Of them, as a good Pop
nlist, processes to be virtually an inspired |
and vindicator Of popular
tights, and yet each distinguished himself /
BY doing fragrant violence to those rights
W ate undertakes to reorganize a police
BOARD with shot and shell; Coxy under
axes to direct legislation by bringing to
" ashington sufficiently large number of
ramps and outlaws to intimidate congress,
md Tillman, like Henry VIII. when he
made himself head of the church, makes
Iimself the head of the liquor traffic and
alks of shedding blood if any man dares
question his alchoholta nted supremacy.
iuch are some of the first fruits Of Popu-
ist success, and they demonstrate not that
Populist must, Of necessity be disturb
r of the peace of society, but that party
r movement that sets up as refuge for
be outcasts from all other parties or muv,-
lents ard that insists on seeing nothing
ut evil in a government that is the
0f, ha,