People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-04-13
To CoStigan's Letter a Sting
ing CastigatiOn in
WHICH he GRAPHICALLY PORTRAYE
The Dire Strait to Which the American
Citizenship is Reduced-The Rene
dy Found in the Primitive De.
mocracy of Populism
Politician, the Peoples
Arch Enemy

jcct lesson, on which propose to reaG
the riot act to PopuliStS, Democrats
Republicans and all kinds of people
Let everybody read me.
Costigan is the hired editor of the
old reform paper. the Ottawa Journal
which has had an immense circulation
thousands of leading Greenbackers
Union Labor and other refOrmers, eS
pecially committeeman in all the town
ships near and remote, having fOl
years regarded themselves as, and by
newspaperlaw, are, regular subscrib
erS, though they never applied for it
or paid cent. Its proprietor still
ilOurishes, and did before he was State
Printer. Can't stop to figure out that
financial problem. Costigan says he
has been working for reform since
childhood" he will continue till dotage
without getting it, for his lis the kind
of which it is said Reform is a Hum
bug" This Journal has recently COM
meneed the regular issue of a Topeka
edition. devoted to. the denomination
and reelection of the present state Off
GERS. That is good, 1t has also COM
menced TO criticise the Advocate
and declare that it does not wish to be
the official state paper. 1t is on to its
job.
One of the state officers mot named)
had read me an address to the people
supported by patriotic and forceful
reasons of public and general nature,
. and declining to be considered candis.
date for denomination, but the fear of
embarrassing other of the state officers
had hitherto restrained him from pub
fishing it, The wisdom of such action
so inspired me, its advantage over the
one term principle, the obvious right
of the convention to still insist upon
the denomination OF any one of them
notwithstanding, and without invidious
distinction, and the transcendent i'm
portance of preserving the supremacy
and free choice of the people, unre,
Stricted by any obligation to endorse"
and free from the faint of patronage,
that | was prompted to write letter
approving the address, as embodying a
general principle of action, which
might be adopted by all the officers
with the grandest results to our cause.
Twas good Populist. As would not
have done had ! entertained any siniS-
ter motives, sent, in advance. proof
sheet of my letter to each state officer
and to Mr.. Costigau, with a few per-
sOnal words to each inviting friend
ly consideration of it, and to Mr.. Cos
tigan letter at length, urging its
merits from motives of most perfect
disintereStednesS, and embracing the
amplest assurances of my high esteem,
and sincere appreciation of all the
state officers. The first response or
acknowledgement, from any source,
was that remarkable CoStigau letter
wfCn opened the Tidings.
II will be observed that COStigan has
mistaken my attitude for one of hos
tility to the denomination of the pres
ent state officers, and the Importance
of his letter is the information it unin-
tcntionally gives of what will happen
to those who oppose a set of state Off
GERS who really want, as all want, to
be renOminated. In language used, in
another connection, by Gov. Lewelling
in his speech at North Topeka last fall
There will not be enough left of them
to make meal for snake"
Remembering the above circum.
stances about my former letter, and
starting with Costigan's admission 81
have always regarded the Judge (me)
as a warm personal friend" the reader
will observe that he does not answer
me Che ignores me) ia his own widely
circulated and influential journal, quits
his own Legitimate field, gets off his
own tripod, and makes his attack in
my own county paper, in order t.
scotch me at home, and lest the Igor
county voters should become interest
ed in what Waterbury is saying, ant
possibly tender me some sympathy anC
support.
A review of his response with my
former letter will show that he neither
contradictS it, answers it, or in any
true sense refers to it; but the reader
will be aStounded to discover the ex
tent to which he miSrepreSentS me
and introduces the most extravagcntl,
irrelevant personal accusations, in or
der TO manufacture the straw enemy
that he so bravely annihilateS. TIL,
SuddennesS of tan unexpected per
sonal onslaught ou.ra ring the exist
ing amiable relations, and destroying
all future possibility of such-surpris
ingly uncalled for, and inconsisten
with everything that precedes it.
Concerning the state officer whom
had eXtolled as the proper exempla
for all the rest. and that address whicl
Regarded as little short of an inspir
alton, he exclaims, 81 know who h
means, and that man will deny it t
his (Waterburys) face" Of course
that state officer would say to IN
agAin what he said before. But if an
influence has been brought to bear o.
him. which has transformed him int
politician. Costigan's assertion give
him the benfit of his denial, while til
officer remains free from the reSpor
sibility of it, because he has not hin
selfdenied it. Doubtless that stat
officer has been interviewed since
saw him. Suppose he should onl
deny il. Think of the force of thS
vice which could lead man, and sue
i man. first to state this fact to INT
and afterwards to deny it to anothe
To flourish over me the hollow terri
of public denial. Such is politics.
Forced to acknowledge the virtue {
30 doing, Costigan states that the go
ernor has declined a denomination t
the central committee. don't belle,
it, because; first, the governor has I
right to the credit of it without hir
self taking the responsibility of it
virtue wi h string to It to catch sue
lings: second, there has been only OF
meeting of the committee since la
election and member who was pre-