People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-10-18
Prohibition.

Hon. |. o. Pickering, prohibition
candidate for governor of Kansas,
spoke in the opera house at yelling
ton Monday evening.
Sumner WhitsOn presided over the
meeting, and introduced the speaker
OF the evening in neat and pointed
speech.
Mr.. Pickering has a clerical ap-
pearance, talks rapidly and forcibly.
He arraigned the republican party
of Kansas for its cowardice, and by
its silence inviting the saloon and
bum element into its ranks.
He also roasted the democrats and
gave the POpulists slap.
He says that the democratic and re-
publican parties are now and have
been for years under control of the
great whiskey trust, which has by
money and influence boosted into
power in state and nation whichever
one could be most easily controlled: in
democratic states contributing to the
democratic campaign fund, in repub-
lican states contributing to the repub-
lican campaign fund, and in doubtful
states contributing to both.
He says the government of the Uni
ted States is now in partnership with
the whiSkey trust, for the revenue Of
12O millions of dollars annually.
He referred to Mckinley as "a me
teOric streak that struck the state of
Kansas at Kansas City and took a
sOuthwesternly course to Hutchinson,
and thence north to Nebraska, playing
a thousand tunes all one string"
He said the people judged the bene-
fits of the protective tariff by its net
results. The result of many years of
tariff protection has been disastrous
to labor. MOnOpOlieS have beeu fOs-
tered and built up, but the gates of
Castle Garden have been at all times
wide open to let in the pauper ele-
ment of Europe to compete and under
bid American workmen. The Kings
of trusts have teen protected, but the
wage earners have been left on the
market as commodity.
He says the republican idea of tariff
is to build stone wall IS feet high at
every port of entry with a barb wire
two inches higher on top, while the
democratic idea is to build the stone
wall the same height and leave off the
barb wire.
He said if he was elected governor
OF Kansas he would wipe out the liquor
traffic in 80 days-that public senti-
ment" had nothing to do with the
case. He would enforce the law if he
had to call out the militia.
He also referred to "the other
things We advocate"
He pronounced the republican silver
plank curiOSitY-"all things to all
men Morrill, and Blue had fastened to
Kansas City and given the eastern in
depreciation of the platform-a single
gold standard: they were Immediately
instructed by Cy Leland and Others
to give the western view in their fu-
ture speeches.
The prOhibitiOnists stand for free
coinage of gold and silver at the ratio
of Is to land nine-tenths Of all the
voters of the state believe in free and
unlimited coinage at the ratio of Is
tO1.
He said they had advocated govern
ment ownership of railways for 20
years-and if you turn to the Kansas
session laws of 1881, you will find that
the republicans sent concurrent res
olution to congress asking that the
government build a double track rail-
road from the Atlantic to the Pacific
ocean, to be owned and operated by
the government.
The republicans authorized the loan
of the Union Pacific railroad, and
took a mortgage on the road as secur-
ity. They certainly contemplated do
ing just what any other person does
when he takes mortgage. In case
the loan was nOtpaid, they expected
to foreclOse and take the property,
thus making the government own a
railroad.
He wants to see the water squeezed
out of stocks, deadheads made to pay
their fare, the same as all men pay
postage.
Mr.. Pickering will not be elected
but he spreading some truths which
will take root and grow.
No matter what party solves these
problems. They will be solved and
the people will reap the benefits.