The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-08-10
BACK IN THE FOLD.

Cioser Returns 70 hn
o.ses ms reasons TOT
so ropuis. lamp ana AGAIN
' LOU WIN the nePuohean
EA-Oohgressman ben ii. clover mas
written the following letter, which ex.
| plains itself:
| To NV Farmer Alliance Er;enas.
In 1879 became dissatisfied with the nolitf.
| cal conditions and existing po,itical parties.
| believed that reforms were necessary and In
| order to accomplish these reforms il was nee
! essary to have a new political party. did
| everything that could to organize the Farm
| ers' Alliance as an Industrial organization and
| as president Of that organization in 1889 and
| 1890. and Vice president of the National Farm
ers' Alliance at the same time worked indus
triously 70 organize the great farming interests
OF the west along industrial and political lines.
| From this organization, as Is well known,
sprang the peoples party became one OF it's
most enthusiastic members and contended for
its principles in private and public life. AS the
president OF the state alliance and organizer and
manager Of the campaign OF 1880, threw my
whole soul into the cause Of reform. 1 had
great hopes for the party which we had organ
lied. Its opportunities were great and its
prospects bright. expected then assistance
from the democratic party in bringing about
the reforms which, as a populist, L was advo-
eating, especially on the questions OF finance
but the actions of the democratic party since
ii came into power has caused me to utterly
despair OF anything of that kind. The southern
democrats are advising us to stand firm pop
ulists and to make q glorious fight, but they
continue to vote as democrats and to be con-
trolled by the democratic organization, and
still continue as the unwavering ranks OF the
democratic party.
The question presents itself to the minds Of
thousands OF Kansas farmers and have been
20 nh,
us to do? In order to determine this we must
first consider the conditions that surround us
and the political parties as they now stand,
and examine into their methods and the meth
DDS and policies of their political managers.
The democratic party has no new idea. 1t is
crying for free silver and bowling down and
kissing the feet of Grover Cleveland who rep
resents and is the absolute servant Of the Wall
street gold-bugs and the head of the gold mono
metallist idea in this country. The democratic
party is afflicted with its same old inconSist-
ncies. 1t is controlled by the same old tyran-
nical methods, and it never has and never will
become the champion OF reform
What Is the condition of the populist party
the party to which we have adhered since it
was first organized and which we helped maker
We find to-day that it has fallen into the hands
of a dictator whose power is absolute: who in
the practice of corrupt and disreputable po-
litical methods has outdone all other political
managers that have ever risen in Kansas;
whose sole motive is plumber and spoil and po-
ltical honor for himself The party to which
thousands of honest farmers in this country
have contributed their money and time to or
ganize and build UP has now become the prey
of political free-oooters monthly stipend
for campaign or personal purposes is enacted
from the gambling dens and LIQUOR dealers OF
our large cities 1t has organized the metro
politan police into revenue collectors who
cit n
and compel these dealers in vice to divide the
profits OF their unholy business This is done
now by the leaders of our reform movement.
The governor of the state and his political
advisers are cognizant of and parties to these
political and official crimes Every public in
stitution has been disgraced. IL has become
the subject of the yiIest scandals. The condi-
tions mt Winfield are too revolving to print.
Ouarrels and brutal physicaI fights have fire.
ouently taken place in our penal and eleemosy-
nary institutions The warden of the state
penitentiarv has been accused nv the emDloves
of that institution rnemherS of his own noliti-
cal marty. of corruntjon and the stealing Of nub-
lie funds. The accusations have been filed
with the governor according TO law. under
oath. vet he refuses an Investigation. as the
statutes provide. Indeed have not snace in
this letter to present in detail the disgrace
that has been brought unon our state and marty
nv this odministration
U,hot ala We ,,ror,iso tho ,,oo,,,os W. ,,-or,
~, $500 ~ AZ, ~ o'i..9o e'io povP,o- We P'on
iseu 'hehh raiiroau reiorm anu uehouhced ON
clals VINO accepted faVors from the railroads
and rode on free passes and allowed the cor
porations to dictate to them their policies but
to-day the REPRESENTATIVES, of the neonle,s mar
g., ,~bich ,ro ho,,o5 -, hr;ia ~, - -,
~, -. T., :: Il, - = : r. =. 7
one Vi tnem - rluihS upon u pass anu IL court
ing the favor OF the railroad corporations.
We declared in favor of honest methods in
politics and denounced the corrupt use of
money in political campaiyns. vet the chairman
81 our commi,,ea NOW iSs1es an onnsaI -, The
y, gu, t NJ" isSueS "n app7ai 70 inc
members Of the party and asks them to raise
campaign slush fund OF 5000, and makes the
statement in the letter that he has already
spent $1,000 in the campaign
We declared that an ofice-bolder when
a,ac,ad hv' ,ho ,,oonIo ,nd ,aid n ,,oo1 &C..
' 'eu W VI. pooPio anu P,'u soot Sdiary
shouid serve the people ana not use the posi-
but we find that all OF the state officers except
two are using their political positions to secure
railroad TRANSFORMATION and are TRAVELLING from
one end NJ the Sta,.. m the other IN sacre the;r
one Gnu y, '"o ''"'o " INC o'iei " Seouie 'neir
re-electlon.
We declared that we were In favor OF reduc-
ing the salaries OF officials so that their COM
pensation would be no greater than that Of
men in Industrial nnrsuits and what is the re-
SUIT! Inc popuist senate at us last session
passed Dill reducing tne salaries OF the -FOUR
janitors in the state house $40 per month, |
while Mr.. Brcidenthal had the appropriation |
for his office increased from s. 800 to sI6OOl
We declared in favor OF economy in the dis |
charge OF public business and our state senate |
at its last regular session had I3S employees to |
wait on and care for forty senators. aud within /
the last week the executive council has appro-
priated 5000 to keep the cholera out OF KAN |
sas when there is not single case of cholera |
on this continent, nor in any of the adjacent |
countries.
Indeed. outrageous and preposterous has /
been the course of the present populist state |
reSoi'eI rom IL anu viii no iongsr give sup
advocated by us in 1889 and 1890, when |
we were laboring in the cause of re-