People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-04-13

AAAhf AOlA II VIZ EONOAhOA
wished to decline, the state conven-
ton is the only proper authority for
aim to deal with, but the public should
be informed in advance. The public
has no just authority for re-
garding this as anything but some
more politics"
Let the reader discover the force of
that straint which has so suddenly i'm
PEELED Mr.. Costigan to face the open
book of my life in this community, and
without evidence, charge me with be-
ing q hungry place-hunter. Turn on
the search lights. will pay SlOO for
every instance where | have, directly
or indirectly, solicited or expressed a
desire for a nomination to any Office,
during my 23 years residence in this
county and state. Office seek ny is
one with self-Seeking, and destructive
to the general welfare, wherein like a
hid jewel, lies all individual interests.
1t is my creed that no man has right
to be a candidate for Office. Such.
when rightly considered. is the Just
obligation of the citizen to his govern
m mt, that it is not only immodest, but
i conflict with duty, on which all in
terests hangs, for any citizen to sub
stitute his own interested Judgment
for the better Judgment of the many,
which the nature of public interests
requires. My history in the past has
made, and my purposes for the future
will make, mine life of fidelity to
this creed. Barring one trifiing cir
cumstance which does not amount to
an exception, neither did | ever ask
for an appointment. have earned
and | claim the right to say I'VE"
when referring to the people, and to
speak as one Of the people. With this
IS standard, America will eclipse
the reformation of Luther in three
years time. Mr. Costigan hopes that
the state convention will stamp out
such men as am. Thanks for his
frankness. But let him learn that
such men are beyond the power of any
state convention to harm, for no Office
shall tempt me from the resolution
have taken to redeem the honor of pri-
vate citizenship.
COnstigan represents me as a hypo-
critic, bastard, false accuser, base in
Sinuator, unfair, malinger, treacher-
GUS to principle, prosecutor of virtue,
and buShwhacker. In addition, the
abuses heaped on state officers by POI
litical enemies are enumerated, and
charged in with the account against
me. 1t is indicated that this is. the
first installment of more to follow; all
of which is to be sanctioned by the
state convention.
Personally, he repudiates my associa-
ton with Scorn, and | am notified that
am source of disgust to the state Off
GERS. Was ever anything so silly that
was meant to be so cruel. They were
not disgusted with my work on the
election committee in the last two leg
islatureS; my services on the stump
have always been in good demand; and
the results acknowledged in the ballot
box have not been despiSable;- and
| hold the undischarged documentary
proof Of their appreciation of my re-
view of the legislative troubles, which
was published by their bureau. Two
weeks ago, when | went to Topeka,
the Governor invited me to dine with
him, and they have always treated me
with the utmost consideration and at
tentiOn. No spark or shadow of the
smallest part of any of the things
charged against me by Costigan' S
article was ever known heard of,
thought of, by friend or foe, until the
mistake was made of supposing I had
taken position against the renomin-
alton of the state officers.
Attend reader, while | uncover a
cold-blOOded attempt to irresistably
force me to rot in the tomb of prohi-
bition, feed myself to the old party
hyenaS, or become an outcast in my
own party. If there be man in this
state, jealous for his citizenship, what
ever be his party, let HIM understand
the condition of the reform press.
There are but two or the reform
papers of general circulation in the
state. These have found satisfactory
relation with each other, and with the
administration, which none of them
oppose. The brave old reformer who
edits one of them, told me that what
advocated in that letter ought to be
done, and manifested great personal
interest in it, but his paper is the
silence of the grave about it. All the
local papers depend upon the few
papers of general circulation,
united byinterest, as their only means
of reaching the general ear. The gen.
eral papers, with their immense lists
can either out-persuade the local
editors own readers, or they can box
him and his readers in their own county
isolate them from all the other coun
ties, and render them powerleSs for
general results. The local papers,
therefore make a virtue of quietly
yielding to the dominance of the gen
eral papers. and cultivate their friend
ship drought motives of self interest
Now leta populist publish anything
adverse to the supposed interest of The
administration. in his own county pap
er The can get into no other,) and lei
the opposing interest fire into the SAINT
paper the curse of red hot and ex
travagantly personal attack: that stop.
the local exchanges from copying o.
endorsing him, neither will they take
up his foreign quarrel, or assume hi,
vindication. That populist is isolated
the general papers ignore him, let hin
settle with his few hundred neighbor.
how he may, they are powerless t,
hurt the administration any way. TIL
reader would not have deciphered tn
fatal force of these subtle facts with
out this object lesson. Neither woul,
| /, had it not been pointed out to inc
in an unguarded moment, by an ind
vidual who would have known bette
than to try it on me, had he not for
gotten the circumstance of telling il
!. Nv aSoana hoe haap n narrOvv ono an