The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-03-15

dsrlying principles d the Peoples party.
Tho MPop1list Manifesto found IL your
columns = = carefully worded document
andcan offend no true populist, and yet,
like many other truthful statements,
two meanings may be taken from it. To
me it does not mean that the Omaha
platform shall be changed; but that the
financial features Of that platform shall
be made the prominent Issue.
The Watchman Bees it differently. 1t
SAYS: mo reform paper can afford to
antagonize the propositions laid down
in this manlfesto. Some of our papers
have been misled, to q certain extent. by
the glitter and noise Of socialism.
"The time for Popullsm and Socialism
to part has come"
| must conclude from this that the
Waterman has jumped the track, OF is
attempting to pull the new party onto
the side-track of sllverism.
The Peoples party, as I understand
Its principles, fayors b~i-metalllsm rather
than recommendation, as a step in the
right dlrection-more money. But with
plenty of money, under the best Of fnan-
cial systems and yet continue the pres
ent competitive eystem; with c%entrallza-
ton of land and railroad monopoly; and
although we might be temporarily re-
lieved by the financial legislation, 1T
would simply tide the nation over to
another panic OF even greater proper
tions than the present.
1t is polite, perhaps, to make finance
~theleading issue, but let there be no devi-
alton from the three fundamental and
only blanks of the Peoples party-Mon.
ey. Land and Transpor tation. The
latter two, we confess, are socialistlc;
even as our post-ofice system is social
lstic. But tits a plain, common sense
feature OF socialism in which we should
feel a pride rather than shame, and tits
q feature Of the new party toward which
public sentiment is drifting, almost as
rapidly as toward bi-metallism.
As you find it among the representa-
tlves at Washington, 80 you find 1T in
outlying portions of the nation-men
convinced that things are wrong and
that the old.parties will never right them;
and yet, after reaching this hopeful
point, they hesitate for a time about
uniting with the new party, and proceed
to formulate a platform OF their own on
which they can comfortably stand and
talk loud and long about the many 1slms
OF the Populist party. and the burning
necessity OF q new party with a conve-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. like theirs, or which
all men can easily step.
These PLATFORMS. like these men and
factions, are a sort Of ground-foor plat
forms-several steps below the platform
OF the Peoples party. These unset tied
ones must be educated to step up, but
let no reform paper advocate the step
ping down OF the Peoples party to meet
them. 1t has taken years OF education.
through the Patrons of Husbandry, The
Grange, The Wheel, The Alliance. The
knights Of Labor, and all labor organi-
cations, to educate the people and to
formulate the principles OF which the
platform OF the Peoples party euuncl-
ated at Omaha, Is the essence. On that
platform the growth Of the new party
has been sufficiently rapid and sure, to
satisfy thinking men. Well will 1T be for
the party and for the nation if victory
is deferred until the host OF honest men
in the new movement, and coming to it.
are in accord on the fundamental prin-
ciples OF the party and are prepared to
guide the ship of state into the harbor
OF lasting peace and prosperity, rather
than to strand her on the rocks, as the
democratic crew has done, assisted By
republican misrepresentation.
E. B. REED.