Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1895-11-28


form by eliminating everything not d.
rectly related to the money question.
Here are It's own words: "The Popu-
lists duty is to confine themselves to
monetary reforms upon which all can
stand" etc.
The Silver Knight would cut down
our platform to the single issue of
monetary reform" It comedies that
ours is the only party which advocates
monetary reform, and truthfully says
ut is much easier to utilize a great
party like the Populist party than to
create new one" but because our plat.
form contains provisions that the
knight does not approve, 1t doubts
whether this most desirable union can
be brought about. Here is great party
already numbering near two million
voters, formed expressly to do, among
other things, the very work the Knight
has SO much at heart, while the two
old parties are united against US. But
the Silver Knight is not ready to make
any concessions in order to secure the
aid Of this great party. 1t would have
US, with two million voters in our
ranks and with everything in our plat
form and party beliefs that the silver
people" want, to drop the "Other re-
forms" which we believe in and go to
the country on the single issue Of tlnan-
cial reform.
But the Knights hopes will never be
realized. While it is true, as everybody
knows, that the money question has the
first place in our platform, and we have
uniformly treated it as our leading is
sue, and while 1t Is probable that we
shall continue to do so until success
Is attained, because that is where we
are most strongly attacked, yet l do
not believe the Popullst party will drop
any important feature from its declara-
ton Of principles. l do not think 1t
ought to do so. We believe that in the
rapidly growing monopoly of land lies
one Of the great dangers to the repub-
lie, and we believe further that the
general subject Of the public surveil-
lance Of public utilities, as commerce,
mining, ETC., as we'll as money, is mat
ter Of too much Importance to be left
untouched in our party creed.
The obstacles which the Silver
Knight thinks 1t sees in the way of
union with us, which it so earnestly
and wisely desires, are largely imagin-
airy and can be easily overcome. The
Omaha platform was prepared and
adopted under peculiar circumstances.
1t was made by men representing many
different bodies that had never worked
together and that held different views
concerning the sources from which our
common troubles arose, and every one
of them properly took part in the work
Of constructing the new party platform.
The wonder is that so good a piece Of
work was done. Looking back at 1t
from this distance, we can all see where
it could have been improved If we then
had the light we have now. Its phrase
Ology might have been so put as to
bring out more clearly and with less
offense the leading principles involved.
Some expressions could have been
omitted because their substance is in
Gluded in other sentences.
l believe that a single paragraph can
now be prepared that will clearly set
forth the great principle of popular
rights underlying the populist creed;
that its application to all the great de-
partments Of industry and government
can be we'll stated in three or four
planks of platform; and that this can
be done so as to add to the force OF
every vital proposition and yet get rid
of reading, to which some even Of our
own members object, leaving the docu-
ment one in which every sincere re-
former will find the germ Of his own
belief.
It will be necessary, for other reasons,
to revise our platform, not to restrict its
scope or to limit its range, but in ad-
dltion to expressing our views more
clearly, to bring the party forward face
to face with the present. A great deal
Is done now in four years. Important
events crowd upon one another much
faster than ever before. Executive in
reference with congressional proceed
ings is a new departure in our politics.
Government by injunction was not
thought of ten years ago. No president
before 1893 would have dared to sell the
public credit without specific authority
Of law and when there was plenty OF
money in the treasury to meet the law
full demands against 1t. The use Of ma
tional troops in time Of peace to quell
disturbances in a great city without re-
quest of local or state authorities would
have aroused universal indignation be-
fore the new regime was established.
And then, our methods Of raising the
national revenues grow more burden
some on the poor every year. Some
way must be found to make the wealth
of the country bear its just share of the
public taxes. The income tax deci-
sions are notice of the magnitude of the
task before us. Populists must declare
themselves on this subject anew, and
executive and judicial usurpations must
be treated with ungloved hands. And
with the growth of commerce our for
aiun relafiono ara heoOminO p,ora and