People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-03-28
LET TIE NEW SILVER PARTY
GO ON.
1t VIII Take No Votes from the Great
Peoples Party-will, However, RID
Up the Old Parties Up the Back
Keep Step to Their Music.

| : 'HNS MI Dlduu anu MT.
bryan VIII not join the movement, but
propose to continue the fight for free
silver within the old party lines. A
washington dispatch to the st. Louis
Republic of March 2, says:
The action of Mr.. Bland in throwing
cold water upon the movement. and
starting the manifesto which has kept
the democrats within the lines Of their
party has had a depressing effect upon
the extremists. Senator Stewart. Gen.
A. ). Warner of Ohio, and the Populist
members of both houses are the active
Spirits OF the Bimetallic league. They
nave established a connection with
Iaubeneck's Populist machine. and
lnere VIII probably be a merging of the
TWO new parties in short time. The
blmetallic league is not taken seriously
mere by serious politicians, and since
Don Cameron has discountenanced the
luea Oh new party, the power of the
league for good or evil has very much
diminished"
Whatever of truth or falsehood there
may be in the above dispatch, it is we'll
known that efforts have been made to
unite the silver men with the Populists
ior the campaign of 1896. This union
Oh forces looks plausible on the face. of
II, out we may well stop to inquire
what is to be the nature of the basis Of
the union. The Peoples party has
fought its way to the important posi-
ton OF a factor in the politics of the
nation. 1t has got its case in court,
so 10 speak. The silver men have no or
ganization, save the Blmetallic league.
which has spent great sums of money
and accomplished nothing in the way
Oh legislation. 1t has, however, done
some good work in the line of education.
The silver men, we are informed. want
TO make this union of forces, but will
not DO so on the basis of the Omaha
platform. Certain Populists seem to be
willing to make the union, but when
pressed and confronted with the charge
that they want to make it on the basis
OF an abandonment of a portion Of the
omaha platform, they deny it. Then
now is this union to be Effected II
the silver men won't stand on the Oma-
ma platform, and the union of forces
Is made, the only alternative seems to
be that the Populists will have to stand
OH of their platform. This is the only
logical conclusion. There is a large
number of voters in the Peoples party
who believe that the transportation
and land questions are of equal i'm
portance with the currency question.
but are loyal to the whole platform.
The silver men do not indorse our posi-
ton on either of these problems. The
abandonment of these two features
to please the silver men, would lose us
thousands of votes that are loyal to the
whole platform. Would it be policy to
take this step? What is to be gained
by such a coalition? We have no as
surance that all, or even considerable
portion Of the silver democrats and re-
publicans would join the new party.
Bland and Bryan already refuse to do
so. What have they got to offer us?
Would it not be better to wait until thew
have marShaled their forces and gone
through at least one campaign. and
won their spurs, before closing terms
with them? The formation of a new
party is held up to our eyes as a great
bugaboo. What have we to fear from
the organization of a new party on the
basis of the currency question? The
Peoples party covers every phase of
currency reform which this new marty
would. Then why should any one leave
the Peoples party and go to the new9
On the other hand, new party would
draw its strength from the two old par-
ties. thus weakening our adversaries
A new party will cause a hopeless split
in the democratic party-a split that
will insure its defeat in nearly every.
southern state. When this is done
thousands Of republicans and democrats
who have only been kept in line because
of fear that the other party would win
would join the Peoples party. The best
thing that could happen the PEOPLES
party would be the formation of new
party. Many voters have been kept in
line because such leaders as Bland and
Mills and Teller and Wolcott have adj
vocated free silver and currency reform
within the ranks Of the old party II
thess men form a new silver party
many of the rank and file will follow
them. With such split in the two old
parties and the Peoples party standing
firm and unwavering, our chances of
success would be as good as was that of
the republican party in 1860. By all
means let the new silver party be or
ganized. 1t would be one step toward
Populism. and eventually the move
ment would gravitate into the Populist
party. But any union of forces on the
basis Of an abandonment of any part
of the Omaha platform would be step
backward. create dissension in our
ranks, and discourage those who have
stood loyalty by the platform and con-
tributed to build up the party to its
present magnificent proportions.
Land or Money-whlchS
Missouri Valley Qowa) Eye: A and