The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-16

About to be Sold Out at the st. Louis
Meeting-Upbraids the Party Leaders
for Their Efforts In Deluding the People
That All the Ills of the Country Can be
Cured by the Free Coinage of silver
Calls on Them to Act Immediately or
the Most Dire Disasters VIII set In.
Topeka, Kan, Jan. 15.-The silence
which has been so long maintained by
Lawyer G. c. Clemens of this city
has been broken. He has issued a
pamphlet addressed to all true Popu-
lists in Kansas. The pamphlet is "a
declaration against Chairman Taube-
necks scheme Of national fusion par
ry upon the one issue of free silver. To
such a scheme Mr.. Clemens is unalter-
ably opposed and in the appeal which
| he has issued says:
When your national committee
yours no longer-meets at st. Louis a
few days hence, long-plotted treason
will achieve its object or meet its doom.
When the sun sets on the nth of this
present month, Taubeneck Will have
been deposed or your party viii be dead.
seeking selfish ends, the chairman of
your national committee and men of
great wealth and much ADLER and more
cunning than he, have for more than
a year been plotting the destruction of
| the last political hope of the common
people of this land. With the disin-
tegration or apostacy of the Peoples
party must come despair of the ballot;
and with that despair must come for
the people the Egypt Of today or the
France Of '93. Who would ever again
hope that peoples party could be kept
true to the people? Slavery or revolu-
tiOn must be the inevitable consequence
should the efforts of these plotters be
crowned with success. And they will
be crowned with success if the true
Populists do not at once assert their
supremacy over their party machine.
Should the party abandon all else
and make only fusion silver campaign
its entire organization everywhere
would be in the hands of tsingle-issue'
men. Should it by this means elect a
president, the constant object of that
organization would be to re-elect him
and retain control of the government
and its patronage; and radical agitation
would be more dreaded in the campaign
of 1900 than ut is today; and the Omaha
demands must seek expression through
a new organization, or, as political de-
mands, be silenced for all time. Our
silence is to be not for one campaign,
but during the life of the party itself;
for a party in power never becomes
more radical, but always more conser-
vative and cowardly."
In conclusion, Mr.. Clemens says:
mot a PopuliSt in the land is hostile
to free silver. Our objection is to
preaching that free silver alone can
work any great economic change. Had
those now 50 clamorous for free silver
helped us in 1892, the reform could have
been accomplished before thousands
had become homeless through foreclos-
ures, and before every mortgage had
been made payable in gold. But now,
no silver law not retroactive as to ex-
listing debts expressly payable in gold,
can be of direct benefit to those in debt;
and should a law, made so retroactive,
be passed, the supreme court of the
United States would claim the right
to destroy it when made. The mon
strous power assumed by that tribunal
must be taken away before any finan-
cial 1egisla ton for the benefit of the
common people can be of the slightest
use. So we say:-'As much silver leg
islatfon as you will; but by men who do
not believe in silver legislation alone:
not by mine owners,
who agree
To call It freedom when they themselves
are free.
What shall we do? The crisis Is
here. We are at the parting of the
ways. Before US the Delecta bic noun
tains CLEAN in sp1endor and beauty.
We are asked TO turn back into the
Valley of Desolation where bleach the
bones OF other parties which, tempted
by sordid ambition, have been false to
the hope they had inspired. Shall we
submit and turn back? or rebel, and
push on? We must decide at once.
What shall we do? We have neither
money nor passes to travel about on,
as have those upon whom satan smiles.
The God of this world is not good TO
the children of light. But let those OF
us who can, by sacrifices, get to St.
Louis on the 18th, go There and organize
a provisional national committee and
issue an address to the people, and a
call for a national convention to take
such a radical position that we shall
be rid Of the schemers forever. and put
an end TO conferences with politicians
and TO fusion. No matter what con-
cessions the present committee may Of
fer, we can not afford a committee
which we must spend our money travel
ing to watch every time some politician
invites it TO confer We must have a
committee which viii do it's duty Of its
own accord and because ii loves It.
Some of us propose. If God wills. TO so
there and do this thing, no matter how
supine others may be. If you viii join
us. address me a once, that We may ar
range to get together at st. Louis with
out loss of time and consequent ex-