The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-07-26
WITHOUT REASON OR DEcENcY.

WITHOUT REASON OR DECENCY.
Populism today should hide its head
in shame. Populism represents coz-
Gition of mind which is a resulting pro-
test from patent wrongs. Blocked in
dustrial energy, paralyZed values.
dwarfed agricultural recompenSe with
their opposing extremes, Increment OF
idle money, excessive riches and the
growth of an aristocratic class has
brought Populism. 1t has brought
also something that Is not Populism,
but which is sympthy for Populism.
and which would have been eventually
activity for Populism.
But whatever man, either high or
low, ever felt sympathy for Populism,
he discarded it with shame yesterday.
1t was naturally to be supposed that a
new party would not be responsible
for rude nd reckless leaders. But the
Populist party is not new. 1t has had
six wears TO winnOw from its leader
ship that rank, good-for- nothing, brutal
set of blatant fools who gained control
of its convention at St Louis Friday.
No sensible man can indOrse a con-
yention where riot took the place of
reason; frenzy the place of enthusiasm
and brutality the place Of protest. No
man can indorSe a convention which
ordered policemen to throw out a man
for reading a minority report and sat
smiling while the policemen did it.
OF this scene the report yesterday
said:
Mr.. Valette OF Rhode Island, also came
forward with a report Of the minority
He prefaced it's reading by saying that
he could not subscribe to the basic prln-
oiples enunc.ated by the majority report,
which announcement caused no little hub
bub and a Kansas delegate suggested
that il be voted upon without being read.
Mr. yalette's document proved to be a
sort of new declaration of independence.
The various pBanks were received with
laughter, calls and cries of ''order." The
document ran in denunciatory adjectives
The reading had not proceeded very far
when someone moved 60 refer the report
TO the committee on resolutions, which
motion prevailed amid considerable dis
play Of enthusiasm.
Mr.. Valette grew angry at the sum-
mary manner in which his report was dis
posed of. With flushed face and passion
ate posture he declared that the platform
represented his views and he would main
tain them as long as he had breath in his
-. to ol,,,
but the Rhode Island delegate grew more
incensed- He waved his arms violently
and for a moment it looked as if he in
tended to personally assault the chairman.
Suddenly someone cried, PUT him out,
and several policemen came forward from
the wings and hustled him down the steps.
He was afterwards elected from the hall
Imagine for a moment a delegate in
a Republican or a Democratic conven-
ton being thrown out bodily because
of difference of opinion. Even the
wild Chicago convention congregated
for just one purpose sat for an hour
listening to Senator Hill tell them
things they did not want to hear. If
Hill had attempted any such argument
before a Populist convention he would
have been thrown out.
But we know very little about Mr..
Vallette, except that he is fellow
man who expected decency in a popu-
lar convention. But Senator Stewart,
who has devoted his life to the cause
of silver, who has always been true to
his convictions and has done SO much
for the POpGlist party, so much that
none of their Tom WatsonS and Jerry
Simpsons could do, was inSulted by the
great convention and had to retire in
cragrin and humiliation. Had Senator
Stewart gone into the Republican con-
vention at st Louis or the Democratic
convention at Chicago he would have
been given an audience.
All through that rude baT'baric ses-
sion riot followed riot Men were howl
ed down and helped to howl down inre-
taliation. People We're thrown from
the hall. and old leaders like General
Weaver were run over and diSregarded
by the delegates.
This is Populism. 1t cannot run
convention with decency. 1t will not
be allowed to attempt to apply similar
methods to the government. At first
it was humorous. Six years Of it has
rubbed the fun off it. The people are
sick of Poul.sm. Things may be
wrong. POpuliSm cannot remedy
them. Above all the people must be
guided by reason, and reason Populism
has never had. And lacking reason,
it lost also at st. Louis, Friday, de-
cency.