Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1896-07-16
THIS TO THE LEGION.
VOICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF
HE REFORM PRESS.
willing to Meet Men Half Way for m
Honest Union But There Must BE No
Surrender of Principle.

president OF the reform Press assOcla-
ton. The burden is great, the labor
Is hard, but the responsibility is still
greater. 1t is a sacred trust, and /
would consider myself dishonored if
I did not do my whole duty without
fear.
l have carefully investigated the
situation; have followed the mysteri-
GUS missionaries who have gone from
state to state; have had careful reports
Of their work; have investigated the
full purpose of the silver leaders and
the democratic silver men, and have
had correspondence from nearly every
state, and every letter but one indi-
Gates that the honorable union we all
pray for will simply be an invitation to
endorse the democratic nominees Of the
Chicago convention, who will undoubt-
eddy stand squarely on 16 to plat
form. The utterances Of Senator Till
man in regard to the populist party,
Of Senator Wolcott and General Warn
er and many other democratic and re-
publican silver advocates, thoroughly
indicate that they have no idea of seek
ing an honorable union with our party.
They propose to disband and destroy
1t, and these pretended friends are us
ing mon in our party to do it.
Mrs. Emery, in one Of her last let
terG to me, said: 1.-THE real foes of our
party are inside our own ranks; there
is no danger from the enemy. From
hundreds of papers from all parts of
the nation, read carefully each week,
am convinced that the peoples party
is unit in favor of the union Of all the
reform forces. On an honorable basis,
none Of US would place straw in the
way Of such unuion. We long for
1t and pray for it. But If 1t is feast
of democratic buzzard we are invited
to, the whole membership Of the party
will repudiate the proposition with
scorn.
The southern bourbon leaders real
ize that they can only hope to save
their state and local governments by
endorsing free silver and stealing a
portion of the platform Of our PARTY.
1t is simply purely partisan trick,
and no one earnestly desiring free coin
age, or other vital reforms, should be
fooled for one moment. The record OF
the democratic party since 1873 shows
long list of broken promises en- this
question, and it is these betrayals OF
confidence that caused the great ma
jority of the southern democrats to
leave their party and join our ranks
They have made heroic fight. TheiI
struggles for a fair ballot and honest
count; their determined adherence to
principle and their adherence Of flu,
sion have gained the confidence o.
every true reformer in the United
States.
If the national convention endorsed
the democratic nominees it would be
base betrayal Of these gallant mem
hers Of our party, and every one Of
them would repudiate our action.
How hopeless would be the attempt
to deliver the Union soldiers in ouI
ranks, and the thousands of men who
have left the democratic party forever
to such a combination as the ballot.
box suffers who have stolen the rights
of the people in half of the south, and
have, by the constitutions of South
Carolina and Mississippi, disfranchiset
two-thirds of the voters of those states
By an honest ballot and fair count
the peoples party would be in major.
ity in nearly all the southern states
and to give up the contest and sur.
render our people in the south to the
will Of these men, who will contro
that convention, would be party per.
fidy and dishonor, unequaled by the
Hayes surrender in 1876, and the
treachery of the democratic party in
destroying silver in 1893 when they
had pledged the people they would re.
store it.
We will place the responsibility
where 1t belongs. We have given every
opportunity to secure an honorable
union. We have gone to the very
verge of ruin to show our willingness
to meet all honest men half way, tC
secure a union of all desiring financial
reforms, and now we have ample evi.
dence that the democratic convention
will endorse silver and nominate can.
didates and then raid of people out.
side and inside our party will be made
to secure the endorsement of oul
party at st. Louis. The responsibility
Of dividing the silver forces will rest
upon the democratic party and fret
silver leaders who have sought to de.
lude and deceive us.
Any hope of reform on the money
question, of a restoration of silver, Of
direct legislation, of curbing the power
Of corporations, of a fair ballot and
honest count, of guaranteeing repub.
lican form of government to every
state, of emancipating this nation
from British dictation and foreign rule
can only come through the success Of
the peoples party. 1t is in every sense
the only true American party in the
United States.
We warn all true members of OIL
party to see that none but delegates Of
approved loyalty are elected to the St
Louis convention, and to see to 1t that
those already elected stand by the
faith, honor and integrity of the party
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