People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1896-11-20
The Mission Of PopuTism.

Its glory has been that it made its
appeal directly to the people, sought
TO educate them, and tried to organ
ice them in the behalf of better gov
eminent.
As school teacher, no political
party ever made swifter Roadway
than ours. We have educated the
masses as fsst as we could reach
them, wherever people would listen
converts were made. Aud no man
ever returned to eits er Of the old
parties after having become a Popu-
LIST in principle.
1t is trus that our cause has suf-
fered much damage at the hands of
extremists. Radical rsnters who
burlesqued Populism rather than IL
lustrated it have prejudiced thou
sands against ug. The tire-easers
who make war upon private owner
snip of property and who seem pos
sessed by an insane desire to level
everything in sight, alarm and dis
gust many citizen whose heart and
VI hose vote would be with US if he
understood us just as We are.
During the recent campaign Popu.
list doctrines stood a bstter chance
to get fair hearing than ever be
fore. When the Democratic party
adopted our platform at Chicago, we
at once gained the ear of an immense
audience which, up to that hour, had
been hopelessly hostile to us. And
aow that the campaign is over, the
moral victory which PopulIsm won
at Chicago is still ours. No Demo
crat can ever hereafter b9 heard to
abuse or ridieule creed which his
party formally embraced.
Not only has Populism done mag-
nifcent work as an educator, but it
has achieved a yet moro signal tri.
amph as a hberator of the human
mind from the slavery Of party dom.
nation.
i 1t has smashed party ties light and
left. 1t has broken the idols of the
msrket-placs in manner beautiful
to behold. It has well-nigh abolish
ed tbs party lash. 1t has utterly
abolished sooisl ostracism for pol.i-
col opinions sake. No citizen any
longer hesitates to take sides with
any party he likes, or to vote for any
candidate lie prefers. The day OF
political persecution is over-even in
The South-and Populism did it!
d Not only has our reform move
,ne1t educated and liberalizaa the
raassse, but it leavened both the old
Parties until they themselves throb
with the restless movement OF the
psopls. Never before di1 two cam
paign managers work har der to sat.
iafy the minds Of the common peo-
pie than did Jones and Hanna.
Never befora did fact, argument,
and illustration count for 30 m1ah in
an election. Never b8fore WIS SO
much economic literature printed,
distributed and rea@
A few years ago what did the
campaign literature consist of Lies,
mostly. The Democrats would got
Gus o slande. or Two on Blaine or
Garfield, and the Republicans would
concern their vigtuous souls with
defect or SO in Cieyeland's moral
character; and the contest was fought
out on the old frayed and frazzied
line Of ''Foroe- Bill" on one side, and
"Bloody.shirt" on the other.
Lock into The campaign books of
the two old parties, a few years
back, and see how much space ID
given to mere scandals, and how lit.
tie to econ omio principles!
In this campaign all was changed
and Populisa has done it.
L ,erybody sought information
Tho voter wanted light. He de-
manded TO know the facts. The
printing presses groaned night and
day to supply the demand.
The impression prevails that Mark
Hanna's money bought McKinley's
election. We DO net share that
opinion. It is practically Impossible
to bride psople by the million.
Mckinley was elected because the
the Republican wrlters and speakers
wsre able to hold their men together,
while Bryan's forces wers scattered
by bad management.
The Popullat theory Of money is
the only one which can successfully
naat +ha ssSonud Monav1' argumant