The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1896-01-03

ings and for governmental regulation
of the rates of interest is like the play
of Hamlet with Hamlet left out The
money question" is, primarily, the
interest question. Next in importance
comes security of deposits. shall be
very badly disappointed if the finance
plank in the next peoples party plat
form does not demand the final solu-
ton of the money question through
the medium of a system of government
banks.
But aside from this idea, it may be
said that this proposed platform is
based upon the assumption that q
greater number of voters can be got to
act together upon the demands there
in presented, than upon a platform
containing more and other demands in
addition thereto. This may be true,
and then, again, such presumption may
be altogether gratuitous. The truth
as to this assumption is altogether
problematical and can be arrived at
only by experiment
From the Missouri World, of the
same weeks issue, clip the following
additional straw:
in Iowa, at the recent election. the
populists made fight squarely on the
Omaha platform, the single financial
plank with silver at the head being
voted down in the state convention.
Compared with the vote on same Offices
two years previous, the party gained
S.431 votes. In Kentucky, where a
platform was adopted conforming to
the views of the single plank advo-
Gates, the vote was about 5000 less
ulists must stand by their principles if
they succeed"
The Topeka (Kan.) Advocate, edited
by DR.. S. McLallin, and rejecting the
views of Senator PETER. discusses the
question in this wise, quoting the
Paola Times as follows: For the
populists now not to agree to meet all
corners on the financial question alone,
is to retreat from their position SO
faithfully occupied so long"
The Advocate says: ITO abandon, at
this time, all of the principles pro-
claimed in the populist platform when
the party was organized, in order to
meet newcomers, whose coming is
problematical, on the financial ques-
ton alone. is to abandon populism it.
self. Such a course would be a con-
fession that the things we have been
advocating are impractical vagaries;
and while it would not bring to the
support of the party the multitude of
'comers' that some of our friends think
it would, it would drive from the party
a very large per cent. of its present
strength. The majority of populists
do not regard the financial question as
all there is of populism, by any means;
nor do they regard it of supreme inn
portance over other questions.
There is still another thought in
connection with this subject that we
believe must be entirely lost sight of
by those who advocate the course rec
commended by the Paola Times. A
great many cities all over the country
have recently been getting possession
of their waterworks. electric light and
gas plants, while a great many others
are contemplating doing so as soon as
possible. We can now point to every
instance of this kind as a vindication
of populism, and our claim in this re-
spect cannot be gainsaid. The revolu-
CAod Va puoAAS uACh IOhSCIS
these changes possible is largely at
tributable to our agitation of these
subjects. How long is it since every
old party paper in the country was
denouncing US as lunatics for advocat-
ing public ownership of public utili-
ties? Still, in the recent contest
for possession by the people of
the waterworks in Kansas City,
about all the papers favored it.
They did not give us any credit for
having educated public sentiment upon
the subject, but they put our princi-
Piles in practice just the same. This
has been true in other places also.
Then, again, there has grown up in
this country very strong sentiment
in favor of foreclosure by the govern
ment of the mortgages upon the Pa
cific railroads, and this sentiment has
even taken hold of a good many men,
bers of congress. In addition to this,
the post office department has strongly
recommended the establishment of
postal savings banks for the better Sc
curity of deposits. This, though strict
ly pertaining to the finance question,
is not usually included in the one
plank platform of those who wish to
make a campaign upon the finance
question alone.
shall we, in the face of the phe-
nomenal growth of public sentiment in
favor of these populist doctrines, drop
them all and thus open the door for
some other party to pick them up and
gain popularity and voting strength
thereby while we confine ourselves to
the finance question alone?
1.-THE finance question will be taken
care of. Don't be alarmed about that
1t will be an utter lmpossibility to
suppress it, but populists have nothing
to gain and everything to lose by
abandoning principles which are every
where gaining in popularity and which
are being indicated by adoption even
by those who but short time ago de-
clared them to be the vagaries of
cranks and unbalanced minds"
On the other hand there must be
borne in mind the incontrovertible
fact that, if ajority of people joined
in electing a president and congress
pledged to inaugurate system of ma
tional direct legislation through the
initiative and referendum, then-for-
ever afterward-any measure which a
majority of the people desired to be
enacted into law, could be SO enacted
without any difficulty.
It is thus to be seen that there are,
CT 70