The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1896-04-17
CONSIDER CAREFULLY.

Let Us Not Be Guilty of the Mistake of
Dropping the Substance to Jump at the
Shadow.
There are several sides to the pro-
posed union of reform forces" One
is, is there really any other reform
force other than the peoples party?
The socialists will answer, yes" The
prohibitionists will answer, YES
But the promoters of the proposed
union are not counting these two re-
form forces. They answer, Eyes, the
silver party" Then the question
arises. lis there a silver party?'
Yes" answers Mr.. Mott, II know
there is, for am its national chair
man." Then naturally follows the
question, what is the. strength of the
silver party. Will the populist party
gain more than it will lose by uniting
with it? If a union with it can only
be had by dropping a part of the peo-
pies party platform, will such union
drive out of the party and keep others
from joining it greater in number than
the silver party? We wish the sill
yer party contained millions of
voters, but so far as we know,
anu VIC have OCSh duAGC Cho al Gil
ieavoring to get information, its num-
bers are very limited indeed. Really
there is not member of the silver
party in Missouri that we are person
ally acquainted with, SO far as we
know, unless we may consider some of
our populist friends as being both
populists and silver party men. How
is it in your neighborhood, reader?
Have you a silver party there? We
don't mean silver men in the old par
ties, but men who have left their old
parties and now say they belong to the
silver. party. How many are there?
Count them up, emitting the popufists
from your count. We might go further
parties have you heard say they would
join the peoples party if we limited
our platform to the money question?
How many even say this? If there are
only few thousand of the silver party
is there not danger of driving out
more than we bring in by the pro-
posed union of forces?" We fear
some of our populist friends believe
that there is mighty force knocking
at our doors for admission and that
the Omaha platform adherents are not
willing for them to come in. That vic
tory on the money question is at hand
and we will not accept it. The silver
party was organized a. year. ago and
Mr.. Sibley was suggested by it's ma
tional conference for president. 1t
was again organized or reorganized
the 22d of last January. Its platform
refers to the money question only.
There is not government railroads,
government loans or government banks
proposition in it, and hence it looks
like it ought to be showing great
strength by this time and have county
committees, etc If there is a silver
party county committee in Missouri
we have not heard of it. When we
unite with the silver party at st. Louis,
if we do SO, by how many voters will
our ranks be increased? And if such
union of forces is at the cost of a
part of our platform and the cost of a
full-fedged reformer as candidate for
president, how many votes will we lose
from our own ranks and from those
who are almost persuaded? Recently
two members of the peoples party
state committee of Minnesota with
drew from the peoples party for the
reason that they believe the Omaha
platform will be abandoned at our ma
tional convention. One of them (Dr.
Clark retired temporarily only.
These Withdrawals, though only two.
and very small drop in the great peo-
Plies party bucket, show that we must
look after the prospect Of losses as well
as of gains. We may lose two where
we gain one, and as the proposed union
of forces" is solely to increase our
strength, we ought to be sure that it
will do it
ed next week the silver men would
bring us but few votes, but if their
conventions were full and the two
bodies unite, they could name the plat
form and candidates of the united
forces" and could by adopting a milk
ane-water platform and nominating a
milk-and.water candidate, drive out
and keep out of the reform movement
ten voters to where they brought one
into it However, political events will
happen fast between now and July 90.
Both old party conventions will be
held between now and then.
All populists favor the getting to-
gether of all reformers. If the silver
men in the old parties will abandon
their money-power-contro organi-
cations and join the silver party, or
form party of their own and meet in
convention July 90 at St Louis, they
will find the middle-of-the-roadp opu-
lists the most liberal, broad gagged,
unselfish and practical set of men they
ever met, and If they are likewise lib
eral, broad gagged, unselfish and prac-
teal there will be no trouble in get
ting together, at least ON candidates
for president and vice president
The shortest road. the best road, the
most practical road to a union of
forces. however, is for the silver men
of the old parties to come straight to
the peoples party. and this is the
course that has been pursued by most
all of the silver men who have left
their enemies, the old contraction par
tieS-Missouri World.
All monopoly values and privileges
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