The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1896-05-12
Reasons Why.
EDITOR MESSENGER


A prominent Republican of
Custer county remarked to me
not long since, ''as you are a
Populist, I would like to hear
from you just what you expect
to accomplish as such; really,
now don't you know you are just
following a chimera of the imag-
ination-a something with a
name, but from which nothing
can be gained of benefit to any
one ?'-and concluding in a
grand eulogistic discourse of the
merits of the g. o. p.-the party
which had done so much for our
country in freeing the blacks
and binding the fetters on sixty
millions of whites by committing
that colossal crime of the century
in 1873; by 'harboring infant in
dustries and protecting Ameri-
can laborers. "and creating trusts
and monoplies to such the very
life blood from our nation by OPP
pressing the poor and forcing
the workingman to accede to
their demands or be shot down
by hired asSasSinS.
AS a Populist and casting a
vote for that American platform
formulated at Omaha, l feel that
for the party to gain supremacy
will be a grand victory for the
people against the tyranny which
has grown up with the accumula-
tion of capital; an aristocracy of
wealth, built by greed and unjust
extortion. This oppression real
ly attacks the fundamental doc
trine of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence.
The words of Washington, a
government by the people" is a
hollow mockery, while this ma
ton is ruled by either of the old
parties, and allowing the, leaders
to interpret their platform prin-
ciples to satisfy their own greed.
Washington said "by the people"
against no one. Now the Popu-
list party is by the people as
against the classes; of the rights
of the common people as against
the aristocracy of wealth and
privilege, of free and uutram-
melled trade and intercourse,
amongst our own people, as
against the dominotion of the
grasping monopoly which levies
its tribute on every artery of
commerce, every means of com
munication, every avocation in
which our people engage. This
grasping monopoly not only lev
les its tribute upon our industries
but seeks the perpetuation of all
of all debts, the depreciation of
all property; the impoverishment
and degradation of all labor. /
could run on indefinitely. but
suffice to say all the evils which
follow the unjust appreciation of
the value of money. The Popu-
list party is striving to right the
wrong done in '73, while the Re-
pubhcans are seeking to make il
permanent. Men here in this
country will say they are bimet-
allists and Republicans, which is
impossible Ii. e.) the Republican
party of today.
Instability, panic and disaster,
will be our portion until bimetal
lism is restored. Now surely il
is plain the need and purpose OF
the Populist party, to right the
now existing evils to the best in
terests of the whole people; the
abolishment of corrupt legisla
tion by a strict enforcement o.
platform principles, believing al
l do that the money issue is para
mount to all others in the coming
campaign, and knowing tn,
Populist party at the presen
time to be the only party un
equivocally in favor of bimetal
! lism 1 am in favor of its princi
pies, first, last and all the
: time. &C.