Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-04-17
LOOK TO POPULISTS.
POSITION OF SILVER DEMO-
Gratis AND REPUBLICANS.
Southern and Western Leaders Predict
Large Desertions to tho Third Party
II Gold Plahks Arc Adopted at ChIca-
go and st. Louis.

Washington, Special to the Times
Herald: Many southern and western
democrats refuse to accept as accurate
the declaration made in the Times-Her-
aid of Saturday that the silver craze
had reached the beginning Of the end,
and that 1t will make nothing but a
little noise in the Chicago convention.
Southern senators assert that there Is
only one salvation for the democratic
party, and that is to come out openly
for free coinage at 16 to I. A number
of southern senators have said to the
correspondent Of the Times-Herald that
in their section of the country the sill
yer craze Is running so strong nothing
can stop 1t. 1t Is gaining ground every
day. Every state is being swept by the
silver sentiment. Says a southern SEN
ator:
IF the democratic party adopts gold
platform at Chicago there will be little
left of the party in my state. The ma
jority of democrats will go over to the
populists. To understand the situation
in the south you should know that
four-fifths of our democrats believe
nothing but the free coinage of silver
can restore prosperity. Nothing could
induce these democrats to become re-
publicans That would be abandonment
Of all their cherished traditions and
prejudices. 1t is easy, however. to join
the populist party. That Is only step.
No one has fought the populist party.
It Is not an ancient enemy. Besides,
the men who are now in the populist
party say they are still democrats. We
are Just as much democrats as we ever
were they say, and we have come to
this party only for the purpose of Sc
curing free coinage, which cannot be
done in the old party. When we have
accomplished that we shall go back to
our old allegiance. This is the pres
sure and this the argument that Will
destroy the democratic party In the
south, temporarily at least. II 1t adopts
an antisilver platform. Our people will
go over to the populists and we shall
lose half the southern states. not to the
republicans, but to the third partyites.
Joseph Hickey, of st. Louis, who may
be regarded as one Of the shrewdest
of the silver leaders, says the demo-
cratic national convention will declare
for free coinage at 16 to and nominate
free silver candidate. He continues:
This is as certain as fate, and the ad-
ministration will find that 1t has not
power enough to stop it. Since COM
ing to Washington, l have heard what
the administration mems programme
Is. They think they can swing solidly
against silver all the states of New Eng
land and the east, voting them as units.
In the south and west they propose to
knock out the unit rule in order to per-
init the districts to vote as they please.
That will not work. We propose to
checkmate that little game in Missouri
from the start. We are not only going
to vote the state as a unit, but we are
going to select the district delegate at
the state convention. That Is demo-
cracy. In the republican party the dis
trict Is the unit, but with us 1t is the
state. The democratic national con-
yention is an assemblage Of entire
states, Just like the house Of represen-
tatives when 1t meets to elect presi-
dent of the United States. can give
YOU a piece of news. The populists will
nominate for president Judge Henry C.
Caldwell, United States circuit Judge Of
Arkansas, and a great candidate he will
make them. His decisions on labor
questions have attracted the attention
of the whole country and he is man
of great ability and fine character.
With such a candidate the populists
will be able to put up a great cam
naign. With a democratic gold plat
form and Mr. Cleveland as the candi-
date the populists will come to the front
al the second political party of this
country. They will carry nearly every
southern state and most of the western
states. They will rub up close to the
republicans, and the democrats Will not
he in It. In the house of representa-
tives the populists will have many more
members than the democrats. This is
the feast to which we are invited by
those who would commit the party to
the gold standard"
Note.-Of course Southern Senators
would like to see the Democrats adopt
a free silver platform. But they ought
to admit that the very name OF De-
mocracy has been made odious by
Cleveland and his cuckoos. Said
prominent Jacksonian Democrat to the
writer the other day: mo, l would
not vote the Democratic ticket this
year, even with a free silver platform
and free silver candidate. The very
name would lose uc every state in the
Union. The only way to get free sill
yer is to join free silver Republicans
and go into the Populist party. 1t
will not only be the second party. but
1t will be the first party after Novem-
Der g."
That Is the way old line Democrats
talk. Old line Lincoln Republicans of
A. fa1l IL