Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-11-19
! As BURTON SEES It.
LESSONS OF THE CAMPAIGN
TERsILY STATED.
Kansas Has Had 1 Hard Blow in the
Election But viii Overcome It All
And Prospsr-why Republican,
Failed.

says: 1.-The reasons why We 'a''0u
are apparent Hard times, free silver
and appeals to passion and prejudics
exciting labor against capital EN-
ploye against employer-debtor
against creditor-section against sec.
tion-and business against business
with q special assault against banks
and railway corporations" The firt'
ing with free silver and fiat money
principles be thinks is responsible for
much Of the party's weakness when
the test came on finance, while class
prejudice was used by Populists to
arouse feeling and sectionalism. He
adda: 1--WE should teach that there
is nobody in Illinois, New York nor
New England trying to rob u.s. as we
are not trying to rob them. We
should contend that the banks and
the railway corporations are not try
ing to swindle the people engaged in
other avocations. For they know that
it Is not to their interests 10 do SO, no
more than it is the purpose or the in
terest Of the people engaged in other
callings to cheat or defraud the banks
or railway corporatigns. All flegiti-
mate industries thrive together or
suffer together
Here before portion Of our leaders
in this state have advocated the
fallacy Of the free and unlimited coin
age Of silver at the ratio OF l6 to J..
Certain Republican newspapers, Tor a
time, taught the same doctrine.
Republican conventions passed free
silver resolutions, and some Republic
can orators advocated this doctrine
from the stump. All this was given
the widest circulation by the enemy,
while much deception was practiced
in contending that distinguished
Republicans outside the state had
advocated free silver, and even every
kind word spoken and every kind act
shown toward silver was distorted by
the opposition and made to read as an
emphatic declaration for free silver.
The former actions Of Republicans in
Kansas in favor of free silver, was at
q time when silver was not an issue
and before the subject had been dis
cussed or fully understood, trusted
leaders were followed without inquiry
or discussion. Even at that time,
however, it was directly contrary to
the position Of the party in the
country on the subject. But it did
no good in the late campaign to show
that the Republican party as a great
national organization'was and always
had been opposed to free silver. Then
came in the hard times, for which
our party was in no way responsible.
"The secret wish to pay debts with
5O-cent dollars helped to beat US. We
could have won against all this
against fusion Of Democracy, Popu.
lism and free silver-but for the un-
holy appeal to passion and prejudice
in arraying class against class Sec
section against section, employe
against employer and labor against
capital.
mckinley has been heralded as
the advance agent Of prosperity. Nor
will he deceive the people.
prosperity is certain to come and
Kansas Is certain to see her mistake
and swing back into the Republican
column. There is no occasion fol
encouragement. Nor should there
be any elimination. Fault-fnding Ii
bad business at best. Many voters
Of Kansas honestly supported free sill
yer at the the late election that will
never do it again. The subject has
been thoroughly discussed and il
better understood. Many laborine
men will not again be controlled by
passion and prejudice. Republican
in Kansas should be cautious about
one thing: In the past we have beer
too apt to get out of line with the Re
pOblicans Of the nation. We hav'
been just little over anxious to lead
We should be courageous in the ad
vocacy Of truth, and sternly frowr
down evil talk about the people o
our neighboring states.
1.-THE most valuable capital to
business man is his credit, as il is tn
most valuable thing to a communit,
or a state. Kansas has suffered mucl
in its credit, and il she does not re
ceiye her full share OF the measure O
prosperity that will come to III
country as the result OF Republica
triumnh il IL hecause she has mad