Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-03-13
GARNET0T, KANSAS, MARCH 10, 1896.

1T would be best TO COnIlne the hSh' W 'i
money question this year that II 1t was done,
another party would come into the held at once
to advocate the reforms proposed by the Oillaha
platform There are plenty of men III the ola
parties who are thinking themselves out OH
other lines than the money question. Kead
this from the San Francisco Examiner, one OF
the great dailies of San Francisco, and the
leading Democratic paper of the Paclhc coast:
ssWhen that matter the defeat of the bill
for refundine the governments lien is settled,
it will be the duty of our members to oppose
with equal vigor any scheme tor taxing the
roads ont of the hands of the government,
where the failure of the funding scheple Will
leave them. We shall then fight at all advan-
tage that will be daily increasing. Simple
foreclosure, with bid by the secretary OF the
treasury to protect the public interests, will put
the lines under government management Inc
plunge whose contemplation affects so many
conservative statesmen with cold shlvers Will
have to be taken. The argument that the gov
ernment cannot run railroad will be answered
bv its daily experience in doing it. While
congressman are talking, government owner
ship will be gradually working its way into
popular favor, and before we realize 1t, the rev.
olutionists will be those who propose to take
away from the government function 1t IS per-
forming to the general satisfaction and transfer
it to corporation run for private proht II
the postoffice were in the hands of corpora
ton now, we can imagine the shrek OF horror
that would greet the socialistic suggestion that
it might be managed i'll the interest OF the pub
lie. Nothing but experience can be all effect
i've educator in such cases and that experience,
in the case of the Pacific railroads, is to be
gained by foreclosure, and i'll no other way
This shows how fast the world is moving our
way. Socialism isn't the bugbear to frighten
children it used to be. One more thought i'll
this connection. Until visited California and
saw what railroad monopoly meant, where all
the lines were under one ownership, hadn't
become fully convinced that government OWL
ership OF railroads was the only solution OF the
problem | think that nine-tenths OF the peo-
ple of California have been convinced by just
the same sort of object lessons had. The
bold stand taken by the Examiner looks as ii 1t
had no doubt about the people being with it.
Nor is the advanced thought on social questions
at San Francisco confined to the Democratic
organ. The Call, prominent Republican
dailv there has opened its columns for the pub
lication of articles advocating Coxey's Good
Roads and Non-I Interest Bond Schemes. The
leaven of Populist principles is working every
where; and, to say nothing of principle, it
would be the poorest policy possible for us now
to abandon planks that are drawing thousands
towards our platform.--Star and Kansan.
In 1902, the senate was Republican and the
house was Democratic. The Republican SEN
ate passed free-silver bill and the Democratic
house killed it. In 1896, the majority of the
Democratic senators pass to the side of free
silver-so as to throw the necessity of killing
it on the Republican house. Swap about, you
see In this way the people are fooled year by
wear, and the voters slosl, like senseless water,
backwards and forwards, first to the Democratic
partv, as in 1890; then to the Republican party,
as in 1894, i'll the mad belief that one or the
other of those corporation-cursed parties will
give them relief from runous class legislation.
Neither of them can do it, for the simple reason
that the same class interests rule them both
and anybody but blind man ought to see it
Tom Watson's Peoples Party Paper.