Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-01-24
JACOBS VOICE AND ESAU'S HAND.

1t has been fashionable for the people wi
style themselves, politically, as Prohibitionist
to declare that they are favorable to the econ
mic reforms demanded by the Populists, as an
body else that they held all the Populis
claimed, and little more-they wanted refor
in the drinking. We have believed that lars
element of the so-caed Prohibition party hay
been honest in all this, and we are stronger
that belief when we see them desert their part
because it refuses to recognize the demands
the people, and clings to the Wall street con
bine. During the last few years, when W
have cited the cases where the loud-nouthe
and most radical Prohibition leaders scratche
their own ticket and walked over to help tn
Republicans, as when we saw such city a
county leaders help defeat candidate for jus
tce, who was teetotaer, and who had impose
a fine for violation of the law regulating tn
sale of liquor, and vote for and elect his Re
publican opponent, knowing him to be all ha
bitual drunkard, and who lay dead drunk a
the polls while they were voting for him; a1lC
when we cited the convention that nominated
Clinton B. Fisk for president-and we quote
the lengthy report over the signature of A. G.
Wolfenbarger, iu the New Republic, that whel
the demand was made for something in the
platform that would draw the sympathy of the
workers, something that would place the party
on record against money monopoly, corporation
rule and bonds, it was General Neal Dow who
said, "Remember, this is Prohibition party,
and only Prohibition party, and all else was
dropped, and a banker put up for president
we say, when we have quoted these histories
to the Prohibitionist he has replied, "but this
is all changed now. We are with you, and we
will only be too glad to join hands, and unite
the two parties, if you will only recognize the
cause of temperance" We have admitted a
large class of these people believed all this !;
and the question has been, "can they control
the party" or are they being outgeneraed by
the Wall street gang, who have always dictated,
and made the temperance people" play second
fiddle to the national bank combination?
During the past year or two, a faction of Pop
ulists and some representative workers i'll the
Prohibition party have made great effort to
formulate plan upon which it was hoped the
union could be made. Last summer there was
meeting of these reformers in Prohibition
Park, N. Y, and platform formulated-a
very good platform III general. But when the
Prohibition bosses met, and took up the matter
officially, they spit OH it, as the Republican ma
tional convention did the wonan's petition
Not much Nothing but prohibition. They
didn't even want to be found in company with
anybody who has not been tagged by Wall
street, or has the endorsement of some bank in
the bank association. Finding this condition,
and that the sharks had thrown off the mask,
and no longer attempted TO disguise the hand of
the London money kings, Ex-Governor ST. Johl
and lot of his friends resigned from the ma
into the Populist party, as thousands have done
who tunbled to the situation before OF course
the gold-bug press keeps this "split-of very
quiet, because it is desirable to round up all the
stragglers, who might drift into Popuism and
herd them into a side-slow, as assistant Re-
Enthusiastically. 1t is the hand of Esau
but what about the fellows left holding the
bag reform Press, Pueblo, Colo.
Ex-Governor St. John is a reformer in its
broadest sense, but it is impossible for him to
become Populist until Our party makes war
OH the liquor traffic. rhe same is true of Miss
Willard, Both are Popuisls i'll principle, but
not i'll name Both are powerful and we need
them. Will we open wide the doors and let
them come i'll nt-EDIToR AGITAroR.