Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1896-02-05
NATIONAL LEGION.
An Appeal for a More Perfect Organi-
ZatiCn.

fAA hPPSAA IOr - TerIccG OrSanl-
Zaticn.
With the dawn OF the New Year l
again remind those who desire reform;
who want the restoration of silver coin
age; who want to preserve the sacred
greenbacks; who want to free the ma
tiOn from British dictation and deliver
the people from all similar entang
ling alliances with foreign governments
and potentates; who want to curb the
usurped powers of the courts; who want
to prevent the president from combin-
ing all authority of mikado, czar, or
emperor in his person; who desire TO
overthrow the dominion of the banks
and corporations over our land; who
want to save their homes, see labor en-
ployed and happiness and content reign
In place of gaunt, hollow-eyed despair
and desperation and who hope to bring
about this glad result, and all who are
earnestly seeking the enthroning of an
era of prosperity, that they must organ
ize at once. Not another moment must
be lost We cannot wait any longer.
We must at the beginning of 1896 COM
mence to do our duty. If every one or
over two million voters should give a
day and a dime to the cause, victory
would be ours in 1896. 1t is useless to
seek wiser and better plan. The Le-
gion combines all of the machinery that
is needed for the work OF tho campaign
1t enlists the recruits, il drills the Vot-
ers, it allies the women and young peo-
pie, it guards the ballot box; it forces a
fair count; it's members stand by each
other and uphold the honor and glory
of the party. All of the hundred ways
of organizing simply divide and ena-
BILE the enemy to conquer.
I think our people are thoroughly
convinced that the Legion furnishes
the method of work absolutely needed.
The little book of J. D. Botkin l have
commended shows exactly how to do
the work.
We want an organized band of zeal
ous missionaries seeking converts far
and wide on definite and con-
certed plan. 1t is too late to de-
wise another plan. If each recruiting
officer already appointed and furnished
with supplies would go to work, the
harvest would be great. 1t is folly to
wait ami look for another way, or to
try to revive the dead If the people
will not at once, without the loss of an
hour, go to work with energy, victory
will be postponed until 1900 It will be
criminal to daily longer. We must en-
courage spirit of self-sacrifice. If we
win we muDt have our best workers
give time and energy to the work. Any
live man or woman an organize any
where.
The people are ready; but they wait
for the sluggish leaders. With per-
feet organization in all the states, we
need never fear the wiles of the enemy.
We can resis. every assault If we are
ready for the fray. We have a vast ma
jority in our favor. The ranks of la
Dor alone could win. Farmers could
slay the hostile band at the polls. The
stay-at-home vote, discontented and
disgusted, could overthrow Wall
street Our divisions in a multitude of
discordant bands render it easy to whip
us in detail. 1 firmly believe all the
elements desiring reform will unite, but
they will not if we offer to surrender
our organization and betray our plat
1OIA III we Cdu Of0TcOulS the
world and annihilate the flesh, and de-
stroy the devil if we have sense enough
to organize the Legion. 1t is hard to
wake the dead. In this work it would
need 10000 Gabriels with trumpets that
could be heard round the world to
arouse the sleeping people. They act
like Sampson after Delilah took away
his strength. They do not know their
power. We fear when they do awake
it will be too late and they will only de-
stroy the temple.
We invoke the aid of every patriotic.
| OF each high-souled man and woman,
who wants to bring back the spirit of
the fathers, who wants to give liberty
and work to all, who wants to turn back
the tide of ignorance drifted on our
shores by the enemies of free govern
ment, who wants to overthrow forever
the foreign vanda1 hands that seek to
destroy the land our heroic ancestors
gave US, who would rather die than be
enslaved, and is willing to give all his
or her time. if need be, to bring back
honor. love. prosperity and patriotism.
also desire to give notice that have
accepted the position of editor-in-chief