New-York tribune., 1897-08-20
UiNTED-l.N TSSI +.

Governor Iccdy Of Kansas is represented in
the Kansas city papers as shaking his head
lnguhronSly over the prospects Of POpulism
Governor I.ccdyS prescience is sharrnned hy
Self-intprost The prospects Of that statesman
succeeding himself are intimately associated
with the future Of Populism There are few
persons strong in character that thry can
stand the strain of prosperity. The Populiss
are not among these and the Spartan strength
of Will with which they set their features in an
iron and unchangDg grimace OF pain over mis-
fortunes real and imaginary is giving away be-
fore The temptations Of prosperity. Lccdy was
no I.ycurCus 10 cut Kansas off from the rest of
lhe world, ana prosperity has come across lis
borders. The sages ana orators of PopuSm
shout in vain upon The highways.
Their words to scorn scattered
And their mouths are stopped with dust.
Governor Lccdy Is justified in his fears. Pros
prriiy is the great enemy of popuSm. But
there j. something else the matter with the
party Populism has become n party without an
issue. The voice Of Reform has become the
voice OF many reforms. Having built this Tower
of Babel of Popullsn. the builders are stricken
with Il confusion of jabbcrwocklng and no two
heaven Of rlopian reform remains unscacd, and
the dream Of an age in which the octopuses of
greed and the great red dragon Of purocracy
viii he. like the iclthyoSauri and the ptcrodac-
iylS. bnl illustrations in the picture books of
monsters OF former times iS still unrcaliZ"d.
Populism i in want of an issue. IAN uncommon
want" as Byron declared when he confessed his
want Of a hero. In want of an issue when there
,I,,I,i.
sense, 50 many higll-Soundng shbbolrths catch.
ing the ear that does duty for the brain, What
* the matter with free silver. no cross no
crown. co-operaiv" commonwealth. initiative
and referendum: All dead The farmers care
nothing what becomes of silver now that the
marriage between it and wheat has been di-
vorced by Nature Bryan is abou; 10 take the
"crown of ,hornS and cross Of gold" 10 Mexico
with him. TO turn 1t into Ollrndortian Spanish.
in The hope il will be- fresh again in 1909 Co
operative commonwealth and initiative and ref
ercndum were never anything more than maxiI-
larry exercises, in which POpulisi orators used
10 delight 10 show their skill and proficiency
The nightmare ana the chronic brlyache sIg-
geSts THE Kansas city Journal" are evils
which the great party Of Reform might well set
about TO correct. But these troubles are entire
ly too personal and the words are not sufficiently
mouth-filling to make good shibbolrh
4 National conference Of the PopullSis WILL il
is said. be held in short time to determine upon
Il slogan. From Kansas comes the s,g-
geSton that the issue j. 10 he borrowed from
the craZy-quill platform Of the Chicago Conven.
tion. II Is 10 be Down with the Federal
courts" Says Taylor Riddle. chairman of the
Populist Central Committee OF Kansas: IF the
people Of this country hope to retain their lib
"eriics the Federal courts must be abolished 10
"prevenf II continuance Of their unwaITantcd
''interfercnce in our affairs" g. &. Clemens of
the same State. has pointed out that Congress
sufficiently bold TO do its duty can eglslafe OUT
of existence all Of the Federal courts except The.
Supreme Court. That alone Is protected hy the
Constitution. II seems 10 us thar for pariv
crowded 20 the wall for want of an issue this
will do very well Sill. a large section ~ the
party headed by the Hon. Jerry simpson Of
Medicine Lodge remains 10 be heard from Mr.
Simpson still believes in the old issue Reform
but wishes to narrow il down 10 dress reform
He has fond hopes thar platform composed Of
strong declarations in favor Of golf stockings
knickerbockers and Scotch plaid shirts illus
tratcd with pictures of himself before and after