The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-07-13

not turn the Populists aside from their
path Of duty, and their arguments are
having effect upon that portion of the
voting population which reads and
thinks. The prejudice against the Poou.
list has almost disappeared. He is now
as the man who has an idea
and who knows how to defend it. We do
not near so much any more about the
wild, visionary theol les of the Populists
w nat was ut one time considered their
wild, visionary financial scheme is en-
bodied largely in the platforms OF the
silver wing of both the Democratic and
Republican parties. When they first sd-
vocated government ownership of rail-
roads, the boldness of the proposition
startled the nation. After four wears of
discussion the .practicability of the plan
is generally conceded. The best method
of accomplishing the desired end is the
phase of the discussion that now most
largely occupies public attention. After
the hard work the advocates of Populism
have done to establish their theories, they
do not like the idea of abandoning their
organization. tits endeared to them by
the persecution they have endured aud by
the sacrifices they. have made. The Pop
ulist is to the reform movement what the
Abolitionist was to the anti slavery move
ment. He was the pioneer, the molder of
thought and the tireless worker 1t
takes just such men to herald In great
political revolutions When the time
was ripe the Abolitionist combined with
the Republican, who was the conserva.
tive in the anti.slavery movement, aided
in the election of Lincoln, and finally saw
slavery abolished. 1t may be that the
Populist will by the force of events be
compelled to foilow..in the footsteps of the
4 l,,li ,icr
sions may rest assured on one point, the
Populist will never surrender his party
nor his organization until he is satisfied
that the new party is willing and
equipped to carry on the work assigned
to it. After all that is not a very cheerful
state of affairs to contemplate. Here is
an admission that the nation is in need of
certain reforms and that the. men who
are looked up to as the hope OF strug-
Cling humanity are divided and to all APP
pearances hopelessly so.
The voter is at sea- he is true type of
the mariner in the open boat without a
rudder or n compass. For twenty. fonr
years he entrusted power to the Republi-
cans. He voted for them, carried torches
for them, hurrahed himself hoarse for
them and went into ecstacies of delight
when the telegraph announced another
great Republican victory. Finally, in
1854, while the party was pursuing the
same old policy and was supposed to be
the same grand old party, with its famous
magnetic leader at it's head, the vote turn
ed against ii, went over to the Democrats
and put them in power. Che Democrats
ran the government four years, following
the old well-worn Republican .rut. Not
until the last year of their term was
there disposition shown to adopt new
policy. Then Grover startled the nation
with his famous tariff message II was a
dramatic move in politics. and was so re-
gardcd by the nation. 1t was put forth
for the purpose of saving party that had
for four years Of opportunity and per-
mItted it to go by unused. The result Mt
the polls was another. expression of dis
content, was condemnation of the do
nothing policy of the Democrats. They
we're defeated and-the Republicans again
restored to power. When Grover Cleve-
land went out of the White House he was
advocating reduction of the tariff. The
Republicans, as if to emphasize the differ
ence betweene their policy and the one
championed by their opponents, at once
proceeded to raise tariff rates. The re
suit is familiar to all. The Republicans
met..with the overthrow of 1892, when Har-
rison was turned down and Cleveland
again took up the reins of government.
at this time there were millions of voters
who believed that Il tariff revision on the
lines indicated in the Democratic plat
form would bring prosperity to the ma
ton. and there was no way whereby they
could be convinced of their error but by
giving them chance to demonstrate
their theory. If the Democrats Numbered
by following ii do-nothing policy during
their first term, they made ample amends
during their second term, but unfortu-
nately they worked in the wrong direc
ton They contracted the money volume
by closing the minis against silver, thus
intensifying the distress. that was rapidly
coming down on the country. Then
turning to their tariff policy they vainly
enueavored to revive the dropping indus
try of the Nh ton by applying series of
quack nostrums, which. il they did no
harm, certainly did no good
When Grover Cleveland finished his
second term another manifestation of
discomfort was exhibited at the ballot
box. Going back over the past we find
that in 1884, 1888, 1899 and 1896 the yot-
ers have rushed from one side of the scale
70 the other, seeking relief and not find
ing it. include 1896 in the category
because the Republicans told .us that if
they were successful in the campaign,
prosperity "oult commence 1T once. The
nation now knows that it has not. Ii an
opportunity presented itself to- morrow
the Republicans would be hurled from
power just as the Democrats were but
few months ago. They assured the cuun-
try that in their tariff policy they had IL
remedy COR all the ills that afflicted soci-
ETY.. There is another disapr ointment in
store for the nation. 1t is in the very at
mosphere around us; its prcmonitory
rnmblings can he heard in. the municipal
elections that are being held.
When this final breakup comes in the
Republican ranks. us come it will, then
is the time to move in the construction
of new. party. Then the various ele-