The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-08-26
A FULL TICKET NOMINATED
BY THE IOWA POPULISTS OF THE
MIDDLE-OF-THE-P VA
RIETY.
ADDRESS By EX-SENATOR PETER
He Said Recent Gold Discoveries
Might Shelve the silver Issue.
Speech of Temporary Chair
man Against Fusion.


the-road populists held state conven-
ton here today. which was largely at
tended, about fifty counties being rep
resented. A. w. G. Weeks of Madison
county presided. A. L. Kicker of John
son county, who was made temporary
chairman, spoke as follows:
"The present condition of society,
where a few take all that the many pro-
duce, is the direct outgrowth of the
competitive system. 1t is useless to
apply palliative to this condition. He
| role treatment is demanded. Nothing
short of the absolute destruction of the
competitive system as applied to those
| things which are in themselves essen
TALLY public utilities or public necessi-
| ties will relieve society from the load
| under which it is at present struggling.
| The competitive system is doomed. 1t
| is at variance with the laws of God,
| the tenets of Christianity and that very
| liberty which we hold sacred above all
| things else, and no reform party, L care
not by whom championed or how ag-
gressive may be it's campaigns, can ever
succeed in holding the suffrages of the
people unless it recognizes this fact.
| 1.-The convention held in this city May
81, called by the chairman of the peo-
pies party state central committee. de-
| liberately and seemingly willingly aban-
doned the principles of the Omaha plat
form. gave up the name of the party,
adopted the name of democrat and by
this act became absorbed into the dem
| ocratic party. 1t is useless, therefore,
| to expect a continuation of the battle
from this organization. They have with
drawn from the ranks of those who are
| fighting on the side of the common
wealth and place themselves in the
ranks of those who while protesting to
be reformers. make no promise of any
change in the present destructive sys-
TEN of cooperative capital and competi-
! tive industry.
! "From the May convention there went
forth Il band of forty-seven men whose
perception was clear enough to pene-
| trate the haze with which this modern
democracy, has couded the reform
movement. Those men saw that the
much Wanted Chicago platform. in not
one line or sentence. makes an open ana
direct attack upon our present economic
system. These men. recognizing the in
| adequacy of the free coinage of silver,
alone and unaided. as weapon to
strike the death blow ut plutocracy.
Well knowing that this fusion would
end as have all others flor particulars
of which see history of greenback party
and the election of Grover Cleveland
they decided to profit by experience and
ut once begin IL reorganization of the
party. | have seen enough to convince
me, Notwithstanding the efforts of Bry-
an and many other men broader than
| their party, that within three years we
shall witness Il united democracy. The
| gold standard democrats are wiser and
ADLER politicians than their silver
brethren. and the action of their news
papers and the attitude of the democ-
racy in Maryland and other states has
convinced me of the futlity of expect
ing even Il modicHm of relief from the
| democratic party.
| 1896 because of the nomination of Bry-
an, who lacked only the name to make
him Il populist. and the democracy had
taken Il step in advance. Bryan is not
now the democratic party, as he was
| practically in 1S9G.
| "A partisan press tells us that pros
perity is returning. Do not be de-
ceived. So long as capital has it in its
power. by combination. to levy fixed
charges upon industry. prosperity to the
| great industrial classes can never he
more than chimera. a will-o'-the- wisp.
Il phantom of the imagination, for when
the absorbing power of capital is con-
stantly increasing no temporary revival
in business can change the certain and
| fixed result 1t is the capitalistic sys-
TEN which must go. and to relieve this
| condition and to change this system.
| the Chicago democratic platform offers
| not one thing. Its one cure-all is the
free coinage of silver. The free coinage
of silver will increase the volume of
money and raise prices but will destroy
| no trusts. no monopolieS, Will In no wise
deprive corporate of their enormous
| absorbing powers: in fact, could they
but realize it. it would increase them.
| Free silver will destroy the power of
no RAILROAD king. nor will it in any de-
| gree lessen the burdensome tax which
our railroad management has placed on
| commerce. Free silver will not deprive
a single land baron of his stolen public
domain. No party can ever succeed
upon the single silver issue. for it's in
| adequacy to relieve society of it's
stricken condition is apparent. Deeper
and more far-reaching must he the re-
| form. the banner of which will gather
to it the countless numbers of the op-
pressed. Never again shall we consent
to compromise with plutocarcy. and
from the dark night of the present sys-
| TEN of consuming greed. of aggregated
wealth and of cruel injustice we will
turn to the dawn of a brighter day.
when the commonwealth of the people
will prevail"
| The feature of the afternoon was the
address by ex-senator PETER of Kansas.
| He said in part:
eff recent discoveries of fresh gold
mines should prove to be as valuable
as present appearances would indicate.
| the silver question may soon be elimi-
mated from republican discussion except.
perhaps, as to those persons whose i'll
| dividual interests are at stake. Silver
| republicans want more metallic money.
| and they would probably be satisfied
| with gold if there was enough of it.
THE coinage of silver and an income
| tax are the only matters about which
the democratic and populist parties are
matters which populists regard as fun
| damental and of surprising Importance.
we are not in accord but are positively
opposed to each other"
The following state ticket was placed
in the field:
Governor-Charles A. Lloyd of Musca-
tine county.
Lieutenant Governor-D. L. Perkins
of Lyons.