The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1897-08-20
IOWA P0PULISTS
Middle-Of-the-ROad Faction Hold.
ing a State Convention at
Des MOineS.
Temper Ary Chairman RickOr At
tacks Prevailing Economic
Conditions.
Free Silver Not a Panacea and
Would Only Afford Temper
ary Relief:

DEs MONIES, Aug. 20.-Two hundred
delegates were present when the mid.
dle-of-the.road Populist state conven.
lion was called to order at II o'clock,
by Chairman A. w. G. Weeks Of Win.
terset. A. w. Rickot, temporary chair.
man, of Iowa City, made ON address to
the convention to which he said:
The present condition of society, where
a few take all that the many produce Is
the direct outgrowth Of the competitive
system. 1t is useless to apply palliatives
to this condition. Heroic treatment is
demanded Nothing short of the absolute
destruction of the competitive system as
applied to those things which are in them
selves essentially public utilities or pub
lie necessities will relieve society from the
load under which it is at present strug-
Cling.
The convention held in this city May
Fl. called by the chairman of the Peoples
party state central committee, deliberately
and seemingly willingly abandoned the
principles of the Omaha platform, gave
up the name of the party. adopted the
name of Democrat, and by this act be-
came absorbed into the Democratic party.
It is useless therefore, to expect a contin-
ton.
The much vaunted Chicago platform
in not one line or sentence makes IN open
E direct attack upon our present econ
lmic system.
We united with the Democracy in 1896
because Of the nomination of Bryan, who
lacked only the name to make him
Populist, and the Democracy had taken
step in advance. Bryan is not now the
Democratic party as he was practically in
1896.
FREQ Silver Is Not Adequate.
A partisan press tells us that prosperity
is returning. Do not be deceived. So
long as capital has it in it's power by COM
bination to levy fixed charges upon in
lustry, prosperity to the great industrial
classes can never be moro than chimera,
will o the wisp, phantom of the i'm
agination, for when the absorbing power
Of capital is constantly increasing, no
temporary revival in business can change
the certain and fixed result. 1t is the
capitalistic system 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 coin
age of silver will increase the volume Of
money and will raise prices, but will
destroy no trusts, no monopolics, will in
nowise deprive corporations Of their enor-
nous 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 COM
merce. Free silver will not deprive a
single land baron of his stolen public do
main. No party can ever succeed upon
the single silver ISSUE for its inadequacy
to relieve society of it's stricken condition
is apparent. Deeper and more far-reach-
ing must be the reform, the banner of
\ which will gather to 1t countless num-
, bers Of the oppressed Never again shall
we consent to compromise with plutoc-
racy, and from the dark night of the pres
ent system of consuming greed, of aggre.
gated wealth and of cruel injustice, we
will turn to the dawn of a brighter day
when the commonwealth of the people
will prevail.
United States Senator w. A. PETER
of Kansas maze a speech at the after.
noon session. Abe Steinberger, the
: Kansas member of the executive board
of the Populist national organization
committee, also spoke.
The convention will nominate Charles
r1o,,d 10 M,,ccotino for 0,ovorr,nr