The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-08-17
Mr.. PETER ON FUSION.
eff POpulists Cannot Paddle
Their Own Canoe,
They Would Better Get Out of
the Water" He Says.
Thinks Silver Will Not Be an Import
ant Issue in the Next Campaign.

Next Thursday ex-United States Sen
ator W. A. PETER will address the mid
die of the road Popu1ists at Des Moines,
Ia. The convention will be composed
of Populists who bolted the recent Iowa
convention which resulted in a union OF
the Democrats, free silverites and fusion
Populists upon state ticket. Speak
ing of the coming convention, Mr.
PETER said today:
The Ropulists there, like in many
other places. are divided A majority
of the one convention favored uniting
with the Democrats, voting under the
Democratic name, and all that sort OF
thing. but they did not intend to dissolve
the PopuIist party iself. There We're
large number of delegates in the minor
ity who objected to such action. and the
convention which 1 will address Will be
composed of those DIRECTORS
Asked if he would oppose fusion in
Kansas, Mr.. Feffer said:
There is no question of fusion in
Kansas in my opinion We have four
Populists to one Democrat. am IN
favor of going ahead, calling our con-
ventiOn, making our own platform,
nominating our own ticket and then IN
wiling everybody to come in and help
us elect it,
Then you are opposed to dickering
and trading of offices?'
Most assuredIy I am"
Then you are also opposed to Civ
ing the Democrats place on the state
ticket in the next campaign
L Will not anticipate. Wait until the
Democrats ask for a place, then We can
settle that question. However" said
Mr.. PETER with much emphasis, Il feel
that unless the POpulistS can paddle
their own canoe, We had better get out
of the water"
This declaration is practically Mr..
PETERS first public utterance on this
subject and it indicates that he is very
likely to oppose a coalition with the
Democrats in the next campaign. He
wants the PopuliStS to lead, others to
follow without reward
Asked for an expression of his views
upon state politics, Mr.. PETER explain
ed that he had been out of the state so
much that he is scarcely qualified to
discuss. that subject. He did say:
Except as to the liquor question, Gov
ernor Leedy's administration seems to
be giving satisfaction. That seems to
be the most important issue. lie be-
lieve that as soon as Leedy finds out
- what the people of any particular COM
munity want he will make an effort to
give it to them. The meetings here
and the criticisms which have been
spoken and written convinced the gov
ernor that Topeka wants the law en-
forced, and L think he has told his COM
miSSiOnerS to so act in this city
Continuing, MIR. PETER said. with ref
erence to national politics: silver will
not be an important issue in the next
'-6ampa ign Personally l have never be-
Heved that the question amounted to
very much. We are passing through
a revolutionary periOd-a long period
of rapid development, which began in
1879 or 1880, after the panic of 1873 had
spent its force. Then We began to
build railroads and the flood tide of i'm
migratiOn came west and filled up the
waste places with new men, including
the Specula tors and Insurers. Then the
bottom fell out and the west went
, down. We are now on bedrock, but
the tendency will be upward, gradually,
but think more safely than ten or if
teen years ago. This is because We
now have the use of inventions. ma
chinery and manufacturing esta blish-
mentS produced during our years of
wonderful growth. Now we can meet
fresh demands without outlay except
for repairs, and thereby force enter
prise into new channels.
Large quantities of land have come
into the possession of syndicates and
large owners, which must be improved.
They want people to occupy it. Much
of these lands is in the semi-arid re-
gions and viii require irrigation. Cap
italists will undertake developments in
those directions.
People who are now at work are
generally contented. Poor crops abroad
stimulate our prices and the people
seem rea soma bly, prosperous. Under
such conditions people will drift along
and more or less forget politics. If the
new gold mines are as productive as
present appearances seem to indicate,
they will produce as much new gold to
use as money as would have come from
of a year ago.
These conditions tend to relieve the
tension on mems minds and the stu
alton will become easier so that ma
tiOnal politics will quiet down,1ike state
politics and the lines will not be drawn
until 1900 and the discussions until that
time will be chiefly limited to govern
ment in other directions.
= Now we see the powers of the state
and of the nation coming into debate.
Also the questions of dispute between
MIR nd Ar0Tl1OUeS n
Ia Adjustments; the question of trans
portation and the financial condition of
the great railways themselves; the
ownership of all public utilities and
things of that kind are subjects less
exciting. and their discussion will cause
the people to see that the silver ques-
ton is not broad enough for any party
in the closing years of the nineteenth
century,
Mr.. PETER is amused at the excite
ment the administrat ton is attempting
20 create because of the injunction is
sued by Judge Williams. He laughs a t
the idea of a conflict but says: Il
think it would have been more cOurte-
Gus and dignified had Judge Williams
suggested that the application was a
matter in which Kansas was deeply in
terested and that the proper officers
an opportunity to defend against the
action That is the only objection
can now discover. In due time the mat
ter viii come up for a hearing and the
attorneys viii be permitted to present
their arguments"
Asked if he believed the fight against
the federal courts would become an inn
portant issue in politics, Mr.. PETER re-
Piled with determined emphasis:
No
1.-The controversy" he said. ''has set
the people thinking about the relations
between the state and the United
States. The great body of our people
have never seriously thought of the
dual character of our government The
constitution and all laws and treaties
made in pursuance thereof constitute
the supreme law of the land, the stat
utes of the various states to the con-