The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-10-12
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP DOOMED

rabidness and rancor than any politici
faction this century has shown before.
Its first great tenet was the ostracI;
ing of the legal profession. Lawyer
We're not admitted 10 the original Ali
ance organization, the significance Q
this being that they had no right I
participation in a reform movement
1t did not take year TO overthrow mi
false assumption by the Populists. Tn
Dan AGAINST lawyers was raised. To
day Populism IL, in the same measure
as other PARTIES are, lawyer-directe(
party. And Attorney General Boyle,
Populist officer. recommends to a FEEDER
al court that Mr.. George Clark, master
in chancery. also a Popocrat receive
FOR four months service 5000, or at The
rate of $4,000 a year. The fedora
court allowed only $1,000. SO that Pop
ulism may be said 10 have dropped It's
iawyer-hating inclination entirely.
Next, Populism attempted to do away
with the middleman. AS in the case OF
the lawyers, the leading Populists be-
iieved or affected TO believe that the
everyday merchant was a plunderer.
First came the Populist papers advising
all readers to boycott those stores that
did not advertise in Populist columns.
This was open blackmail. 1t frightened
many advertisers, but it did not enrich
the Populist paper. There is too much
good. strong, noble American manhood
in the average merchant TO permit him
to even cOnnive at such bulldoZing. But
without dropping this idea particularly,
the Populists took up another position
Of assault on the Kansas business man.
They established Alliance exchanges,
general stores purpOsing to sell so
cheap that the legitimate merchants
would be wiped out. These stores were
maintained by the Populists with the
most hydrOphobic malice for while.
Every merchant, poor and struggling as
he may have been, who failed, was
greeted with the deriSive shouts of tri-
that they had accomplished his bank
ruptcy. But the Alliance exchanges
failed, for the very simple and pretty
reason that politicians are not mer-
chants, have not been since Adam
walked in the Garden of Eden and
Noah built an ark.
Then Populism took up the sub-treas-
ury warehouse scheme. 1t was n pretty
scheme, but any one combating 1t was
open to the POpulist charge Of being
subsidized. Many a poor Kansas editor
with an apronful of type and a crippled
hand press had half the community be-
lieving that he was paid a large sum of
money by Jay Gould 20 fight the sub
treasury warehouse scheme. 1t seems
ridiculous now, but it was stern reality
then for many poor, struggling news
paper publisher was driven out of bust |
hess because he was subsidized"
After the inevitable, that is, the for |
saking Of the sub-treasury scheme. the /
Populists took up the money question !
and the national banks. They were for +
paper money at first. then later for sill |
Yer (where al first they had been
against all metallic money!, and always |
against national banks. Ii is a singular
fact that while today any amount Of
silver editorials may be found in Kan
sas Populist papers, there is not a single
solitary word, in any Kansas Populist
paper, against national banks. That
seems to have been dropped, too.
One thing originally advocated by
Populism is left-the government own
ership of railroads. 1t is now mentioned
because the desertion of this tenet by
Populism lies in the immediate future.
1t has been happy belief with the Pop
llists that the government should own
he railroads. The idea has many ad-
nirers. But they will have 10 drop it
II last.
In Kentucky, last Saturday. a farmer
irove many miles, Populist farmer. 10
lsk Mr.. Bryan this question: Are Won
n favor Of the government ownership
# railroads. Mr.. Bryan. after some
answered: Il am not in
avor Of government ownership of rail +:
Dads SO long as the Rothschilds own
he government" Or, in other words.
Ir. Bryan is not in favor of the govern
nent ownership of railroads He is the
cd of PopIIlism, and what he dictates i
bout tenets Populism must obey. II {
'sn please him 10 have government
wnership dropped, and dropped il
Fill be. I
Then what will Populism take IN? '
he offices, and nothing more. The par I
which started out on the platform i
nat the of1ce should seek the man Will
nd up in the full. rudy glow Of having :
o other purpose than finding the Office >,
nd filling it. :,
PopuliSm can not he blamed for advo- O
iting these various theories. The great
lass Of the party believed them 10 he
ise But from the boycott Of the mer- IS
lants down 10 the present day. when ! L
he Rothschilds own the government" Il
lev Nave rabidly denied any man who d"
opposed them the privilege of being
onest- He who was against them was !,
bought. But rabidness viii play out. r.
man can not shout always at the ton n
his voice Popul!sm IS getting very s.
arse, and unless it adopts a miIder
ne, VIII lose It's voice entirely.
THE RISE OF THE LECTURER. n