Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1897-09-18
THEY ARE THINKING ABOUT 1T.

"Well," said somewhat aged man,
as he sat down to rest and wiped his
face with red bandanna, speaking.
of politics, I'll be dad burned if l
know what to do. Along in 1890 some
fellers got me in the notion of joining
the Alliance-tOld me it was going to
be a great thing for US farmers to
work together and hold our stuff for
better prices, also knock out the mid
die man, etc! Well, after / got in
they didn't talk so very much about
business, but there was a heap of talk
about seven financial conspiracies and
red dragons and Rothchilds and Brit
iSh money power, and the necessity
for organizing new political party
to do 'em up. l hadn't noticed any
red dragons in our neighborhOOd nor
observed the workin's of any conSpira
cies, but the fellows talked and talk
ed there in the Alliance meetin's till
they made it seem tOlerable clear to
me that these things were sure
enough realities. The wear before
when my hogs died of cholera, and
corn fell down to ten cents bushel,
/ had just thought it was one of them
cases of hard luck and because there
was more corn raised than there was
any demand for, but the lecturers in
the Alliance seemed to make it clear
enough that it was all on account of
the develish schemin' of the money
had nothing to do with it.
''Well, sir, / joined the new party
in as dead earnest as any man you
ever see and I've tried to be faithful
to it ever since. l furnished that
year three good fat 2-year-Old steers
for picnic barbacues and my wife
killed and cooked l don't know how
many chickens. / went in all the
professions, and though my voice is a
trif1e cracked, / lifted it and sung
Good Bye, Old PARTY, Good Bye" the
best l could. The fellows who were
running the machine told me that
the great issue was to make the gov
eminent build warehouses where we
would store our corn and wheat and
other truck and draw money on it
and also to get the government to
loan us money at l per cent on our
farms. The way they explained it to
me it looked like good idea and /
took to it. But, SirS, it wasn't a year
until they commenced to quit talkin'
about it and in two years you couldn't
hear ;em mention these great issues
at all. And then they talked about
ring rule, said the old party was run
by ring and a caucus and that the
rank and file hadn't no more to say
than so many dumb driven cattle.
Well, sir, l took to that idea too, but
we hadn't no sooner elected our men
than / noticed the caucus was run
ming the thing in way l had never
seen in my whole life. The next
thing l knew they sprung new issue
to me, told me the thing to save the
country was the free and unlimited
coinage of silver at 16 to /. couldn't
just exactly get it into my head how
COMM the silver mine owners silver
into dollars for 'em for nothing was
going to help me but they showed me
whole rows of figures to prove that
wheat and silver run together some
way and as / never was any good at
figures, anyway, took it for granted
that they knew what they were talk
ing about, but now it appears that
was all stuff they were giving US
about wheat and silver. Senator PEI
fer and lot of other fellows i have
been depending on tell me they never
did take much stock in the silver
issue, anyhow, and are going to drop
it and take up the issue of doing up
the United States courts. I'm gettin'
to be an old man. l don't banker
after change and excitement as much
as maybe would if / was forty years
younger, and this thing of changin'
issues every six months is two swift
for me. 1t looks to me as if the men
that are runnin' this PopuliSt party
either don't know what they want, or
else are tryin' to work us plain COM
mon people 1 just think I'll leave