The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-08-19
SAYS IT'S COMPETITION.
Iowa Middle of-the-Roaders Declare
COMPETITIVE System Causes All Ills.

Competitive System Causes All Ills.
Des Moines, Ia, Aug. 1.-two hum
dred delegates were present today
when the middle-of-the-road Populist
state convention was called to order at
II O'Clock by Chairman A. w G. Weeks
of Winterset. A. w. Kicker of Iowa
City, temporary chairman, addressed
the convention as follows:
1.-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 pa1liatives to this condition. He
roic 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 neces-
stiles, will relieve society from the load
under which it is at present struggling.
The competitive system 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, care not by
whom championed or how aggressive
may be its campaigns, can ever sue
ceed 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,
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 became absorbed into
the Democratic party. 1t is useless,
therefore, to expect a continuation of
the battle from this organization. The
much vaunted Chicago platform, in not
one line nor sentence, makes an open
and direct attack upon our present eco
nomic system. The attitude of the
Democracy in Maryland and other
states has convinced me of the futility
of expecting even modicum of relief
from the Democratic party.
I'VE united with the Democrats in
1896 because of the nomination of
Bryan, who lacked only the name to
make him Populist, and the Democ-
racy had taken step in advance.
Bryan is not now the Democratic party,
as he was practically in 1896.
perity is returning. Do not be deceiv-
ed. 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
be more than chimera, will-o'-the-
wisp, a phantom of the imagination;
for, when the absorbing power of cap
ital is constantly increasing, no tenn
porary revival in business can change
the certain and fixed result. 1t is the
capitalistic system which must go, and
to relieve this condition and change this
system the Chicago Democratic plat
form offers not one thing. It's one
cure-an is the free coinage of silver.
The free coinage of silver will increase
the VOIuJIl6 Ol IilOiley anu TdlSS prices,
but will destroy no trusts, no monopo-
lies; will in no wise deprive corpora
tions of their enormous absorbing pow
ers; 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 degree lessen
the burdensome tax which our railway
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 free silver issue, for its made
quacy to relieve society of its stricken
condition is apparent. Deeper and more
far reaching must be the reform, the
banner of which will gather to it the
countless numbers of oppressed. Never
again shall we consent to compromise
with plutocracy, and from the dark
night of the present system of consum-
ing greed, of aggregated wealth and of
cruel injustice we will turn to the dawn
of brighter day, when the common
wealth of the people will prevail
United States Senator PETER of Kan
sas will make speech this afternoon.
Abe Steinberger, the Kansas member
of the executive board of the Populist
national orga aniZatiOn will also talk