The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-10-21
DIDN'T your

Are you PopullSt! Ii so, were you q
Populist one year ago today, that Is, on
October 81, 1896? What were your
thoughts then? Were they not thoughts
of infiamed alarm? Did you not believe
what most of the Populist speakers told
you? Did you not believe that the cleo
ton Of Mckinley meant disaster TO the
nation? Did you not believe that upon
his election the circulating medium of
the country would AT once be curtailed
in order TO enhance the value of the
gold goin exclusively in the hands OF the
rich? Did you not believe, as the Pop
ulist orators claimed, that there would
not be enough money TO handle the bust
ness OF the country? Did you not read
in Populist newspapers that the circu-
lating medium was already so short
that bread tickets and street car tickets
in some cities were being used as
medium of exchange? Did you not be-
lieve that the first thing Mckinley
would do would be 10 issue more gold
bonds? Didn't you believe it inevita-
BILE? Didn't you say, more than once,
that a high protective tariff would not
bring in sufficient revenue to run the
government and that repeated bond
issues would be absolutely necessary to
keep up the gold reserve? Did you not
believe what Jerry Simpson said that
the election of Mckinley would bring
25-cent wheat and Scent corn? Did you
not conclude that Mckinley was man
to whom il was dangerous to entrust the
government? That ne thought more of
England than he did of the United
States? That he would be controlled by
the rich RothschildS who would force
him or persuade him to keep on tighten
ing and narrowing the money of the
plain people? Did you not believe, yes,
even say, that if he became president,
the Republican platform pledged Nc
Kinley simply to persist in the disas-
trous policy of Grover Cleveland, and
that In consequence, banks would go
on failing, merchants would be ground
down and under, and that people would
be starving by thousands?
Didn't you really believe all these
things? And with it and around 1t and
over and under this fearful thought,
didn't there hover and beset and sur
round an awful hatred for the Repub-
lican party, and a deadly, angry con-
tempt for Major Mckinley? Didn't you
believe and say he was a traitor?
Remember, October 81, 1896, was
only a couple of weeks before the ma
tioral election. Recall now your bitter,
dangerous state of mind.
Have any Of your awful fears come
to pass? Has the circulating medium
been diminished? Are people using
street car tickets for money? Has Nc
Kinley followed Cleveland's policy?
Has he isued any bonds? Is the gold
reserve S50,O00,0OO above the 100000
300 mark or below it? Isn't there
enough money to handle the business of
the country? Are the banks failing or
prospecting? Are the merchants going
Into bankruptcy or are they loading up
with new goods? With England irri-
lated and offended at McKinley's secre-
tary of state at this time is there any
indication that Mckinley is a tool OF
England? Is wheat % cents bushel?
Is corn S cents? Are not all products
higher? Are not markets everywhere
In the country and in all channels ris-
Ing? Are not the factories going?
Are you not happier yourself? Do not
things look brighter TO you? Do you
look on Mckinley as a monster today?
Don't you think he is probably as pa
triotic as you are? Don't you think
that he loves his country just as much
as you do? Don't You really believe.
away down in your heart, that lie would
be just as careful towards doing any
thing to harm or betray this great ma
ton as you would be?
Can't you be fair now? Can't you see
you were wrong one year ago? Is there
nis IIsluS NI4nlut1 III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
that you were wrong last year? Is
there anything right in persisting this
year in voting wrong?
Napoleon's great downfall began with
his invasion of Spain, although Talley-
rand told him he was wrong. Horace
Greeley said: let the south go" Lin
colin wouldn't let it. Patrick Henry be-
lieved that the rights of states were par
amount TO the rights of the federal
Union. Napoleon, Greeley and Henry
were all great men. but they were
wrong. 1t is no sin to err. But it is a
sin 10 persist in known error.
Get out this year and vote the way
the evidence of your eyes and ears and
brains direct you to vote, and you will
vote right.
MIRRORS AND WOMEN.
In London Truth Mrs Emily Crsyv