The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-08-04
Debs'Social Democracy Repudi-
ates the Silver Leader.
An Article on Bryan in the Off
cial Organ.
FREE SILVER is DEAD
Declare the Leaders of the
New Political Party.
No Socialist Can Consistently
Support the Nebraska Man.

are to locate the site for the first colony
of the Social Democracy were named
yesterday at a meeting of the board of
directors of the organization. They are
Richard J. Hinton of Washington, DC.
Cyrus Field Willard of Boston, and w.
P. Borland of Bay City, Mich. All
three are writers of considerable note.
They have been prominent in reform
movements of the past, and it is said
that they have signifed their willing
ness to undertake the work which the
Chicago convention mapped out for the
commissioners who are to select the
ground upon which the initial steptn the
inauguration of the cooperative COM
monweath will be made.
Lawrence Gronlund, who was named
at the last meeting of the directors as
one of the commissioners, has written
the officers of the Social Democracy
that on account of i'll health it will be
for this reason that three commission
ers were named yesterday.
Cyrus Field Willard has been in the
city for several weeks, but his name
an appointment until the meeting of the
directors yesterday. Mr.. Willard said
last night that he had no fixed plan of
procedure, and could not say what
would be done until he had had a con-
ference with the other two members of
the commission. He was in favor of
IL,
stood, the convention had decided upon
He said that, SO far as he was concern
ed, no territory had been selected, and
that every foot of ground which had
peen offered or suggested would be
gone over carefully so that when the
commission made it's report the Social
Democracy would be in possession of
the best information that could possi-
bly, be secured.
The feeling prevails that Washington
VIII be the state selected. The present
ofhcers are friendly to the movement,
ana the governor has invited the col
onists to make the state their home and
mas offered to give them assistance in
their effort to demonstrate the practi-
caplnty OF cooperation on a large scale.
Utah, Colorado and other states have
been proposed, and they may have col
onies within their borders before a sec
ond winters snow shall fall
While the convention decided upon
a commission that should locate the
first colony, nothing was said about
other colonies, so that the directors
have power to locate as many as NAV
seem practica BILE in the interval be-
tween now and next June when the
hfst convention will assemble in this
city. IT IS considered not probable, on
account of the late date at which the
commission will necessarily start out
that anything will be done before
spring, in the direction of breaking
ground for practical work
The report that the Social Democracy
was about to evolve itself into poIiti-
cal organization was laughed AT ar tba
neeIng OF the directors yesterday They
SAID that 1t was never anything else
for the reason that it proposed to gain
the ends set forth in its declaration of
principles through the ballot State CO.
operation, they assert, cannot be real
lzed until the organization has sl1ffi-
Gent voting power to gain control of
the machinery of some state and no Sc
cret has been made of the intention TO
go into national politics in 1900 and to
nominate full ticket. Last fall. thew
claimed, every man who is at present
prominent in the Social Democracy
movement was on the stump or work.
ing for the success of free silver.
The new organization has declared
that the free silver issue is dead Tn
lnls connection an article which ap-
pears IN the last issue of the Social
Democrat, the official organ of the So
cal Democracy, and which is credited
10 Max Z. Hayes, is considered signffi-
cant, inasmuch as it is looked sienifi
cant, inasmuch as it is looked 1In0n as
a practical reputation of William len
nings Bryan. 1t is as follows:
made public: eH
Lincoln, Neb., May II, 1S97.-Mr. F.
u: X. Gordon, Manchester, N. H.-Dear
Sir; You ask me whether 1 am in IA
coIlectlVe ownership of all the means
OF production and distribution. and
answer !: W yes or no answer no no..
This Iuf one rFqly ~ s.+ts W: j; BRYAN
OF socialists who supported Rrvan Ioct
ran. He has frankly shown where he
STANDS. he IS not in favor of collective
ownership. He favors private owner
snip of capital, so that a few. as now
can control all the wealth, which means
mat the wage-workers will remain the
narnessed hewers of wood and drawers
OF water that they are now. for surely
no one believes that the western r1ine
owners will not nail labor upon a sj1Irar
cross II they are given the Opportunity.
In 70
an is not the liberator that his enthusi
ast1c followers have declared him to be
We quote from his speech delivered al
the recent banquet of the silver Repub-
Bryan: -AA'
. am glad to be permitted to speak
Ior moment to those who gather here
not the poverty stricken
class to which we must look for all
that is good in our government and
in our society. The great middIe-class
furnishes to society it's bone and its
sinew, its ambition and its hope and
inspirations. Those whose s1rround
1ngs instead of exciting hope bring de-
spair are not in position to do the
worlds greatest work neither ara those
who are so far removed from the cares
the vexations and the sufferfngs of life
that they cannot contemplate the mis-
cries of their fellows
1T is an easy matter to roll off
few thoughtless though well rounded
sentences. Last fall Bryan and his
stumpers shouted from the house tops
that it was the laboring class that fur
nished to society its bone and sinew.'
and it does sound quite ridiculous to
hear at this late day that SO per cent
Cperhaps much less now) of the popu-
lation, which is principally engaged in
trading and manufacturing on a small
scale, furnishes the bone, sinew. hone
inspiration, etc.
William Jennings Bryan should stick
to his bankrupt middle class, and it is
to be hoped that the poverty stricken
lower class will no longer consent to
pull .chestnuts from the fire for silver
mine owners and their politicians. So