Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-02-07
MIDDLE OF THE ROAD TALK.
Can See No Hope Of Reform But Via
the Referendum Route.

| tne NSteren0um Route.
EDITOR JOURNAL hope you will
excuse me for disturbing your peace
of mind, but think your treatment
of the middle-of-the-road Populists
very unjust. L wrote you before that
we had been life long Republicans,
but the party had become so corrupt
that we could no longer affiliate with
| IL.
Then to go into a party still more
corrupt, would be very foolish indeed.
On, 10, we shall meyer be such block
heads as To 20 into the Democratic
party, no never as long as we live.
They are just as corrupt as the Repub.
licans dare be. l tell you they are
one and the same thing, whichever
one is inpower. 1t is all put on the one
that is out of power. We have had
either Republican or Democratic
administration for the last 20 or 30
years, and whichever one is out
of office is always the one that should
have been in office, because it was the
reformer.
Now you say that you aim to be
thoroughly independent and fair.
If you are so independent and fair
why do you take sides against the only
real true Reform party in the whole
world. The middle-of-the road Pop
ulist party is the only real reformer
we have at the present time. Suppose
we had the free and unlimited coinage
of silver, what would it amount to if
we we're still slaves, which we would
be with Bryan or the Democratic
party. Bryan and the party are one
and the same thing.
Give us the intiatiye and referen-
dun with the imperative mandate
and the people will see that every
thing is done in good business shape.
Give us voice in governing ourselves
and we will see to the free and unlim-
tied coinage of silver and great
many other,things of as greatimporU-
ance. Talk of themiddle-of- of-the-roader
beinga tool in the hands, of oldHanna,
why, l wo uld just as soon
you would spit in my face.
Q l say it is an outrage and L am not
going to let it pass. 1t is an insult
and | take it as such. l would stop
the JOURNAL if there was a Reform
paper in Salem, but do not like to be
with out home paper. We have been
subscribers of the JOURNAL since it
was first edited and have always been
much pleased with the paper until of
late, you have become so wrapped Up
in Bryan that you can not see any
good in anything but the Democratic
party. There is nothing new about
1t, it is the same old see saw, the good
one out, the bad one in, it is the same
old trick they have been playing for
the last 30 years.
But some of us they can not fool |
any longer. 1t seems very strange tC |
me that you do not see through this
Bryan trick. know he is great |
orator and has a very free and |
beautiful flow of language. But |
that will neither clothe nor
feed US. Did you ever know of
merchant making this his standard of |
eloquent and fluent speaker | think
not. 1t is good aud well if he is
blessed with the gift Of a beautiful
flow of language, bu It is not abSo-
lutely necessary. But 10 is absolutely |
necessary that he should be endowed |
with good common horse sense and |
business ability. Take Old Abe Lin
coin for an example. 1t seems to me |
it is high time that we as people |
get over this blind superStitutiOn of |
men who are educated and |
those who receive high salaries? Are |
they not the servants of the people? Is !
a servant aboYe his employer? l
think not, but such is the case al
present, we are worse than servants, |
for we are the slaves of our clerks or
officers, that is why we, middle-of-the-
road Populist are so determined to
stand our ground. Give us our law
full rights which is the initiative and
referendum with imperative mandate,
that is what we the people of these
United State of America demand, and |
we will never give up because
we have taken the step and |
will die for the cause of the people.
ALI these union fellows are after is
a soft snap of some kind.
Why do they not join the Populists?
Because they are afraid they will not
get their share of the offices, il is
more or less.
Cooper their leader said so himself
In your paper.
Now, we arc not caring
one cent about what Cooper or any of
the soft snap seekers want, we the
peoples have our wants, and we are
going to have them too.
G. B. AND B. w. HARRITT.