The Advocate and news., 1898-10-05
What POpulIsm Stands For.
DANIEL T. ROSE.


ton OF one under the same heading pub
llshed In tho preceding nstalment Of corre-
spondence.l
The third grand principle Of Popullsm Is
that Of finance-the money Of the country
Our currency has been tampered with by
legislation until to-day we have no solid,
firm system Of finance. Silver has been
destroyed, as well as greenbacks and treas
ury notes. and as a result the business Of
the nation has, In measure, been
destroyed, prices OF labor and products de-
preciated more than half, and that gem
eral prosperity which we once enjoyed has
been utterly destroyed. The people have
been burdened with a load Of bonds which
II will take generations yet unborn to pay
and upon the ruins Of our once noble sys-
tern Of finance system of national banks
has been built to which is given almost
unlimited power to control the finances
OF the nation. The power to issue and con-
troll the national finances is taken out Of
the hands Of the national government,
where It properly belongs, and given to
them, and they are thereby empowered to
deVOur the substance of the people and
Oppress them at their Will. Strikes and
lockouts and failures have multiplied year
after year until they have become a part
Of our almost daily history. All this has
been brought about by the efforts made
TO fasten upon the nation the abominable
single gold standard and reduce the great
producing and laborlng classes to a state
Of abject slavery, as has been the result
in every nation where 1t exists. This every
well-informed person knows to be true.
To all OF this POpulism stands materially
and unequlvocally opposed. From its In
ception the declarations of POpulism on
finance have been clear and unmistakable.
The State platform utters the same Ian
guage on this point that Populsm has ever
used. 1t says:
ave demand the free and unlimited coin
age of both gold and silver at the ratio of six-
teen to one OF gold, and the Issue OF legal
tender notes good for all debts In preference
to the Issue of lntePest-beRrRng bonds"
Can anything be palmer? 1t Is but de-
mand for the old order OF things as they
existed before the Republican party began
to manipulate them In the interest Of Wall
street and the Rothschllds Of Europe.
Can the Journal say as much for it's
party? It's record has been the reverse.
Let the history Of the last thirty-five years
bear record.
Now for that frightful socialistlc, COM
munistic plank which the Journal has dis
covered in the Kansas Populist State plat
form That plank says:
I'VE favor the public ownership OF all
public utilities and demand the public own
ership and operation of all monopolies."
What is there so frightful in this? Pub
lie utilities and monOpolies--what are they?
Populism would interpret them to be now
in the possession Of gas light companies,
electric light and power companies, water
companies, street railway companies, etc.
and II these are not mOnopolies in their
manner Of management and extortionate
charges upon the people for service rem
dered (often very poor) then we would like
the Journal to tell us what monopolies are
These, Popullsm holds the people should
own and operate
But admit, for arguments sake, that Pop
ullsm went farther and held that the peo-
pie OF Kansas should control and operate
the coal fields the salt wells and oil wells
OF the State Where, we ask, would be the
wrong in the matter? Surely, It would be
vast saving to the people. and thousands
OF men would have regular employment at
remuneratIve wages who otherwise do not.
and the people would get the products OF
these industries at much less cost than
they do under existing conditions
The same is true OF insurance companies
II the State of Kansas maintained home
Insurance company the people would re-
ceIve much cheaper insurance and at the
same time be rid Of the extOrtion and
swindling OF Eastern companies
30 with the stock yards. The Kansas
Clay stock yards has for years been one
Of the grandest swindlng concerns west
OF the Mississippi river II the State owned
its own stock yards this, in connection with
government ownership OF railroads, would
give farmers and stockmen reasonable
rates for transportation and care Of stock
and reasonable return in profits. This.
1t seems to me, every sensible man ought
to know.
None but a party hidebound partisan
would take the view Of this that the Jour
nal does. 1t Is simply afraid that mo.
nopoly must fall and the people triumph
over them, and It undertakes by misrepre.
Ynntntlnn and fnlRe charges to stir nm tho