The Advocate and news., 1898-12-28

lines Of its paramount Drinciple--the
public ownership Of public utilities-a
system OF civil service must be devised
and applied to our state institutions.
There are thousands of voters in this
state who believe In our fundamental
principles, but who hesitate to vote with
US, because they believe that unless an
e2lectual system Of civil service is adopt
ed, the fuIfillment of our theories will
build ND an array Of state employees to
be used at each recurring election as a.
political army with which will be fought
the political battles of the state. This
belief exists within the lines Of the party
no less than without them. The over
whelming sentiment of the nOn-ofice
holding class of Populists in Kansas is
In favor Of a good system Of civil ser
vice.
The Peoples Party Is irreVocably com
mitted to the principle Of government
ownershiD-nOt government COntrOl-of
al public utilities. II party leaders pre-
vent the realization Of this principle by
silly cry for conservatism, or by elect
ing TO legislative Offices men who are not
committed to the party principle, or by
maintaining the spOils system, 1t Will
disrupt the party, and ruin themselves.
The proper thing for our party leaders
In this state to do is to line up to the car
dlnal principle Of party faith, to devote
their time and energy to a study OF state
institutions and state affairs, and do
things
The sentiment in this state Is now ripe
for the reorganization Of our state insti-
tutions upon the principles Of cO-opera-
alton. Such a system will require the
state to do sufficient farming eXpe-
rimenting-to raise all Of the provisions
necessary for the insane and imbecile
asylums, for the penitentiary, the deaf
and dumb, the blind, the reform, and the
Industrial schools, and for all other like
\ state institutions. 1t will require the
establishment of canning factory,
packing house, pickle and preserving
works, a soap factory, and similar insti-
tutions. It will also require that the
force at the penitentiary, and at the
other institutions, so far as they are able
and competent, be put to work manufac-
turing shoes, clothing and other sup
niles for the other institutions. AS 1t
AZ. the force at the penitentiary manufac-
tlSres these articles now and turns them
over to a corporation or a trust; and
then. II the state needs them, it buys
Ehem back, paying the trust profit on
The very labor the state itself furnished.
By adopting a system OF cooperation
among our state institutions we can ef-
factually settle the convict labor ques-
tion. Let state prisoners do labor for
the state only. There Is more than
enough for them to do.
The State of Kansas ought to own
and operate It's own printing and book
binding plant. This plant should do all
0f the printing and book making for all
81 the state, county and city offices II
ought to publish periodically a state
bulletin in which all legal publications OF
state character should be published II
the state will avail itself or modern i'm
movements In printing, and employ the
Same number Of men 1t did under the
old method, 1t can furnish all of the
&nrintlng the state needs and make all
az the books the state and county needs.
The state ought to manufacture all Of
We vi ONNly ANNNSN ~
che state institutions.
IL ought to manufacture all OF the text
hD0ks, maps, and other appliances and
furniture used in the public schools of
tue state. AS 1t now is, we buy these
efings of the trusts, while our own work
men are unemployed.
Webb McNall has startled the state
nv unearthing the rObberies of the insur-
ance companies, and the opinion that we
must have state insurance is fast grow
N inR. They have such system in Ger
! many and some other countries
n Should our efforts to control the stock
yards prove ahortive-as they probably
Twill, we will have to resort to the true
iPopulist method Of state ownership.
The chances are that we would be bet
tGr on if we ceased trying to control and
A. rNN A1,s, AknVsl