El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-10-25

10 the middle of the road. In states
where the populist- are strong their
party is merged with another, which
means that it is beginning to
disappear. Fusion is simply q process
whereby the younger organization is
swallowed up by the older. In states
where the populists are few their or
ganizasions are going to pieces because
of weakness. In 1900 the peoples
party very likely will be little more
than a name, and after that the Or
gsnization will cease to be heard OF as
factor in American politics. The
small aggregation of devoted popullsts
W no met in Cincinnati last week for the
express purpose OF saving their party
from destruction merely emphasized
the fact that it has already gone to
pieces. The party that names its can
didates two years and more ahead OF
time is not gathering strength for the
contest, but is di5sipating it's already
scattered energies.
1t must 1ot be thought that the peo-
ple's party movement has been fall
ure because the populist organization
il going to pieces. Judged by the in
fluence it has exerted on political
thought and action, the peoples party
has been successful to an extent that
few third party movements can hope to
be. Thu campaign of 1896 was fought
on issues forced upon the att ntion of
the country by the peoples party, and
+ the silver question shall recede from
view rs the dominant political ques-
tion other features OF the Omaha plat
form are likely to prove dividing issues
bet reen the two great parties.
The beginnings of the peoples party
are to be found in the meetings aud
conventions of reform bodies for two or
three years preceding 1892. The
marty took definite form in the cOnvep-
ton held at Omaha in July, 1892, when
the famous Omaha platform was pro-
mulgated. That year the party polled
over 1000, 900 votes-a phenomenal
achievement for a new organization -
and in 1894 the mbined populiss vote
for stat off rers was nearly l,5OO,O OO.
In 1896 the democratic party took up th 9
most cons picuous Of the issues'fOr which
the peoples party STOOD, aud then the
identity and strength OF the popull5t
organization began to disappear. AS
the peoples party organization rapid
w disintegrsted the ideas for which 1t
stood ined strength and impetus.
The Omaha platform WAS primarily a
protest against the domination of polit-
les by corporate wealth. 1t provided,
among other things, for the free ana
Unlimited coinage of silver at the ra-
ito OF Is to I; for graduated income
tax; for public ownership of railroads,
telegraphs and telephones. 1t recon-
mended to the favorable considers-
ton of the people the legislative sys-
tenn known as the initiative and refer
eudum. The very next congress, which
was democratic, passed feder-
al income tax law, which was
not, indeed, graduated,a but which
had an exemption sufficiently high to
please the ardent believer in the taxa
ton of the rich and the exemption OF
the poor. The Chicago platform oil
| 1896 Endorsed the income tax PROPOSE
ton, which may now be said to be one
of the doctrines of democratic faith
The free silver idea did not
prevail before the people, but the
populists at least had the satisfaction
of knowing that it was force d upon the
country as the principal issue of the
campaign of 1896. There are indica
tions that the questions OF public own
ership of monopolies and the system o.
d irect legislation, b,th of which were
favored by the Omaha platform, are
soon to occupy an important place a;
political issues before the American
people.
In what it has accomplished in dir
Getting political thought to new ques
tions the peoples party movement ha
4 Il g.