People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1898-02-17


exact accord with wy excel
lent business principles for
the authorities at the peni-
tertiary to have prepared these
apples for winter use at the asy lums
instead OF placing them on cheap
market and then letting the other
institutions 60 upon the market to
buy. AT the penitentiary are facto
rles employing the very latest and
most improved machinery making
shoes, clothing, harness, horse col.
lars, furniture and many more things
The men are contracted TO some
firm or corporation at so much a
day, and the manufactured article,
when finished by the state, belongs
to the contractor, and it is put by
him upon tine market. 1t would be
in strict accord with Populist prin-
cipleS to put this force of men to
making clothing and furniture and
preparing food for the various state
Institutions.
If Populist theories are to become
realities we will, in the end, nation
allze industry. 1t is reported that
at the agricultural college, at Man
haitian, they are prepared TO manu-
facture all kinds OF electrical ma
chinery and appliances and can
furnish them to other state institu.
tons at cost; but as yet they have
had no opportunity to do SO. We
are still lighting the state house by
contract with a private gas company.
1t the future commonwealth is to be
an industrial one, why not develop
our agricultural college, our state
university and our normal school
into great self-Sustaining industrial
schools where, under the principles
OF cooperation the children of the
poor can secure their education
which they will 50 much need in the
future, and which the future COM
monwealth will so much need them
to have. But it is needless to mu..
tiply examples. Opportunities for
careful, aggressive work, work that
will injure none, and that will prove
to be a blessing to thousands are
legion.
The principles Of our party Can be
applied to state affairs as we'll as to
national, and at this time We can
display far more statec aft in dealing
with state affairs where we have con-
troll Of all departments of govern
ment than We can by making cam
paigns upon national issues. Not
only the administration but the peo.
pie of the state, especially the voters,
should study state institutions and
their development.
Until this year our party has been
struggling to get the people of this
state to accept principIe-the pub
lie ownership of the means of pro-
duCtion. BY the election OF Popu-
list government in this state they
accepted the theory. Heretofore we
have been pointing out the week
ness, the wrong, the injustice of the
competitive system and its institu-
tons. We have censured the party
that was its champion. We have
been agitators. But now, having
been entrusted with the power Of
government, new duties devolve upon
US; We must be builders; we mast be
creative. The asitator is neces-
sarily destructive; he seeks to de,
stroy existing theories, existing ideas,
existing institutions, existing sys-
TENS. He psves the way for the
statesman, who is necessarily con-
structive. 1t requires ideality and
talent and genius and learning and
devotion to be a true agitator; it
requires sound judgment, ripe schol>
arship, lofty aspiration, ierve mt patri-
otlsm and creative genius to be a
statesman.
The Populist party is but a means
TO an end. The naturalization of in
dustry is the issue Of today and is the
issue of the future. Ii can never be
brought about by revolution; it must
come by evolution. Let US apply
our theory to the state institutions,
carefully, cautiously and conserva.
lively, but let US apply the m.
If the party leaders spend their
time in efecting plans and schemes to
turn down this and that state officer
or congressman for the sole purpose
OF eftecting fusion, and thereby max
ing room for some other self assert
lng party leader, instead of carefully
and inoustriously searching for ways
by which to carry the party princi-
plies into effect, the probabilities are
that when the next state convention
meets the victim whose head drops
from the gillotine will be he who
least expects it at this time. The
Peoples party is not a party of hero
yorshipers. 1t cares very little
about individual men; it cares a
great deal about party principles.