Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1898-09-24
BURTON AND REEDER.

wednesday evening Tue people Vi
Wa-Keeney had an opportunity to
listen to one of the best of public
speakers in the state, J. R. Burton.
The outlines of his speech were up
on the state and national character
of the two principal parties in Kan
sas, viz: Populist and Republican.
He gave a short history of the Pop
ulist party, and its greatest weak
ness is that. it has history. Arising
in 1892, it thrived on s.hard times"
and calamity" Its tenetS-govern-
ment ownership of railroads, govern
ment warehouses where farm products
could be stored at government cost
and lean of so per cent of value to
the farmer at per cent per annum,
purchase by the government of all
farm mortgages and they to draw L
per cent, an unlimited issue of paper
money, irredeemable, based upon
nothing but fiat, and the discarding
of both gold and silver. These issues
now forgotten or buried are the pater-
nalistic that have always arisen from
time to time immemorial during
times of depression, following boom
periods, and to pass away as soon as
business resumes its natural course.
But in its national character the Pop
uliSt party has no standing whatever,
never having attained the dignity of
a national party. No eastern state,
no southern state, is not a party in
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois. Wisconsin.
Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, or even
Missouri. Only in Kansas has it
reached a state footing and that only
by an effort to swallow democracy.
Two parties, diametrically opposite
one paternalistic, radical, widely
absurd, in theory, uniting with an
other that has always opposed cen
traliZation of power, conservative in
theory and opposing the Republican
because it believed the state had any
power to foster enterprise. These
parties uniting for no principle eX-
cept spoils, What a lesson to teach
their children on the sancity of the
ballot and the public trust.
But the history of the party and
the measures it has passed. First t
had only the house, then the COVER
nor and its measures it said could not
be passed. but in 90, the governor,
both houses, and the supreme court,
it was now free to introduce and pass
its measures.
Did they build railroad to the
Gulf?
And even if the measures demand
ed in the platform of 1896, one and
only one measure was passed, a tax on
and that two courts have
already held unconstitutional. Where
Is the maximum freight bill? Where
is the insurance laws? True they did
pass bill that sent the Kansas stock
yards into Missouri, they passed a
school book bill, and of all the fuss
made over Webb McNall and his in
surance, that money collected goes
into the pockets of Webb McNall or
his men, while the farmer who in /
sureS pays more to insure in the iden-
tical companies he did before, so
much for cheap insurance,
The Republican party came into
power in spite OF the cry that if Nc
Kinley were elected wheat would be
ID cenUS per DuSIel. UndU COTH NOulO !
20 down, that cattle would go down, /
hogs, sheep and all farm products. /
Congress was called and a bill passed /
1T once that the people might know |
for four years the laws of trade al i
though millions upon millions of dol /
ars worth of goods were rushed into
5he country in anticipation of higher /
luties. That law by June l, 1898. ex- +
elusive of costs of the Spanish war, I
vas paying all of the running eX-
1enses of the government. and before
now the country would have been pay
ng off and reducing the debt just as
every Republican administration
since 1861 has done.
When on February Is. the Maine
vas blown up in Havana harbor. and /
hat President Mckinley saw that
var might come. he called for fifty
of dollars to prepare, and mol