Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1898-01-14
SAYS HE HAS EXPERIENCED A CHANGE
OF HEART.
Sees the Errors of His Way.
GREATLY AT HIS PREVIOUS STU
PIDITY.

ouSu StdtcHlcHt SHOWING Tic IedSOnS Vi HIS iC-
cent conversion to fusion. 1t is the richest
document yet issued by any of the Pop officials
OH the proposed fusion arrangement with the
Democrats for the next campaign. 1t maj $
light of the effort of Leedy and Boyle to form
another unhoy alliance with the Democrats,
and urges that, if Leedy and Boyle must have
FUSION they step aside and give their places to
Democrats. The Clemens statement follows:
"The past week has been valuabl to me i'll
the way of instruction, and have been thol-
oughly converted. am henceforth in the po-
litical natorium | am a fuslonist. Until re-
Gently l had been under the absurd delusion
that it would really make some difference to the
people whether the men elected to state offices
were Popuists or Democrats. cannot imagine
where my intellect got that cocke-burr stuck to
its trousers. 1t seems ludicrous now; yet once
l really believed it. | have also learned that
union of forces is the one grand contamination
which the Populists should struggle to achieve
Reform principles are we'll enough in their way,
but perish reform principles rath er than that
We should fail to effect union of all reform
forces. Reform principles have no votes. Re-
form forces can elect somebody. cannot cease
wondering that have been too stapid to see all
this before. 1t is perfectly clear to me nowthat
we simply must have harmony among the e
form forces.
"When they think of the possibility that the
Republicans may return to power, the noble
Democrats weep over the suffering people OF
Kansas as Christ wept over Jerusalem. They
feel dreadful bad about it. But what right has
any man to ask them to keep feeling that way
and get no offices for their anguish? Are these
modern apostles of holy cause; these men
who believe that unless silver is restored this
nation is doomed; these men whose hearts are
lacerated when they read in the press the sad
story of poverty of the unemployed and who
yearn to rift the cloud of despair that movers
over the poor; are these up-to-date retormers
to be expected to make themselves ridiculous
by following the fashion of ancient reformers
who accepted dungeon, stake, or cross as
full compensation? To be sure, the earth
the social volcano. The single gold standard
will soon bring the deluge, and another Repub-
lcan victory will be the sign for Noah to see
that the washing is brought in off the line, the
tub fetched from the pump, and the kitchen
door of the ark properly closed and locked If
the Republicans win i'll Kansas this year, the
reform forces will be disorganized in 1900, and
tie sun of hope will be botted from poverty's
sky. The Democrats believe this Mack
Love pravs over it so much that his constant.
demand lor new trousers to pray in helps keep
no the otherwise unstable market. Atwood
lets no days pass without closet-hour spent IN
All agony of prayer that this cup may pass from
the people. Johnson works graphophone pc
ltion to the throne of grace that ought to move
even wooden god. The anguish OF these
good Democratic leaders is constant Geth-
semane. They cannot enjoy life as other men,
because OF this ceaseess dread that the suffer
ing people of Kansas may be doomed to again
be afflicted by Republican administration.
"But this sort of anguish comes high. No
man can be expected to undergo it for nothing
And rather than submit to agonize without
brace of state offices thrown into the hat, the
company will retire from the anguish business
and will help ruin the state by returning Re-
publicans to power. | feel the force OF their
contentious and l begin to feel like following
Leedys example, by Offering to give up every
office in the state house but my own, rather
than not have a union of reform forces this
year would offer to G i've up even my own Oh
flee if l thought they would praise my mag
nanimity and refuse to take my job; but
Boyle's experience deters me from taking such
a chance as that. However, exemptlng our
own places which nobody could possibly I'LL SO