Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1899-12-13
WHITTIER ARE WE DRIFTING?
II It . ForeGone Conclusion That the Peo-
PIES Party In to Indorse Democratic
Candidates and Platform1

anu pOpuliSC pdTticS, tuc |
Endorsement of the democratic plat
form and the presidential candidate of
that party. Chairman Towne gave out
the following statement of the action
of the committee:
resolution was unanimously adopted that
national convention of the national silver re-
publican party be held. and the executive COM
mittee was instructed to confer with the demo-
cratic and populist national committees in an
effort to secure. IL possible, the holding Of all
three national conventions at the same time
and place and at the earliest practicable date,
to the end that complete cooperation OF the re-
form forces may be had
The executive committee was authorized to
determine the number of delegates to the ma
tional convention, the same to be not less than
1900: to arrange the basis Of selection and to
allot the representation from each state
It was decided that the call for the convention
shall include eligible to representation all |
those voters who heretofore. prior to 1896 or
since, have acted politically with the repub- |
Hcan party, but are bimetallists and favor the |
unrestricted and independent coinage Of both /
gold and silver at the present legal ratio. and |
who are opposed to the policy OF extending the |
gold standard in the United States by retiring |
greenbacks, destroying the full money power of |
the existing silver dollar, providing for the pay
ment of all government obligations and the re- |
demption Of all forms of paper money in gold |
alone and surrendering to banking combina- |
tion the sovereign function Of issuing paper |
money
Pledges were made covering the expenses Of
holding the national convention and Hon. Ell |
wood S. Corsen, Of Minneapolis. was chosen
treasurer Of the committee, with instructions
to maintain relations Of practical cooperation
with the democratic and populist national com.
mittees.
In this connection and in juxtaposi-
tion to the above, the following from
the Philadelphia American, is worthy
of serious consideration, voicing as it
undoubtedly does, the attitude of the
populists south of Mason's and Dixon's
line:
On the lessons of the late elections
we comment at some length elsewhere.
but there are one or two points of
special interest to populists upon which
we wish to add a word. Kentucky has
! been, and for that matter still is,
| storm center, for the Goebel demo-
| Gratis have not given up their effort to
steal the state, though it is undoubted
that plurality of votes were cast for
the republican candidate for governor,
Mr.. Taylor, and determined men, dem
| ocrats hostile to the Goebel machine
even more than republicans. are re-
solved to see that that plurality is not
stolen from him. OF the provisions of
the Infamous Goebel election law
passed by a democratic legislature to
make easy the stealing of elections, the
overriding of the will of the people in
the interest of the corrupt democratic
machine, we speak elsewhere and need
add nothing here. But it was this law
and the machine behind it, this brazen
effort of the democratic machine to
perpetuate it's power by putting a law
on the statute books calculated to IA
cilitate the stealing of elections, the
counting of votes SO as to elect demo
Gratis, however the citizens of Ken
lucky might cast their votes, that be-
came the issue in the campaign, over
shadowing all others. And into Ken
lucky Mr.. Bryan went to ask democrats
to give their votes to the author of this
law, standing upon platform endors-
ing it, a law giving democrats q mo-
nopoly of the election officers and meant
to make it easy for such to disfranchise
republican, populists, all opponents OF
democracy in the counting of the votes.
And yet there are populists in the
northwest who would nominate for
| PEcSloCnG LHC LAdA " III dPpIONCo OA dAo-
franchising their brethren in Ken
lucky.
I'VE appeal to the populists of the north.
west" writes Jo A. Parker in an open letter Il
the Reform Press and on the eve of the Ken
lucky elections, mot to cruelty our party on thii
cross of corruption, between the thieves Of ou
most sacred rights. We say to the world, herr
and now through the Reform Press, that NJ
populist or other convention can tie US II
Bryan or any man who indorses the crimina
! attempts Of the corrupt element in this state Il
pervert the ballot The cornerstone OF fre
government is an untrammeled ballot and
fair count of that ballot cast. Who interfere
with this, who aids and abets the enemies Of
free ballot. who conspires with these conspira
. tors. is equally guilty with them Who aid
and abets those who would disfranchise us i
the south himself helps to disfranchise u.s. help
to rob of all that Ia left in citizenship help
| to fasten upon US q curse worse than the gol
standard worse than any infamy OF plutocracy
| We appeal to populists in other states not
drive US away from them by subjecting US
the bourbon politicians and political brigand
with whom Mr.. Bryan has joined his fortunes
We sacrificed our feelings in 1895 and accepte
o | distasteful alliance. and made the best OF
devilish bad job; but we did not throw our arm
around Crokerism or Goebelism. The Bryan {
1899 is not the Bryan Of 1885, and. as for US, "
, are through with him. No majority in any cor
4 | yention can tie us him now. We appeal I
= populists to help US recover the peoples part
in 1900 and nominate q populist for president o
populist platform, as guarantee OF IRE
e ballot in the south, as well as the north an
q west We do not want to part company wit
the western populists They themselves Pre-
posed the alliance OF the south and west at Cir
= cinnati in 1891, and pledged tneir honor TO tn
union. It only remains to be seen whethe
they will be true to their words, or whetne
they will break faith that a few spoiismen ma
reap crumbs of solid comfort in the way OF pett
g ofices to pay for their perfidy.
i I'VE do not know how this election will II
r suit; but, result as 1t may, we have our mint
A made up on one point-there Is to lie no Bryd
for US in 1900. We will have populist tick
to vote for. with populists for leaders; for notf
ing can tie us TO the man or party which Is con
{ | mitted to peryersion OF the ballot The go
standard may triumph to-day. and by the wi
OF the people the verdict be reversed to-mo
row; but once give an irresponsible and unscr'
;. | pulous political despotism the power to perve
elections. to make up false returns. to put asst
the voice Of the people. to run riot in fraud al
for without restraint. without punishmer
and the crack OF doom win not find q relea
from their imperial sway"
e. And confronted with this crisis, VIII;
" was the attitude of the Kentucky poI
ulists? They had nominated an irr
proachable state ticket and it pole
i but a nominal vote. Why? Becaus
4 as explains 10. A. Parker, in lett
:: under date of Move mber IL, ''tbe cris
:, which confronted the people of th