Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1899-08-25
MAYOR JONES WRITES A LETTER.
He Says He Owes Allegiance to No Party.

In letter to the Union RetormerS OF Ono,
who asked him to accept their nomination for
governor, Mayor Jones, of Toledo, writes:
81 did not make the declaration that 81 will
never again claim political loyalty to anything
less than the whole people" until l had given
the subject the most careful thought that l am
capable Of l did not then see, nor am able
now to see, single spot or place where | snail
be debarred from exercising any function of
good citizenship by reason of having made this
declaration.
In partisan politics we have an expression Of
the worst evils of our competitive life. All the
ills that afiict our commercial, industrial, So
cial and political life to-day can be charged di-
rectly to the evil of competition. l think the
most careful analysis will convince all fair
minded persons of the justness OF this charge.
Men are brothers, not o.npetitors-naturaly
loving Just and kind-and our aim should be
to establish an order of life in which it is pos
sble for us to live as brothers. To do this, we
must eliminate the competitive idea in every
possible way we can. Competition is an ac-
knowledged failure as business system, and 1t
is no longer practiced by any but common labor
crs and small traders.
Business men, professional men and skilled
workmen combine hence, we have the trusts,
the corporations, the labor unions, the bar asso-
Citations, ministers unions, etc. The competi-
tive order may do for wild beasts; it was never
intended for human beings. AS it has been
abandoned as business system, and is rapidly
going out of date in every department of COM
,nercial life, it is high time that it should be
abandoned in our political life. see no posi-
ble way of doing this by pursuing the methods
of the old party machines. new party, using
old machine methods of precinct, ward, city
and county committeeman, ETC., of self-consti-
tuted committees to select lists of delegates,
will, in the end, produce the same results that
the old party machines have produced. 1t will
select the cunning and the wise and the unscru-
pulous, who will make merchandise out of the
simple, the con6dng and the unwary, and this
will continne so long as the competitive idea is
our rule i'll life
believe in direct legislation. l believe in
it now, and am willing to begin the practice of
it now. shall rot be candate for the office
of governor in this campaign, or for any other
office iii any campaign 10 come, unless the peo-
pie, through the initiative by petition, express
their desire that shall l know of no more
rational or reasonable way to inaugurate the
initiative than in the statement contained in
open letter in these words. Referring to the
desire for nom partisan candidate, l said: 81
invite those who feel that such move should
be made to write to Inc for petitions OF correct
legal form upon which to secure signatures,
petitionng the secretary of state to place the
name upon the ticket" l have not since, nor
will make a single move to secur. name
beyond merely sending out the blanks that have
been asked for. If this is not submitting the
question directly to the initiative Of the people,
then do not understand the simplest words in
the English language.
1t rs charged that l am making Jones
party' and an independent party. l reply, we
have no form or semblance of organization
or party as result of the ell ecton in this
city last spring. I believe in organization for
educational purposes, but not in organization
of men drawn together by the hope of spois
(ofices). When men and womed assemble
purely in the interest of education, we are then
able to locate the people who are inspired by
moral purposes, but when they organize for
political purposes, for the capture of Offices it
is impossible to tell who is inspired with a de-
sire to benefit their fellow men, and who is
drawn to the movement by the hope of per-
sonal gain.
1t has been asked how could expect to put
my theories into practice without party
To enact i.,t<, 1our