Abilene weekly reflector., 1899-08-24
A Matter Of Sincerity.

Down at Herington last week
gathered double barreled Demo-Pop
judicial convention and it adopted
this resolution:
ave charge the Republican party
and Republican laws with the crea'
tion Of the trust system that burdens
the people Of all branches Of trade
and industry and we deny the SINGER
ity Of its alleged opposition 10 these
combinations"
1t is entirely and completely con-
sistent on the part Of the Democracy
which held the whip hand at this con.
vention. 1t is a serious fact that the
Populist and Democratic parties OF
Kansas are imbued with lack OF sin.
cerity themselves and they cannot
conceive Of such thing in any other
party.
A party like the Democratic has
one weakness from which it can never
escape. Having shown for many
wears a want OF sincere belief and pur-
pose, it cannot make plain people
count it sincere in any belief it may
choose to avow or honest in any pur-
pose it may profess. 1t is supposed
to be all the time setting up false pre-.
tences in order to win votes, and
ready to sacrifice any conviction or
to break any pledge in order to get
office. Even the most candid and
sincere OF Democrats are not aware
how the record Of their party for the
last forty years has first caused and
then justified such feeling. Still
less are they aware how greatly their
own conduct has contributed to cause
it, Again and again they have been
so anxious for the success OF the party
that they have given it all their ef-
forts, although by all who knew them
at all they were known to be entirely
opposed to the beliefs and purposes
upon which, in its public appeals to
voters, the party based its chief claim
to success.
Such Democrats knew perfectly
well in 1864 that the war was not
wicked nor tyrannical, nor was it "a
failure" They knew perfectly well
in 1868 that payment of the debt in
greenbacks would be dishonest and
ruinous. They knew perfectly well
that 1t was a gross untruth in 1876 to
denounce the resumption act as
hindrance to resumption, and that
the Democratic party, with its soft
money and repudiating tendency, had
been the only hindrance. Equally
well they knew in 1880 that the judg'
ment OF the electoral commission
which seated President Hayes had de.
feated a great fraud and the later
Democratic attempt by bribery and
cipher dispatches to steal the govern
ment. So they knew in 1884 that
their party would not dare when in
power to restore free coinage of silver
as well as gold, or to enact tariff for
revenue only, and their own acts
afterward rescued the country from
the madness which they had counte-
nanced during the canvass, Again,
in 1888 they knew that no business
man Of good sense among them
wished the Wilson tariff enacted, and
yet the party chiefly appealed to the
people on that issue. They knew
equally well in 1892 that the McKin-
ley act which they denounced was
then giving the country greater pros
perity than it had ever before en-
joyed. Multitudes of sensible Demo.
Gratis knew equally well three years
ago that the free silver and free riot
platform was both Infamous and ruin
Gus, and yet great numbers of them
supported their party and excused
themselves by saying that the plat