Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-01-25
War in the populi,t Camp.

The news comes from Winfield that
VIM. Stryker, former state superin'
tendent, will refuse to support the
Populist ticket il a Democrat gets a
place on it.
Ex.Supreme Court Reporter G. c.
Clemens has also issued a manifesto.
He serves notice on the Populist state
committee that II 1t submits to q
division OF the state ticket with the
Democrats this year he will bolt the
party and organize one Of bis own.
1t is bis plan to put straight social
list ticket in the field il the Populists
recognize the Democrats in the make
up OF the state ticket. He said:
~ have been scolded some for pub.
fishing my interesting political
lucubrations in Republican papers,
but how else is a poor Populist, so
unreasonable as to be sincere, to get
anything published for his brethren
TO readP The extent to which have
been labored with since my remarks
to the state committee at their last
meeting indicates that what | said
was deemed to be Of some conse-
quence, yet with two exceptions
only, so far as | know, the fusion
press has been silent as the grave
about the fact that said anything
The fusion papers seem to be under a
censorship as severe as that they
complain Of Otis for maintaining. So
again must 90 into the Republican
press to make my position clear. !
have not left the Populist party. |
am waiting to see whether, when the
state committee gets through with it,
there will anything left to leave.
Besides, ! find 1t much harder to
leave the party over whose cradle |
helped watch, than it was to leave
the party into which ! was born. But
| cannot stand everything II the
state ticket is to be divided | must
60. ! have written and spoken too
much in years past to make it posi-
Bile for me to endure that and retain
my self.respect Nor do propose to
be become a Democrat. | believe in
affirmation. Mere negation can do
no good for the people. The Demo.
cratic party does not propose to take
single step in advance. All Its de-
mands amount TO no more than that
we shall get back to "the good old
times" Back to bimetallism; back
to where we were before the Spanish
war; back to the competitive system
which previled before the trusts
came, The Mississippi is requested
to withdraw from the Gulf and flow
back to its source and stay. We
need but 90 back to 1872 to find
everything precisely as the Demo-
cratic party wishes. things to be
again. We had bimetalism then,
and we had neither imperialism nor
trusts. Yet the people were not hap
py. At that time the knights of
Labor had been three years in exist
ence; the Grange had been organized
five years and had reached even Kan
sas. We do not know yet what else
the Democratic party may stand for,
yet the Populist state committee in
sists upon "allying" us at this early
date and upon forcing us to give up
our own party to become permanent
ly "triuned." | don't propose to
"triune' a little bit. II we are not
to have Populist party any more,
then | have an engagement elsewhere.
And propose to know about it soon.
"But am afraid | have said too
much. | may be read out OF my
party for even these gentle remarks.
Please say when you saw me | shut
up like clam and refused to talk.
That always makes a man look i'm.
portant in print, and am anxious to
cut some ice during the next week
or So"
An article in Kansas City paper