Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-05-15

by experience and here today adopt
practical methods for achieving. prac-l
tical reforms. There is no person, who
has a hobby, but that would at all
times be pleased to submit his propo-
sition of reform to vote of the peo-
pie. There can be no good and loyal
citizen who will register serious OBJ
jections to the people ruling. 1t is.
evident the people do not rule at
this time nor have they ever done So.
Why not all reformers join together in
our great phalanx, demanding direct
legislation so that proposed remedies
may be passed upon, voted upon by
the people, with no veto power but the
people themselves. My friends, to fur
Their waste time in chasing rainbows
| is to demonstrate our unworthiness
of the blessings handed down to us by
our forefathers, blessings that have
come to us thru rivers of blood and
mountains of treasure. l am not a
pessimist. I think the world is get
| ting better as time passes. think we
enjoy in many respects greater bless
ings than We're enjoyed by our ances-
tors, but, my friends, as long as mon
opolies and trusts can exercise the
power over the people that they
have and now exercise, my voice, my
pen, my time will be devoted to the
cause of the people who are being I'M
necessarily and wickedly oppressed.
st is scarcely necessary in this
old parties. You all know they are
both corrupt to the core, that they
both strive to serve Mammon. They
\ al ~,
say they propose to regulate the
trusts. Such nonsense. The populist
party has passed the stage of regula-
ton Speaking for myself 4
believe that the regulation
of anybody's business except your
own, is wrong in principles. All at
tempts at corporate regulation have
been proven to. be farce. 1 believe
that when business or trust in its
natural operation becomes a menace
to the welfare of the people that the
public should own such business or
trust. Yes, make one grand trust out
. of it, a trust in which all The people
are part owners. There is no business
being conducted today in the nature
of q trust but what the government
could own and operate. Time spent
in trying to regulate trusts is time
wasted and no one knows it better
than the managers of the two old po-
litical parties.
Under our own present system, we
have government by party instead of
government by people and if the par
| ty in power is corrupt we have poor
government.
st appears to be one Of the laws of
nature that the older a political party
grows, the more corrupt and demoral-
Iizing it becomes. Like bad egg, the
longer you keep it, the worse it gets.
/ The democratic party has arrived at
Tits last days of keeping; the republic
an party by its close relationship and
association with democracy has also
ldegenerated to 4 mass OF broken
pledges that are destroying it rapidly.
Both parties have changed front. Both
are corrupt, and unless we can secure
direct legislation we will, after we
achieve success, become as a party, a
detriment instead of a help to bring
about reform.
Let us secure direct legislation, a
Z government by the people for the peo-
pie instead of government by the par
ties for the parties, and the history
of our party will be the most glorious
of all parties that have ever existed.
When we have secured direct legis-
lation which we can secure without
any great change, then we can submit
to the people the money question, the
railroad question, the land question,
the trust question and any others
that stated per cent OF the voters
4 demand to be submitted. Then our
lawmakers will be higher class of
men. The lobbyist will disappear
from the halls of legislation, and the
people, the great common people, all
the people, will be left free to pass or
undo any laws they desire
! Some of our misguided friends are
meeting in another part of the coun.
try today. Poor fellows, pity them
They are rainbow chasers, and they
will not realize their predicament un-
til their day of grace is past. Let us
not hate them, but rather let us look
upon them with mercy, believing as
we do that many honest men are
among them who ought to know bet
ter, but who have been misled by the
bright and dazzling colors of the daz-
zling rainbow. They hope to secure
reform thru the democratic party,
the party of stagnation, negative
party, a party that always opposes
whatever is, whether it be good, bad
or Indifferent. But as time rolls on they
will see the folly of rainbow chasing,
and will return to the fold better and
wiser men,"
speech by j. w. Osborne.
]. w. Osborne, of Georgia, addressed
the convention, and said:
\ -Four years ago at ST. Louis the
Populist party made the greatest pol
, itical blunder of the country by co
operating with the Democratic party,
| for the Democratic party traditionally
. stands for individualism and state
/ rights and the next stage of human de-
, velopment will be the collective stage
(all things are tending that way today
! both in industry and politics) and the
Populist party was standing for col
: lectivism, was in harmony with the
| spirit of the times and the evolution
5 in industry
There never was anything in com
!, mon between the Populist and the
!. Democratic party. On the money
5 question Populism stands for the nat.