The representative., 1900-10-11
An Able Address Upon the Financial
Plank of the Populist Platform.
Hon. w. S. Morgan, Arkansas, Pleads
for the Peoples noney.
TIE Old Greenback Saved the Nation in a Time of
Peril-Why Not Save 1t Now?

Fellow Citizens-In a Republic like
ours. where it is supposed that the peo-
pie shape the affairs of the government,
every man who exercises the right Of
suffrage should be able to give reason
for the faith that is in him. And think
he should be able to do this whether
his ballot is counted for the man he
votes for or for the other fellow. I am
not here to dictate to the people of
Kentucky how they should vote, but
am here at the invitation of the Peoples
Party Committee, just as Democrats and
Republicans are brought here from other
states to discuss the political questions
now before the people Of this nation and
upon which they will be called to express
their views at the ballot box next No.
vember.
1t is not necessary for me to rehearse
the story of treachery which has brought
so much confusion in our ranks since
1896. 1t is enough to say that we are
now rid of the element that headed
for the Democratic camp in 1896 and
made a safe landing at Kansas City q
few days ago. We may congratulate
ourselves that we are rid Of that ele-
ment, and that they, like the dog in
the scripture, have returned to their
own vomit-" It is true that there was
not quite SO many Of us as there were,
but what we lack In numbers we more
than make up in quality. Every man
who stands up now to be counted for the
Peoples party is a soldier and a hero
worthy of honor and respect from both
friend and foe. And, mark what say,
my friends. when the ides- of November
come you will be surprised at the num-
Der Of Populists who went of with the
fusion movement that will return to
their first love-" Now that there is no
fusion, that it was a march into the
Democratic camp and an absolute and
unconditional surrender, you will find
thousands of the boys in the trenches"
that will refuse to be delivered. The
"fatted calf" shall be killed, they shall
have a ring on their finger and make
merry with us.
To those men who are not Influenced
by greed for Office, who honestly
thought that fusion was best, best for
the party and best for the people, We
have kindly feeling. We stand ready
to wipe out the past and march shoul-
der to shoulder with them in the ac-
complishment OF those things for which
the Peoples party was organized. Then
let US put the past behind US. Let
the Democrats bury our dead. Let
them all be inferred at the funeral
which they are preparing for them
selves with William Jennings Bryan as
the chief corpse of the occasion. We are
willing as Populists to donate a
little crepe for that occasion, but 40
tears.
Now, my friends, there are perhaps
some Republicans and Democrats in
this audience. hope so at least.
read Democratic and Republican news
papers and 60 to hear their speeches.
! want all sides of this question. Ii
I am wrong I want to know It, But
every man, or almost every man who
tells me I am wrong, hasn't read and
studied both sides of the question. Few
Republicans read Populist and Demo-
cratic papers and few Democrats read
any kind Of papers. At least any kind
but their own. Now, don't want to
quarrel with you, and I'm not going to
abuse you. may poke little fun at you.
have had so much fun poked at me
that have to unload some of it occa-
sionally. It is not pleasant for one to
differ with his neighbors. If could
have my way would prefer to have no
contention with anybody. But it is
natural for us to differ, and while wc
concede to each other the right of his
opinions and to express these opinions,
we should avoid the bitterness Of q
controversy. Again, while we have
right to our own opinions, we owe it
to ourselves, to our children, our coun-
try and our God to exert ourselves to
learn as best we can whether those
opinions are correct or not. Some men
think with their lungs and some. with
their brains, while some don't think at
all, and evidently imagine that their
head was made for no other purpose than
70 hang their hat on. Some men are