People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1900-08-30
side of those who desire to prot.c, N,

side Of those who desire to protect IN
public at large from monopolies?
The fact that the trusts support IN
republican party ought to be suficien
proof that they expect protection from
It. The republican party cannot be re
lied upon to extinguish the trusts q,
long as 1t draws its campaign contribu
tons from their overlooking vaults.
The prosperity argument which the re-
publicans bring forward to answer al
complaints against the administration
will not deceive the farmer. He know,
that two factors enter into his income
First, the size Of his crop, and. second
the price he receives for the same. II.
does not return thanks to the party ir
power for favorable weather and a boun
tiful harvest, and he knows that the re-.
publican party has no policy which in.
sures permanent increase in agricultural
prices. Since he sells his surplus in 2
foreign market, he Is not beneficiary Of
the tariff, and since ne produces mer.
chandise and not money, he does moi
profit by the appreciation Of the dollar
He knows that the much Wanted pros.
perity, Of which he has never had hi.
share, is on the wane in spite of the IN.
usual and unnatural stimulus which I,
has received during the last three years
He knows that each month of 1900 shows
a larger number of failures than thf
corresponding month Of 1899. and that
there is already a marked tendency
toward a decrease In the output Of the
factories. He knows also that discov.
cries OF god, famines abroad and wal
on three continents have not been able
to raise the price of farm products as
rapidly as trusts and combinations have
raised the price Of the things which the
farmer buys.
Our opponents have tried to make II
appear that we are inconsistent when
we desire general rise in prices and vet
oppose an arbitrary rise in protected man.
fractures or trust-made goods. There is
no conflict whatever between these two
propositions. II a general rise in prices
occurs because Of permanent Increase
In the volume Of money all things adjust
themselves to the rev level. and II the
volume Of money then increases in pro-
portion 40 the demand for money. the
price level remains the same and business
can be done with fairness to all. H. how
ever, the rise is arbitrary, and only affects
a part Of the products of labor, those
whose products do rot participate in the
rise suffer because the purchasing power
Of their income is decreased. If a bad
monetary system drags down the price
Of the farmers product, while monopolies
raise the price Of what he buys, he burns
the candle at both ends and must expect
to suffer in comparison with those who
belong to the classes more favored by
legislation.
Ii is sometimes urged by partisan pop
Qists that four years more of republican
nSsrule would so aggravate economic
conditions as to make reforms easier
No one can afford to aid in making mat
tiers worse In the hope of being able to
make them better afterwards, for in go
doing he assumes responsibilities whic:,
he may not be able to remedy No pop
ulist, however sanguine, believes 1t pos
slble to elect a populist president at this
time, but the populist party may be able
to determine whether democrat or a re-
publican will be elected. Mr.. Chairman,
the populist convention, which your
committee represents, thought It better
to share with the democrats In the honor
OF securing some Of the reforms desired by
your party than to bear the odium Of
remaining neutral in this great crisis.
or OF giving open, or secret aid to the
republican party which opposes all the re-
forms for which the populists contend.
Those who labor to improve the condi-
tons which surround their fellow mer
are apt to become impatient; but th.y
must remember that 1t takes time to work
out great reforms. Let me illustrate by
calling your attention to the slow growth
OF public. opinion in support Of a PROF.
osition to which there has been prac-
tcally no public opposition. President
Johnson in 1868. recommended a constltu-
tonal amendment providing for the cleo
ton Of United States senator's by a d.
rect vote Of the people but his recon-
met with no response. About
2 years later, Gen. Weaver, then a men,
Der Of congress, tried to secure the pas
sage Of a resolution submitting such an
amendment, but his efforts were futile.
IN 1892 the resolution recommended by
President Johnson and urged by Con-
gresham Weaver finally passed the house
Of representatives, but it has not yet
reached vote in the senate, and now.
after eight years more of public dis
cussion, the proposition for the first time
received the Endorsement Of the national
Of one of the great parties.
If the fusion forces win a victory this
FALL we shall see this reform accomplished
before the next presidential election and
with its accomplishment, the people will
find 1t easier to secure any remedial leg
iSlation which they may desire. But how
hating has been the progress. Holland
has said:
Heaven is not gained by a single bound.
We build the ladder by which we rise,
From the lowly earth to the vaulted
skies
And we mount to its summit round by
round"
And so it is with the great social and
political movements.
Great problems are solved slowly, but
struggling humanity marching on, step
by step, content at each nightfall, Il can
pitch Its tent on little higher ground.
have called attention 10 the issues
which brought the democrats and popu-
lists together. and which justifes the
cooperation during the last four years.
let me now invite your attention to new
questions which would Justify co-opera-
ion at this time even though we diff
fered upon all economic questions. II is
rot our fault that these new questions
have been thrust into the arena Of poll
tics; II Is not our fault that the people
have been called upon to consider ques-
lions Of ever-increasing magnitude. In
1890 the tariff question was the principal
subject Of discussion and the democratic
rarity contended that the masses were
carrying burden of unjust and unnec-
essary taxes. In 1892 the tariff question
was still the principal issue between the
Democratic and republican parties, al
though In the west and south the money
question was assuming greater and
greater proportions and the populists were
that our monetary system
was more responsible than the tariff laws
for the depression in agriculture and the
distress existing among the wage earn
T., l.