Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1901-07-27

gence to entitle him to cast ballot
but that must know that the national
banking trnSt, through republican
legislation, holds more absolute COR
troll Of the nations money than ever
before. And as to transportation,
the great railway lines have been con-
solidated within the last ten years
until there Is practically but single
system which now has absolute power
over the patrons of the roads.
The peoples party during the last
ten years accomplished the splendid
work of forcing the political discus
sion away from the tariff and center
ing the investigation upon money and
transportation with the economic
principal of public ownership as the
only just and permanent solution of
these problems. The man is surely
very shallow who fiatters himself that
the American people, with the light
they now have as result of populist
agitation and education, are going to
stop short of fully accomplishing their
purposes. From the very day of party
organization up to the present time
every move has been made with a
view to securing to the American PEG
pie the ownership of their own money
and their own highways of traffic.
In the first national campaign, when
James 3. Weaver was our candidate,
it was not possible to fuse or cooper
ate with either the democratic or re-
publican parties because the purposes
and candidates of both those parties
were directly hostile to the purposes
of pOpuliSm. In the second campaign
it was wise and righteous for the pop
uliSt party to unite its strength with
the national democracy, because the
party had wrenched itself from mon
opolistic domination, and under the
leadership of Mr.. Bryan was genuine
~ pledged to the rights of the masses.
1t would not only have been unwiSe
but criminal for pOpulistS in the last
two campaigns to do otherwise than
support Mr.. Bryan. AS certainly and
solemnIy as I believe all this to be
true 1 never for one day or hour have
dreamed, suggested or advised the
abandonment of the peoples party
organization. Never while there is
one chance in million of the national
democratic party being recaptured by
the corporate powers from which it
was wrested in 1896 would consent
or advise populiSts to abandon their
distinctive party organization. Nor
do know a single populist from Sen
ator Young on, who would advise
abandonment of separate organization.
But this 1 do say as to Kansas: Ow-
ing to the absurd, tyrannical and I'M
American invasion of popular rights
by the anti-fusion law of our state, l
would say that should the Kansas
democracy in good faith declare for
direct legislation and public owner
ship, and should they omit their hab-
itual tomfoolery over resubmission, it
would certainly be wise to endeavor
to find some way to unite our voting
strength with theirs. It is not at all
probable, however, that populiSts and
democrats will discover any way to CO
operate during the next state cam
paign. The populiStS will put their
ticket in the field; The democrats will
put theirs. OF course the populists
will poll the great bulk of reform
votes. The first clarion call issued
when occasion is ripe to populists,
both state and national, to assemble
in convention may develop a surprise
to the people who call US dead. Prior
to 1890 Kansas gave Benjamin Harri-
son 81, 600 majority.
ANNIE L. DIGGs.