Hutchinson gazette., 1902-01-09
TO POPULlSTSi

~ lllN N'plN y NlNy i'i WV '''"'N
of Kansas
Your committee realizes that Ques-
tlons have arisen involving the rights
and liberties Of the people composing
our party, their power to make their
will effective through the ordinary
methods and forms Of law, and that
the election machinery, whose object
It should be to aid the people in the
expression Of a free choice among men
and measures, has been perverted 81
as TO thwnrt such expression
Believing that in all times Of doubt
and danger, as well as when questions
involving the rights and interests of
the people are pending, and hay-
ing in view the fundamental prlnci-
pies of Popullsm which demand that
they, the entire party membership
shall have n voice In deciding party
policies and party expressions, We
have determined to call a delegate
conference in which the whole party
In the State may be represented and
council together as to future course.
tremendously united in our devo-
tion to the principles for which our
party has stood through all Its history,
as well as our attachment to the or
ganization in which we have stood
shoulder to shoulder for a decade
with no thought Of abandoning our
warfare on economic evil nor OF low
cring In the slightest degree the
standards Of civic righteousness we
have set up, yet we cannot ignore the
fact that conditions confront us which
render new political methods indls-
penSlblc to success
Possessing the power to harrass and
Cypress opposing parties, our rcpubli-
can opponents In the last legislature
used 1t to enact a ballot law which
depriveS those parties of and the peO-
pie who compose them Of the right to
nominate and vote for such candi-
dates as commend themselves to their
Judgment and to their c0nSciences; {;
and at the same time render the bal
lot juggling puzzle to every voter
who Is not u party slave. by such
legislative oppression and infamy they
evidently proposed to insure for the
republican party perpetual lease Of
power, and they have succeeded in
practically DISTINGUISHING nearly one
fourth Of the voters who participated
in the last election since the enact
ment Of that partisan, unjust and un-
fair ballot law.
TO take measures and decide upon
a line Of policy to circumvent these
plots and Vaccinations Of our repub-
lican opponents we have deemed a
conference representing the entire
membership Of our party both pru-
dent and necessary. We must decide
whether we will 60 into Il triangular
contest, thus allowing the common
enemy to divide and conquer us in
detail and rendering success impoSsi-
BILE next year or for years to come, or
whether we will plan to continue CO.
operation with those who have been
rallies during the last two National
in working for the over
throw Of the republican dOmiation
aud the restoration and preservation
of those rights and privicdges Of
which that party has plotted to de-
priye us. Various plans have been
by which we can circum-
vent our adverSaries and the delegate
conference which we have agreed to
call will undoubtedly be able TO de.
eide whether any Of them are adviSa-
bic and In that way we can make our
influence most effective for the pro-
motion Of those principles of govern
ment to which we are devoted. II is
earnestly requested and desired that
in each county the conventions to
elect delegates 10 the coming confer
ence be as largely attended as posi-
BILE and that the fullest and freest ex-
preston as TO our future course he
encouraged to the end that the con
ference may be enabled to crystal
iLe the thought and wishes Of our en-
tire membership.
Il. r. Ridgely, Chairman.
j. II. Curran, Secretary.
Pursuant to the above delegate
conference is hereby called for the
purpose Of above mentioned, to meet
ut Topeka Kansas on February 2lSt,
1902, at 10 O'Clock a. m. The basis
for representation shall be one for
zach county and one for each 500