Hutchinson gazette., 1902-01-30
POPuLIsTs DUTY.

llbN bllklAN hhA WV 'N'JNNN ~ s'FN NssN
for pleasant reflection. But the con-
ditlon and not the theory Is to be
met and II may rs well be met man
fully, The condition seems TO be
about this that there Is no longer n
place for the popullst party. The
western democrats have preempted
about all the old populist principles
and doctrines. There are some Of
the theories it Is true, like the sub
treasury scheme, for instance, that
the democrats do not accept, but II
may very truly be said that the pop
ullsts do not either any more, They
never were fundamental. They never
we're accepted by the entire constltu-
ency OF the party. But great many
populists, in fact most OF them, have
not stopped whore they set their
stakes ten years ago. They have con-
tinucd their economic studies with
the result that they have weeded out
the visionary and unsclentiiic
"iSms," with which the early history
Of the party was numbered, but they
have also discovered that many Of
the sOunder Of their remedies were
really only palliative, and not eradl-
catIve In their nature, So with this
they have become socialists. Now
they are debating whether or not the
democratic party, even with Bryan
at It's head, Is comprehensive enough
in It's propositions Of reform. And so
events have shaped themselves that
the more conservative populistS are
democrats and the more radical ones
are socialists and will probably join
the socialist party. The socialist
party Is bound to grow and 1t would
not be very wild political prophesy
to say that it will be one Of the most
potent political factors Of the fu-
ture.
This Is because IL Is the inevitable
tendency Of all modern industrial
development, However the question
Of political agitation at the present
time by the formation Of new parties,
Is very questionable Especially Is
1t so for the reason that all these par
ties up to the present have taken
too radical stand, They in their
strlctcSt declarations undertake too
much for any sane and practical man,
For instance they declare for "the
public ownership Of all the means Of
production and distribution" =" This
means the entire elimination Of pri-
vatc property. II includes your hoes
and wagon wrcnches. Strictly con-
strued II means your wife and babies.
Some day under some peculiar condi-
tions, some such socialists, are liable
TO get into power somewhere. Then
they will bump up against practical
propositions which will demonstrate
the imposslbillty of carrying out their
platform pledges, or else in attempt
ing to consumate legislation in this
line they win fail dlsastrouSly and
bring odium on Il good cause, The
too radical and visionary socialist is
the worst enemy OF the cause he cs-
pouSes.
The time will porbably will come
when there will be a necessity for a
socialist party. But at present the
educational work can best be done in
n sort Of non-partisan way by adyo-
eating practical measures Of a social
istic nature. Every socialist who is
well grounded in the principles will
admit that the sOcialistic conditions
must come, If at all, by process Of
evolution. 1t will come by nation
allzing the smaller monopolics and
public utilities, then going to the
larger ones as experiment proves the
success Of the operations. The work
will be delayed by including too much
In the declaration Of principles and
attempting to establish a political
party thereon. However the demo-
cartic party at present does not seem
to he very ylrle thing. II may even
he suggested that dropping the pop
uliSt party to 60 into the democratic
party Is like dropping one corpse to
take up another, But nevertheless,
the fact remains that some day par
ty opposed to the republican party
will get in power. What populistS
might expect to accomplish would not
so much be to help them win victo-
rlcS as 1t is to keep the organization
In such condition and working on
such platform, that when they do
win as they will some day when con-
ditions are right, they will have to
do something in the nature OF reform
This in word is the situation as It..
appears to the writer. Time only
will tell what the result will pc,
WE OUGHT TO BE PROUD.