Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1902-01-17
Peoples Party Conference.

To the Peoples Party of the State OF Kansas
Your committee realizes that questions 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 should be to aid the
people IN the expression of a free choice among
men and measures, has been perverted SO as to
thwart such expression.
| Believing that in all times of doubt and dan
ger, as we'll as when questions involving the
rights and interests of the people are pending,
and having in view the fundamental principles
of Populsm which demand that they, the en-
tire party membership, shall have a voice IN
deciding party policies and party expressions,
we have determined TO call delegate confer
ence in which the whole party in the state may
be represented and counsel together as to
future course.
tremendously united in our devotion to the
principles for which our party has stood through
all its history, as we'll as our attachment to the
organization in which we have STOOD shoulder
TO shoulder for decade; with no thought OF
abandoning our warfare on economic evil nor OF
lowering 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 indis-
pensabe to success.
Possessing the power to harass and Cypress
opposing parties, our Republican opponents IN
the last legislature used it to enact ballot law
which deprives those parties and the people
who compose them of the right to nominate
and vote for such candidates as commend them
selves TO their Judgment and their consciences;
and at the same time rend-r the ballot Jug
Cling puzzle to every voter who is not party
slave By such legislative oppression aud IN
: fanny they evidently proposed to insure tor the
Republican party perpetual lease ot power,
and thew have succeeded in practically dis
frauchising nearly one-fourth of the voters who
participated in the las election since the enact
ment of that partisan, unjust and unfair ballot
law.
To take measures and decide upon line OF
policy TO circumvent these plots aud maclina-
lions Of our Republican opponents, we have
deemed conference representing the entire
membership of our party both prudent and
necessary. We must decide whether we will
90 into triangular contest, hnS allowing the
common enemy to divide and conquer us in de-
tail and rendering success inposslb t next year
or for wears 10 come, or whether We viii nla,l
to continue cooperation with lncae who have
been our allies during the last two national con-
tests. in wo. king for the overthrow of the re-
publican domination and the restoration and
preservation of those rights and privileges of
which that party has plotted 10 deprive us.
Various plans have been suggested by which,
we can circumvent our adversaries and the dele
gate conference which we have agreed to call
will undoubtedly be able to decide whether any
of them are advisable and in that way we can
make our influence most effective for the pro-
motion of those principles of government to
which we are devoted 1t is earnestly requested
and desired that in each county the conventions
to select delegates to the coming conference be
as largely attended as possible and that the
fullest and freest expression as to our future
course be encouraged, to the end that the con-
ference may be able to crystalize the thought
and wishes of our entire membership.
E. R. RIDGEIY, Chairman.
| T. H. CURRAN, Secretary.
Pursuant to the above delegate conference
lis hereby called for the purposes above nrn-
toned, to meet al Topeka, Kansas, on February
2Ist, 1902, at 10 O'Clock a. M The basis of
Representation shall be one for each county, aud