The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-02-17

dered the committee. I took exception
to and argued against a phrase of Sc
verify applied to holders of enormous
wealth The committee sustained my
point of view and the phrase was
stricken out. Judge Allen asked for my
contribution to the resolutions 1 re-
piled that l had it in my head but not
reduced to writing 1 then proceeded to
write the following:
Whatever action may be taken by the
coming conference as related to CO.
operation with the Democrats at the
next general election, it is the sense
of the Shawnee county PopuliStS that
the organization of the Populist party
shall be n aintained."
My resolution was accepted by the
committee and later was unanimously
adopted by the convention. 1t is there
fore historically true that upon the one
practical purpose for which the conVen-
ton was called 1 wrote the statement
which defined its policy and received
unanimous endorsement.
''Fourth-Mrs. Diggs made a speech
in which she said. who in the house
would refuse to vote the Democratic
ticket if the platform advocated the
principles for which we have always
stood. and men that would be accept
able to alp
Instead of this I said, as carefully
and clearly as my use of the English
language permits, Is there a man in
the house who if elected a delegate to
the conference, would speak, vote or
connive to unite with the Democratic
party, unless the Democrats were to
make a platform of POpuliSt principles
and place thereon men of such con-
victions and such integrity as would
command the entire confidence of Pop
ulists? 1 asked the chairman's permits
sion to call upon any man who would
so speak, vote or scheme, to rise and so
declare. L paused for reply; profound
silence prevailed, and / declared that
there was no such person present.
'Fffth-'Mrs- Diggs suggested that 1T
might be well to wait a long while and
see what the Democratic convention
would do
False in toto.
''Sixth-The story of the election of
conference delegates is as follows: The
Shawnee county convention made my
election the first one of the number, they
interrupted a proposition to vote for del
egateS by ballot with the motion to elect
me by reclamation, which was enthusi-
astically done. l was congratulated at
the close of the convention on having
been made chairman of the Shawnee
county delegation at the coming confer
ence by reason of having been the first
delegate elected,an honor which great
~ appreciate, but which l intend to de-
cline at the proper time in favor of Mr..
Breidenthal whose election was next az
ter my own.
IF the above can be correctly summed
up as a turning down would respect
fully inquire of any politician in Kan
sas if he would not be delighted to be
turned down in the same way.
And while / have my pen in hand
permit me to state some more history:
1t has been announced through the daily
press that have Joined the Democratic
party The announcement was doubt
less based upon an editorial of mine
written for the Advocate, only portion
of which was quoted. In that editorial
I made arguments covering the three
points of view which / knew prevailed
among the Kansas Populists / express
ed my strong personal preference for a
campaign of purely educational char
acter which would result from action
wholly unrelated to the Democratic
party of Kansas. 1 then made as strong
an argument as I could command from
the point of view of success in the way
of election of candidates and also of
strengthening the Populist element in
the national Democratic party in their
hard struggle against recapture by the
men who shaped it's policy when Mr..
Rossington was a Democrat; that argu-