Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1902-01-15
NO. 80.
A POPULIST CONFERENCE.
TO Be Held at Topeka, Kansas, Febru.
ary 2lSt, 1902.

The PEOPLES Party State central
committee has issued call for a con.
ference to be held at the Auditorium IN
Topeka February 2lst. The purpose or
the conference is TO discuss plans for
the future and to devise plan where.
by the reform elements OF the state and
the voters opposed to republicanism,
and tho present manner in which pub
lie affairs are being conducted. may
unite and thus defeat the aims Of the
new election law. Every county i'm the
state is appealed to for delegate repre-.
sentatIOn and the doors will be open TO
all populists who Will attend.
The call follows:
10 the Peoples Party of the State OF
Kansas:
Your committee realizes that ques-
tions have arisen involving the rights
and liberties Of the people composing
our party, and their power to make
their will effective through the ordl-
nary methods and forms of law, and
that the election machinery. whose ob.
ject should be to aid the people in the
expression of free choice among men
and measures. has been perverted to
thwart 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, they ought to
be consulted, and having in view that
fundamental principle of Populism
which demands that they, the entire
party membership, shall have u voice
in deciding party policies and party
policies and party expressions, we have
decided to call a delegate conference i'm
which the whole party in the state may
be represented and counsel together as
to future course.
Harmoniously united in our devotion
to the principles for which our party
has stood through all It's history as well
as. in our attachment to the organiza-
tiOn In which We have stood shoulder
to shoulder for decade; with no
thought of abandoning cur warfare on
economic evil nor of lowering in the
slightest degree the standard of civic
righteousness we have set up. yet we
cannot ignore the fact that conditions
confront us which render new political
methods indispensable to success.
Possessing the power to harass and
oppress opposing parties, our Repubh.
can opponents In the last legislature
used it to enact ballot law which dc.
prives those parties and the people
who compose them Of the right to NOM
mate and vote for such candidates as
commend themselves to their judg-
ments and cOnscienees. and at the
same time render the ballot juggling
puzzle to every voter who is not party
| slave. By such legislative oppression
and infamy they evidently purposed to
insure for the Republican party . per-
| petual lease of power and they have
succeeded In practically disfrsnchising
One.fOurth OF the voters who partici.
pated In the last election held since the
! enactment or that partisan. unjust and
unfair ballot law.
To take measures and decide upon q
line OF policy to circumvent these plots
and Vaccinations OF our Republican
opponents, We have deemed q confer.
ence representing the entire member.
ST - OF our party both prudent and nee.
essary. We must decide whether We
will 90 into triangular contest, thus
allowing :he common enemy TO divide
aud conquer US In detail and rendering
success impossible next year or for
years to come. or whether We will plan
TO continue c0-Operatiop with those
who have been our allies during the
last two national cOn.ests, in working
for the overthrow of Republican domi.
nation and the restoration and preser-
vatton or the rights and liberties Of
which that party has plotted to deprive
| US.
Various plans have been suggested
By which we can clrcumyent our adver-
saries and the delegate conference
which We have agreed to call will nm.
d0ubtedly be able 70 decide whether
any OF them are advisable. and in what
way we can make our influence more
effective for the promotion of those
principles OF government 20 which We
are devoted. It is earnestly desired
and requested that in each county the
conventions to select delegates to the
coming conference be a laroe}ga annnu6- :
ed as possible and that VIC fullest and
freest expression OF sentiment as to