Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-24
4 PopuLisr RAlNsow cHAsER.


4 PUPULiST RAINBOW CHASER.
A few days ago the popullst weather
bureau at Lincoln issued a circular let
ter to the numerous national committee
men of the populist party with a view
to ascertaining the direction and velocity
OF the wind and the reading of the signs
of the political zodiac for 1904. The
first response that reached the chief
weather prophet came from Rainbow
Chaser Elmer e. Thomas of Omaha,
who rivals the renowned Munchausen
in fertility of imagination and impedi-
ment of veracity.
According to that robust fakir the
recent city election in Omaha proves
that the peoples party in this city is
alive and very much in evidence. All
the honors of the election are with u.s."
exclaims the exuberant sky gazer, and
continues:
We have gained back more prestige and
power in this campaign than we lost In all
the dreary years of fusion with the demo-
Gratis. We elected more of our ticket than
any other party. We elected our nominees
for treasurer, attorney, comptroller, tax
commissioner and ave out of nine council
men by maJorities ranging as high as 1900
votes. We failed to elect our candidate for
mayor AMI city clerk. The populist eandi-
date for building inspector was not in
dorsed by any organization or any party
except our own. He received 1,2S5 votes.
This indicates our strength. and II also
indicates that we are about as strong In
Omaha as we were ten years ago.
How did this body Of less than 1900 voters
prove so efectiveY BY the adoption of the
nonpartisan idea promulgated by Golden
Rule Jones. We determined TO nominate
the best men chosen by any organization
and to throw our vote TO them.
Our candidate for mayor, e, A. Benson, re-
ceived SIT votes In a three-cornered fight.
He had eco votes more than Ed Howell, the
democratic candidate. This will entitle us
to second pace on the ticket hereafter, and
leave the democrats to fight II out with the
socialists for tail-end position. Hav-
ing demonstrated our power, our demo-
cratic friends are mighty willing to get
back into bed with us. Lately they have
not given US a pleasant look, much less
sharing with us the fruits Of victory. To-
day we can have what we want to take in
the way of nominations. This is
what We have done and this is why
we rejoice ana why we declare that we
are not dead and not going TO be dead.
Our party has always had a mission, to-wit:
to secure good government by clean men
eAAa ~ CAhI&N1 Ah0 BeOIlG uDOn tCOIlOIlll0
questions. The peoples party could not die
II II wanted to. This talk about our being
dead makes me ineffably tired. It is as II
was with Peter, when Jesus asked the dis
eiples II they, too, were going to desert
him, Lord to whom shall, we go? Thou
hast the words of eternal life"
This is decidedly rich and racy. The
three tailors of Tooley street are not in
it for a moment with Rainbow Chaser
Thomas. We populists did It! We
made a holy show Of ourselves by fusing
a bakers dozen of populists with sew
enty republicans to project a patched
quilt ticket on which there was not a
single populist. We nominated as our
standard bearer q hard times MONEY
lender and promoter who scoffed at 1G
to 1, ridiculed populists as calamity
l%unatics and always held his nose when
ever he came within gunshot of a popu-
list, and received the bulk of his support
from the corporation cohorts and their
dependents.
Remember, us populists elected Hen
nings and made him city treasurer by
over 5000 majority, didn't WEI And
Lobeck and Fleming were also elected
by the cloudburst Of populism. The
poor forlorn democracy did not cut any
ice on May 8; neither did the Municipal
league, the Swedish vote, the Real Els.
tate exchange or the republican party
Didn't d candidate for labor commits.
sioner loom up out Of sight without the
aid or consent of n other party
Didn't he get within 600 votes as many
as the Independent petition candidate
who had no party at all behind him?
Didn't that prove conclusively thai
populism is once more on top? WI,
shouldn't we have most of the office.
hereafter7 Why shouldn't Rainbow
Chaser Thomas be appointed police com
missioner to begin with to prove tina
the peoples party could not die If 4
wanted TOT The poor old democrati,
party, which served as wet nurse to pop
ulism. is frightened out Of it's wits b,
the populist avalanche.
The shriveled remnants of democrac,
will have to exclain, like Peter. ooh
! Lord. to whom shall we COR" Ant
the remnants after looking around to th,
right and to the left will throw them
, selves headlong on the shirt bosom O
, Elmer Thomas and weep tears of re
morse and Joy while a few crumbs ar
. thrown to 1t from the pop pie counter.