The Savannah morning news., 1904-10-10


ter of acceptance of Thomas E. Wat
son of the presidential nomination of
the Peoples party is given out. 1t is.
in part, as follows:
To Hon. Samuel w. Williams, chair
man committee on Notification:
When two great political parties
have in turn governed a country and
have between them brought about un-
satisfactory conditions, it is but nat
uraI fact that third party should
arise. Citizens who have looked in
vain to 1.-The two great parties" for
remedial legislation lose confidence in
both after a while, and adopt one
of two courses; they either submit to
the evils of bad government, or pro-
test by organizing q third party.
To the student of history there is
nothing more saddening than the ten
dency of the people to submit. AS a
rule, political education never reaches
the masses. State-craft, like priest
craft, jealousy guards it's secrets.
There is always the inner sanctuary
which the people are taught to be-
lieve would be profaned by the touch
of their unholy feet.
Did the people of Russia demand
war with Japan? Were they con-
suited? Did they have any grievance
against the Japanese? No. The Gear
did not want the war; the people did
not want it. Who. then, forced Rus
STA into that bottomless pit of blood
and suffering? The corrupt ruling
class-the predatory capitalists who
were seeking new fields of conquest.
A score of gold-hunting anabobs pro-
voked the strife; and now the Rus
sian peasant must yield up his body,
throw the weeds of widowhood around
his wife, wiring the cry of orphanage
from the lips of his child, and feed
the buzzards with his rotting flesh,
In order that INSCRIPTIONS marauders
may get their clutches upon more gold.
In Germany see how the war lord
struts and swaggers and misgoverns.
See him clap men, women and chill
dren into filthy dungeons for the high
crime of speaking unexpectedly OF
their imperial master. See how the
soldier rides on the back of his pro-
Queer. See how the common people
are ground down under the wheels OF
a splendid, extravagant, insolvent mill
itarism. See the millions wasted
yearly on the personal vanities of the
Emperor. See how the smart young
officers cut down with their swords
the private soldier, or the private citi-
zen, and escape punishment. See how
this proud Emperor sends to penal
servitude for seven years poor devil
of a private soldier who has expressed
wish that the swift train which bore
the Kaiser by, on one of his journeys,
might have been slowed up so that
his majestys loyal subject could have
gotten a glimpse of the royal face.
How is it in our own land? God
never made grander home for His chill
dren than that which the Cavalier in Vir-
ginia, the Dutchman in New York, and
the Puritan in Massachusetts, sought
as a refuge from the systems of the
Old World. In natural advantages this
earth holds no region superior to ours.
Once it belonged to the people. With
his gun, the common man won 1t, mile
by mile, from the Indian. the French
man, the Saxon and the Spaniard.
What the common man did not win
with his gun, he bought with his
money From sea to sea, the land
which is ours became ours because the
common man was ready to pay for it
with his tax money or his blood.
What has become of it? With be-
wildering rapidity it has been taken
from the common people and given to
the corporations. It belonged to the
government to all the people. 1t was
meant to supply homes to individual
citizens, and there was enough of 1t
to last for many generations. To the
extent of about zoo, 900 900 acres, it has
been given to railroad corporations;
and now, when a common man wants
home in all that vast domain, he
must 60 to the railroad corporations
to get it.
A blacker chapter than that which
records how both the old political par
ties united to despoil the common peo-
pie of their land is not to be found In
the annals of class legislation.
A third party has no right to exist
unless there are abuses in government
which "the great parties refuse to re-
form. Unless both the two old parties
are wrong there is no room or excuse
for a third. But, if both the old par
ties are equally guilty of class leg.sla-
ton, and are equally subservient to the
beneficiaries of special privilege, then
it is not only the right of the patriot
to form party of protest, but duty.
civil liberty is at once heritage and
trust. We are recreant to the higher
requirements of citizenship If we fail
TO realize our responsibility. The bal
lot is one of the weapons with which
we must hold cur ground. The con-
tention OF the Peoples party being that
both the old parties are wrong, we
wage war on both. Ours is the two-
edged sword. In our campaign it may
the Republicans than to the Democrats
AS in 1892, when Mr.. Bryan and other
western Democrats were Instructed by
the Cleveland managers to vote for
weaver. In another campaign II
might chance that the greater dam
age Is done the Democrats. In the one
case as in the other, we would not
concern ourselves about the matter.
Such result IL the accident of war,
not the purpose Of the campaign II
is our business to preach sound Popu-
lism which is sound Jeffersonian De-
mocracy, and to hit the Republicans
on the one hand and the Democrats
on the other. We must "hew to the
line" letting the chips fall where they
nav
The Peoples party is Jeffersonlan to
the core. 1t has never emasculated
its creed to curry favor 1t has pre-
ferred to win its way into minds and
hearts by earnest advocacy of fixed
principles. It's chief reliance has been
on political education. IL assais the
evils Of class-leglslation, and for every
abuse offers a remedy. 1t does not
blndly seek to bear down. It seeks
TO reform, to repair. to renovate. to
restore. We Would IL we could go
back to the system OF our forefathers.
The class-legisation which is the bane
Of our government, at this time, OBJ
tained the upper hand ih Our Republic
twice before, and was twice driven
out. Jefferson did It once; then jack
son. Democracy in Jackson's day paid
on the national debt, overthrow the
NaN 49, -.