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Vol. XV.
LINCOLN NEB., DECEMBER 21, 1903.
. No. 31.
ome Pertinent Suggestions.
MASSACHUSETTS.
Editor Independent: It was Josh
Billings who gave us a bit of sage
advise, "Never prophesy unless you
know." Prophecy is either intuitive
or it is a calculation based upon the
be lief that certain causes operating in
the present will in the future produce
certain results.
'. A political party at any time Is but
the expression of political sentiment
that already exists. A political senti
ment can readily create leaders who
have, a following; or leaders can cre
ate themselves without a political fol
lowing if they so desire. Why do we
blame our leaders for the result in St.
Louis, in 189G? Were they leaders or
were ihey followers? We, who loved
the people's party, as we never again
will a political love, did we deliver it
for sacrifice or did .the wave of public
sentiment, vibrated by the great mag
netic force, sweep everything before
it as it swept us into our glorious
and never to be forgotten conventions
of earlier years? Why do we chafe at
t results if we have the testimony of
our conscience that we did our duty
bo far as we could understand it? And
that is the key note of this hour; let
each one do his duty never mind re
sults that are with a higher power.
Twelve years ago the people's party
had a monopoly. Reform was in
thick layers; and there was no po
litical party to voice the sentiment
until the people's party came into ex
istence. We educated the people so
well that they shook both the old
party conventions, and took the demo
cratic machine away from its capital
istic leadership and set up business
with a portion of our stock in trade.
That took a number of our customers
who were using our brand of goods.
Now there are indications that this
same old democratic machine has for
gotten the bad case of fever and ague
which afflicted it previous to 1890 and
Is about to offer a Gorman brand of
nigger-in-the-wcodpile goods a3 a
substitute for our genuine and only
reliable brand of populism for home
consumption made under fair condi
tions. Our other competitors are also in
trouble; Mr. Roosevelt was admitted
to be a silent partner very silent
and the irony of fate has made him
IT. Please spell "it" with a big "I."
Anyone who approaches him must do
S3 in the spirit of "I am as nothing in
thy sight; do with me as thou wilt."
Fancy Mark Hanna and some other re
publicans doing it! Therefore the re
publican quarrels; the outer circle
catches only the reflections; while
the inner circle shudders at what may
happen next. Roosevelt's star brooks
no division in leadership.
The success of the people's party,
numbered in votes, has been depen
dent upon what the old parties aid or
did not do, and not upon what our
leaders have done. The duty of pop
ulists is to preach the gospel of pop
ulism wherever they may be. Pop
ulism will come again. Thereforo let
us who are numbered in the Old
fJuard make the old home attractive;
just let It be known that the people's
party, dealing only In honest and re
liable political offerings, tan bo found
In Its old location, where It will be
pleased to welcome Its old customers
and all others who want full political
value for their political patronage.
Mr. Editor, once more let 113 gather
In St. IxmiIs, February 22, llMil, to re
new "auld acquaintance," to tlng tho
old Konga, to pause for a moment wh'Ie
wc recall the nanus of a host of go
nial, companionable, whole-souled
11. en , who thought that the sun of re
form, which shone so brightly when
our party was formal, vionlj mum pass
to the ml 1-hoaven; but doomed to c!is
appointment they fought th fight,
kept th faith and pas.ed to tho gt u
nine reward whl h Uo not depend oa
tho succr of a political paitytho
Itu!ri!a uf duty doru
i v,:nnx lmow.v.
Lrotktou, Mvs3,
I .. mm
KKNTTCKY.
Kdltor Independent: It 1 4 yt
too early to forecast the future
" Papa says there won't be any Santa Claus this year."
(There will be no visit from Santa Claus to the homes of the 1,250,000 recently
discharged wage workers, and very small gifts, if any, to 475,000, whose wages
have been reduced from 17 to per cent.)
with any degree of certainty as re
gards the actions of the republican
and democratic parties. Congress is
now in regular session, and ques
tions of national importance will be
up for consideration. The Cuban
question, the Panama question, the
isthmian canal question, the Insular
question, the currency, question and
the tariff question will all be up for
discussion at an early date. It re
mains to be seen what disposition the
republican party ,will make of them.
Something is liable' to take place
that will change the sentiment of the
people, and a reaction take place
against President Roosevelt, that will
place him "on1 the shelf for all time
to come. In fact, it begins to look
now like he Is becoming entirely too
strenuous for some of the bosses. If
Senator Hanna could be prevailed on
to accept the nomination, the leaders,
hangers-on and grafters would desert
Roosevelt at once and line up under
the banner of Hanna.
While the question of organized la
bor will not be up for discussion In
congress, It is a question that will
have to be dealt with by the political
parties. It is a foregone conclusion
that the republican convention will
take advance ground In favor of or
ganized labor and make a bid for
that voto. Their past record Is against
them, and this will mean nothing but
to catch tho unwary and suckers. No
thinking labor man could for a mo
ment believe they were sincere In
any promise alons that line. Hut with
Roosevelt the nominee and a whole
some ,,(ik in the platform, a great
ri 1 Jcrg could bo easily hood-
It U not so hard to outline the pol
icy of the democrats. The solid
south will support any man or any
platform. The race problem Is of
more Importance to the routh than
any othr r question. Consequently, the
wants and demands of the south will
Iw entire Ignored. Th platform will
hold out every Inducement to organ
ized wealth, and nothing to organised
I.i1wr. Th reactionary democrats
will control th contention and noml
note Gorman cr soroo emu vkhr.ru ho.
will nam. They will get a count-native
central western nun to a.cept
the plate on tho tall of th ticket.
Then witha largs carupalin fund!
they will try and sweep the country
as they did in 1S92.
Of course, a large number of west
ern democrats will bolt. But west
ern democracy has never counted
much in the electoral college. The
idea prevails with the reactionary
democrats that with this disturbing
element out of the party, they will be
relieved of an incubus. Strenuous
measures will be used if necessary to
force this element out of the party;
believing that the corporations of the
central- west, and capitalists of the
east will rally to their support as they
did in 1892, when the .western demo
crats supported Weaver and Fields.
Organized wealth can have no confi
dence in the party as long as they
believe there is a probability of its be
ing dominated by western leaders.
They conclude that for every demo
crat lost to the party in the west they
will join two republicans in the east
and central west. With the solid south
and New York, they can buy New
Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and
Delaware. Should they lose any of
these states they hope to make the
1038 good by carrying Indiana and
possibly Illinois.
Now, if these predictions come
true, there Is no place for the bolters
to go but to the people's party; pro
vided, the party has an organization
sufficiently strong to offer them In
ducements. . There Is another Important Idea
that should not be lost sight of. If
the democrats should bo successful
under tho leadership of Gorman or
noma other reactionary democrat, it
will bo regarded as a blow to the
strenuous policies of Roosevelt, and
within tho next few years there will
be a spilt In the republican party.
With conservative actions on the part
of the people's party they can profit
by thU division as they will be ben
efited by ih iltsauYitlon r tho demo
crat lo camp.
Uy all memm th pop!n' party or
iianUatlon should io Kept In lone
tthcre it can t Th party has al
ri ady iloim n yrrat work, arul there U
ft greater fur It In the future III
prlru lplis am Jat, and will tooner or
later b crj!allUc. Into law. The
peopi might not next year ruh Into
It In Rrrat numbers. Hut the tun
Hli soou com j whea they will rally;
What a Number of Populists
Think Ought to be Done
under Its banner antt strike for man
against money. The hope of a restitu
tion of our government, to what our
fathers intended, is in a new party.
Patience, time and labor will work
wonders. We 'should all remember
that justice travels with a leaden heel;
but when it strikes it is with an Iron
arm. R. C. CRENSHAW.
Hopkinsville, Ky., R. F. D. 4.
TEXAS. '
You ask me what of the nlghf and
what are the signs of promise? Will
the people's party rally again and
come forth full orbed for the battle
of 1904? Since the great blunder of
189G, the first sign of the dawn of a
better day was the Denver confer
ence. The people are beginning to be
lieve that the men who composed that
conference were In earnest and all
eyes are now turned to the meeting
of the national committees on tho
22d of February., ;
If that meeting shall be well attend
ed and if all of us shall stand to
gether for a straight ticket, on a plat
form embracing the fundamental prin
ciples of populism as set forth in the
old Omaha platform of 1892, with di
rect legislation added, then again in
every nook and corner of this great
country you will see the fires of pop
ulism blazing.
Since the Denver conference I have
been nearly all over Texas and talKed
with hundreds of men and all tell me
that there is no hope of reform leg
islation at the hands of either old
party; nor do they believe that there
is any hope from the vagaries of so
cialism. The consensus of opinion
everywhere is that the only hope ol
the country Is in the principles oi
populism, and around that banner the
boys of 1892 will rally again and thou
sands of free silver democrats will be
added to their ranks.
The indifference manifested now by
the people everywhere Is only the
calm before the storm. The demo
cratic party is today camping on the
same ground occupied by the republi
can in 1900, and in their next na
tional convention the Cleveland ele-,
ment of the party will control and a
man in full sympathy with Wall street
and the great corporations will be
named for the head of their ticket.
When this occurs, and no thinking
man 'doubts it, then the break from
the ranks of the two old plutocratic
parties will begin and true, unadul
terated populism can furnish them a
political home; - and my judgment Is
we should now stand firm, throw our
banners to the breeze, secure a full
attendance of the members of both
committees at St. Louis, as well as
leading populists from all parts of the
country.
Yea, I presume I may be called one
of the Old Guard. I abandoned the
democratic party In 1S72 when Hor
ace Greeley waa their candidate. Was
a greenbackcr, ' a union labor man,
and a populist; and up to this good
day have never voted an old party
ticket since. Long live The Indcpen-,
dent and Its editors. It and the"
Watchman of Texas form a strong
team. J. M. MALLETT,
Member National Committee.
Cleburne, Tex.
PENNSYLVANIA.
Editor Independent: Yours of re
cent date, request !ne mv ooinlon rel
ative to the people's party, has been
received and considered.
FirstAs to the future, I believe
the two old parties will nomlnata
candidates from the plutocratic class,
who will favor trusts and banks.
SecondThe ponulUts ran lm acaln
organized for battlo. If w get proper
loaders. I reroicn! v. V. Allen as a
KtHvj person to plate on such a ticket
for president. Wi llanw of Maass.
chusttta would make a goc4 running
male for Mr. Alien. Allen la an c
union soldier and that would Lola
htm In hi rare.
Third -I look for a rallv and an
other race by tho p'.plu' party, an J
wr iic I say Allen for ure dent. I
think llrysn might accept the pt;u
lourth-Wo shuuld have a graaJ