People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 August 1895 — TIME TO REASON. [ARTICLE]

TIME TO REASON.

ANOTHER CALL TO THE OLD PARTY MEN. The People's Party Is Common Ground —Come with Us and We Will Win Next Year —Only Way to Get Free Silver. A few weeks ago we published the democratic platforms in twenty states in 1890, all favoring free coinage of silver. 1892 came and the democratic party gained a great victory, securing the president, the senate, and the house. What was done for silver? Was free coinage provided for? No, on that question in the house 101 democrats voted yea and 118 democrats voted nay. Did they do anything else on the silver question? Yes. Demonetized silver. Re-enacted the crime of 1873. Now there is a big stir in certain states in the democratic party for free silver and the free silver men sqem to be in the majority. But in what states is the democratic party for free silver now that it was not in 1890? Was it not known in 1892 that Cleveland belonged boots and baggage to the money power—that he was dead set against silver, and that he would veto any bill favorable to silver? Yet with the twenty states that in 1890 had spoken out for silver, Cleveland, the goldbug, bitter, unrelenting enemy of silver, was nominated with great unanimity. Can free silver be expected through the democratic party? This is a question that every silver democrat should consider in all seriousness.

The goldbugs made a fight in Kentucky, and in the democratic convention beat the silver men two to one. The democracy of Kentucky, the home of Beck and Blackburn, and the erstwhile silver champion, Carlisle, was captured by the goldbugs. But suppose In the next national democratic convention free silver men, men earnestly for free silver, should predominate, something from the present outlook that seems quite improbable, and nominate a free silver man, and that their nominee should be elected, and the democratic party should secure a majority in both branches of congress. This is certainly the rosiest view any silver democrat could take. Suppose all this were to happen, would that secure a free silver law? No. Because the party in the east and in the cities and elsewhere would at the same time it elected silver men in the west, elect gold men to offset, kill and deaden their votes. Tn 1892 101 free silver men, most all from the west and south, were elected to congress by the democratic party, but at the same time 118 goldbug democrats were elected in the east and elsewhere to more than kill the votes of the 101 silver men. This is just what will be done in ’96 by the democratic party—goldbug democrats will be elected in the east to kill the votes of the silver democrats elected In the west. Suppose in the fall of '96 one hundred silver democrats and eighty goldbug democrats are sent to congress. Then the goldbug democrats will vote for the republicans and defeat a free silver bill. Don’t you know this will be the case? The only show for free silver is for the silver men of all parties to unite in one organization and that organization all can see cannot be either of the old parties, for several reasons. The masses of republicans and democrats will meet each other half way in a new organization, but republicans will not go to the democratic party and democrats will not go to the republican party, even if either of their old organizations could be purged of goldbugs and monopolists that have in many states at least complete control of them.

The new organization, the half-way meeting place, the new party, was formed by nearly a million republicans and democrats, fresh from their old parties, aided by the old greenbackers and union labor men, in ’9l and '92. t was named the people’s party. You did not then see the necessity of a nqw organisation, and you have become somewhat prejudiced against the new party, because in the campaign of ’92 and *94 it woe opposed to the party you were snpporttag. Let w assure you there is no foundation for prejodio* The reformers are reasonable and lib

eral. They care nothing for party name. As a rule they care nothing for the offices, except as a means of securing reforms. Silver men of the old parties should, in our opinion, make haste to join the People's party, but if they cannot see their way clear to do that, draw out from the old party, form your own new party —there are millions of you— and rest assured that your new party and the people’s party cannot be kept apart in the campaign of ’96. —Missouri World.