St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-19
Ni0ht Session.

at p. m. the convention came to order
again with Mr.. Furlong, second vice presi-
dent, in the chair
Mr.. Chowen, of Hennepin, reported that
three delegates present from that county
were not named in the report of the commit
tee on credentials They are j. A. Ball, w.
s. Chowen and Joseph Hamilton.
Mr.. Burdick, of Clay, proposed to discuss
ways of electing legislators who will deal
fairly by farmers, and this was agreed to by
common consent
Mr.. McErvine, of Big Stone, proposed to
appoint
STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
And organize to elect farmers to enact
laws which will favor farmers, or at least pro-
tect them.
Mr.. Burdick spoke BRIEFLY and energetic
ally in favor of thorough organization, and
said the farmers of the northwestern coun-
ties were already well organized.
Mr. Converse of Becker, moved to appoint
a State central committee of fifteen members.
Mr.. stoddard of Wilkin, thought some
| thing more should be said so
as to bring out the views of
members of the convention, before acting
ON the motion. He was understood to de-
precate the idea of undertaking to break up
present affiliations and to favor more at
tention to party management. His friend
Burdick had said he never attended party
caucus, and he hoped the chair would pub
| licly repremand Mr.. Burdick
before the convention was over
Farmers with good reason complained of the
actions of politicians; but they need not
leave it all to the politicians. In talking of
the operations of the elevator companies,
each controlling its fixed territory, Mr.
Stoddard said the companies were not so
bad as they might be. If he drew forty
bushels of grain to their elevators and they
allowed him only thirty or thirty-five bushels,
! they were not such bad fellows
after all, for they might call it twenty and he
couldn't get out of their territory to do bet
| ter. But the farmers could unite and bring
about reform. He did not mean to say they
should necessarily form new party to over
! turn the others, but that if farmers do organ
ize and prepare for testing their rights, the
politicians will be quick to give them all they
| want.
| Mr.. Morton of Benton was in faver of act
ing with either of the present parties or Great
lean party will not do right, Nm let US try
the Democratic party, and if that will not
serve us, let us create new party.
Mr.. Hirst of Otter Tail, thought it unneces-
sary to form
A THIRD PARTY.
| The present parties could be reformed
| from within if farmers and others who are
independent of the offioe-seekers and the cor
| porations and interests which have controlled
| legislation, will but work together for reform.
| He thought their grievance was not so much
against the elevator companies as against the
railroad companies, because the latter charge
'exorbitant freight rates, which on the one
| hand decreases the home value of farm pro-
duets and on the other increase the cost of
| all the farmer buys. In illustration he spoke
| of the great difference between eastern or
| trunk line freight rates and the local rates
charged by the roads of the northwest. He
thought it, unnecessary to make a
/ new party because he thought
sfarmers might control the existing parties.
ff they cannot, then he would favor third
party.
| Mr.. Burdick submitted that under the prin-
| ciple of majority rule he would organize by
| districts to operate in each one in and on the
majority party His friend Loring was his
| right hand in this, for he was Democrat
and had his neckin one yoke while he, Re-
| publican, had his neck in the other. They
couldn't convert each other.
Mr.. Loring was reminded of story by
Mr.. Beecher about church building COM
mittee, one member of which zealously adj
voeated unity and concord but wound up
with declaring: "But you must all agree to
locate the church just where I want it.''
Mr.. Stoddard did not agree with Mr.. Bur-
dicks plan of each operating in his own
party. That was the plan they had been try
ing and what had they accomplished by it?
AS Republicans they had to go way back for
a record, but what had that to do with the
grading of our wheat now? No good can
come of this movement unless we
forget for the time that we are
Republicans or Democrats. After we have
accomplished our present purpose, and it is
not large contract, We can go back to our
parties if we want to. The farmers must
| satisfy the men through whom they have to
act, politically, that they are in earnest. As
for his party (the Republican, SO long as
there was nothing in it for the present good
of the people, but we had to go back ten or
twelve years to find the causes of
our fealty to it, he could not
see why they should not act
Independent of that party to accomplish the
good they sought
Judge Foster, of Wisconsin, being called
out to speak to the question of organizing
new party, spoke of the decentralization of
parties during and since the war, an dsaid at
last 'We have in Office and power the most
villianous set of thieves the world ever saw
and on the other side, wanting office and
power the hungriest set of thieves the world
ever saw.n But with us it is not question
of change of thieves, we want change in
principles of action and government. In
talking of the operations of politicians he
said they kept the people divided and helpless
by working up their passions or their party
prejudices. All farmers should ask is their
constitutional rights, nothing more. But
they should know how to obtain and defend
those rights. He spoke of the power of con-
gress to regulate Interstate commerce and
establish the measures of value, and said the
politicians in power have yielded this power
to great corporations; they have not exer-
cised the constitutional power of congress
and legislature for the benefit of the people.
The men who gave away our natural inheri-
lance, the public lands, to corporations, were
partners in the corporations. The latter now
claim they have vested rights which makes
them Independent of public control.
They have no vested rights more than the
receiver could have to the stolen goods 4
thieving clerk or agent should deliver him.
Speaking of organization Judge Foster re-
marked that the farmers were
THE WORST MOB
he was ever in. They needed discipline and
drill, to meet the drilled and disciplined
forces they had to meet. They needed Or
ganization as much as did an army.
You have got to have trained officers to drill