St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-09-02
General Talk of a Third Political Party
in the Approaching State
Campaign.
Conference of Members of the Farmers
Alliance and Knights Of
Labor.
A Pointed Reply to the Letter of
President George Washington
Sprague-
The Executive Committee of the Al
lance Requests a Meeting of
Committee.
The Third Party.

Washington Muzzy OF Otter Tail county and
Z. II. Atwood of Stearns county. menu
bers of the Farmers alliance,
who had gathered to participate in the
conference with the committeeman of the
knights of Labor with a view of joining
issues in the coming state campaign. After
saluting his fellow committeeman MI Don
nelly suggested that the conference would
not be held until II O'clock. At that hour
MI DOnnelly. followed by Others who were
to take part in the conference, entered the
reading-room.
HewaS seated at the table and was sur
rounded by the following members OF the
Farmers alliance:
Representative Charles Canning of Norman
county. vice-preSident at large; Thomas e.
HodgsOG, state lecturer; II. E. Boon, cor
responding secretary; Z. H.AtwoOd OF Maine
Prairie vice-presideut for the Fifth district;
Erick Olson of Martin county, vice-presldent
for the Second district, and Washington
Muzzy Of Otter Tail county.
The representatives of the Knights of
Labor in attendance were !. P. McGoughey,
master workman of the district assembly; L.
r Harroun, president of the St Paul Trades
and Labor assembly; John Lamb, statisticlan
of the Minneapolis Trades and Labor assem-
bly,; MesSrs Henry Cassidy and James Nor
row OF St, Paul, and NJ. p. Finnegan of Min
neapOliS.
State Grange: \. s. Neil and W. S. CSwan
OF Heunepin county.
Visiting members of the Alliance, friends
Of the movement and guests by invitation:
Ex-senator Martin S. wilkinson. Dr. Mayo OF
Rochester. NJ. NJ. Pond OF Faribault NJ B..
Cochran of Wright county, E. Mattson of
Otter TailJcOunty r. NJ. PrObSfeld of Moor
head, and n. \. McCOlley of Winnebago City.
The gentlemen who composed the joint
conference committee proper were Messrs
DonnelIy, HOdgsOn (as Gen. BaTetts
proxy, and Muzzy, of the Farmers alli-
ance; COwan and NELL of the State
grange, and Hauoun, McGaughey and
Lamb. of the Knights of Labor.
Until u o'clock a general conference
open to all. was held. Mr.. Donnelly, upon
opening it, explained the reasons and OBJ
jects of the conference and the manner in
which it was brought about The date
first intended was Aug. Is. He read let
tiers of regret from Messrs. Joseph Gore
of Morristown. CoSgrOve of Sumter, w.
II. Martin of KandIyOhi Station, Swain of
Union Lake, Vice President CampbelFS
son of Washington county, William Webb
of Sterling Center. j. E. Fullerton of Mon
ticello A. o. Gngsy of Hubbard county,
and c. r. HentOn Of Beaver Creek.
4 wish to correct the chairman" said
Mr.. McGaughey, as soon as Mr.. Donnelly
had completed his preliminary remarks
The call for the conference came from the
knights of Labor and the Trades assem-
bly,, and as the assembly is made up of del
egateS from all trades unions, 1t comes from
all workingmen. At WinOna. July IS we
formulated our demands in a set of prnci-
pies setting forth the principles adopted at
Cleveland. which demand we made to both
parties. We are here in the same position
as the Farmers alliance. We all know
what our organization will eventually come
to and what with concerted action we can
accomplish, but we may differ as to the
means of arriving at what we want. l
hope, gentlemen, that We will have har-
mony in this conference"
Il came for information remarked EX-
Senator NJ. S. Wilkinson, ''Of which am
sadly in need. l don't know how the Far
mers' alliance stands, or what action it will
take. much less of the purpose Of the
Knights of Labor. l have always been al
anti-monopOly man, am to-day, and am
in favor of anything which will work fol
the eXaltatiOn of the people. From my CON
versatiOn with railroad officials III my
town 1 learn something OF the
strength and wants of the workingmen.
The time is come in Minnesota when some
thing ought to be done in favor of the i'll
well as workingmen. There is a general
feeling that the power of the workingmer
and the farmers should be utilized for leglS-
lative action, instead of having our govern
ment continue as an organization under
the control OF mOnOpolistS and capitalists.
But there is a difficulty. Men have THEN
preiudceS. Some like one man ana some
another. They never can make an Organi-
cation unless they yield something. You
must give and take. Get some man who
is sound on this question and send him tC
the legislature. Be sure that he is the
friend Of the people and that he will pro-
tect the interests of the great mass OF pro-
ducing people which you represent. There
never has been time when public opinion
was so wrought up. and believe that il
you will work together there will be po'
ltical cyclone"
John Lamb, in addressing the meeting,
said: II agree with the sentiment eX-
pressed that there should be action of some
kind That's what the Knights of Labor
want. The question is. what is the metnOC
of action? l don't know whether a third
party is best, or whether it would be more
advisable to draw up resolutions and pre-
sent them TO both old political parties, ask
ing for certain laws. 1t Is possible that the
Farmers alliance, the Grange, the District
assembly and the labor organizations car
get together and set forth a set of principle;
to which all could agree" go
E. r. HarrOun of the Labor Echo eX
pressed himself as follows: 1.-The com
mittee appointed at Winona has set Of
resolutions to be presented to both parties
to be embodied in their platforms if they
choose to do so. Probably somebody il
present who has the resolutions"
matter
concert, said Vice President Canning
GAS an individual, l think the wants of thu
farmers and WOrkingmen are the same
toiling hands who build up the nation;
wealth and fame. When a few men ac
cumuIate all the others must suffer.
am in favor of anything which will hell
the people at large We want to do some
thing which will help to scatter around The
millions which are locked up"
State Lecturer HOdgson said: cit occur:
to me that we have had enough of this. W.
all agree about what we are here for, bu
l detect in all that has been said that there
has been no suggestion as to what method
should be chosen. Some reference ha!
been made to the old parties in genera
terms Now, what can we expect from
them? Resolutions have been proposed
I am in a position to say that either party
will gulp down every set of resolutions yoU
present You can make the grandest set o.
principles and let the rings get togethe
and what will become of them;
While the people of the state
know what they want, they have mani
tested more faith in the power of the ma
chine than in their own principles. 1t il
time that we should tell the people tina
fhev are to blame, and that they have tn,
mower to better their government w
have had the prominent men of the Repub
lican party to act as the watch dogs of tn
government and they have imposed upOl
Ia and when the time comes we find thes