St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-18
SPEAK, REPUBLICAN PRESS
The President of the Farmers Alliance
Strikes Back,
AND ASKS SOME QUESTIONS.
What the Republicans Mean in Reading
SCheffer Out Of Their
Party.
To the Editor of the Globe.

much abused within the same length of
time as has been the executive COM
mittee of the State Farmers alliance.
Individual papers have not only ex-
hausted their own vocabulary of cpl
teths, but have quoted whole columns
of calumnies and criticisms from other
papers until the press at large appears
at present to have so far exhausted the
subject as to be unable to say anything
new. Now that it has reached a point
where the fair-minded portion of the
community will be in a condition to take
a dispaSSiOnate view of the subject,
would it not be well to stop and ask
what it has all been about? Be it IA
from me to call in question the intelli-
gence, integrity and eminent respecta-
bility of the gentlemen composing the
press of this state, yet in this case they
have certainly acted more like a COM
munity of
OLD WOMEN GOSSIPS,
who, having suddenly come into the
possession of choice piece of news, vie
with each other in their efforts to make
it more surprising than the other with
out the slightest regard to the amount
of truth their statements contain. Now
IOb uo Scb dG llIo 1dClS III TIE CttSt dilu
see what there is of it. The executive
committee of the State Farmers ali-
ance i'll st. Paul, March 20, passed the
following resolution:
''While we do not assume to dictate to the
members OF the state at large, and have no
authority to place in nomination candidates
for any office under the rules of our organ
iZation, we nevertheless recommend that the
members of the alliance, farmers and labor
ing men throughout the state use their ut
most endeaYors to place in nomination for
legislative, executive and judicial officers
men who are known to be in sympathy with
the principles ofthe alliance, as are expressed
by our platform of principles, and in this
connection it does not seem improper for us
to recommend Albert Schetfer for governor
of this state"
A POLITICAL ORGANIZATION.
Now, what is there wrong about that?
In what does it differ from the position
that the alliance has always occupied in
such matters? The press of the state
ignOrantly maudles over the running of
the alliance into politics, not being Suf-
ficiently we'll informed to know that the
alliance is almost purely political Or
ganiZation. Almost its entire object
has been and is to control legislation in
the interests of the people by all honor
able and legitimate means within its
power. 1t is true we never before rec
commended candidate for governor,
and would not now if it were not for the
fact that we find the greatest difficulty
in having laws properly enforced that
we have had enacted after years of
effort. Is not that q sufficient reason
for the step? But it is alleged that Mr..
Scheffer is not farmer. True; neither
is Mr.. Gladstone an Irishman, and yet
the Irish are not foolish enough to OBJ
ject to Mr.. Gladstone espOusing their
cause on that account. Neither will the
farmers object to Mr.. Schetfer or any
other high-minded man eSpOusing their
cause, especially as the cause they repre-
sent is not alone the cause of the farm
ers, but the cause of
THE COMMON PEOPLE
everywhere. Every business man of
average means and every labOring man
is as much interested in the matter as
we are. The question at stake is
whether the masses of the people have
rights that corporate power is bound to
respect. We think they have, and on
this issue we welcome every man who
has sufficient courage to stand with us.
There is one phase of this discussion
| that has surprised me very much, and
| that is the disposition of the Republican
| press to read Mr.. Scheffer out of the
| Republican party on account of his as
| senting to the principles promulgated
| by the alliance. l think | am safe in
saving that not one candidate who Is
| seeking the gubernatOrial nomination
on the Republican ticket but has ex-
pressed himself as being quite as rad
icaIly interested in our interests as has
| Mr.. Scheffer, not i'll writing but YER
bally. Mr.. Atwood here quotes the
alliance platform printed in the GLOBE
| some weeks ago.
THERE ARE JUST THREE POINTS
| in these principles on which there may
| be radical difference of opinion. First,
as to the mode of taxing railroads; sec
| Ond, as to the valuation on which they
| should pay reasonable interest; third,
| as to the wisdom of separating the agri-
| cultural college from the university. 1t
| will be seen at once that these points
| have not the slightest relation to par
tisan politics. The other points are,
| first, there shall be no discrimination by
corporations against persons or places;
second, that the humblest Individual
| shall have the same rights as the mill
! ionaire; third, there shall be a radical
reduction of the tariff; fourth, all APP
| pointments be made for fitness and not
| to pay political debts. These are the
| principles that Mr.. Scheffer Endorsed no
press of this state mean to say that they
| have no place in the Republican party?
| Do they mean to say that there shall be
no radical reduction of the tariff; that
| there shall be discrimination between
persons and places by corporations;
| that the humblest individual shall not
| stand OH an equality with the Million
aire; that all appointments shall not be
made for fitness, but to pay political
debts? If they take that position, then
let them read Albert Schetfer out of the
Republican party and let them read
every other honest man out with him.
| have been
A REPUBLICAN ALL MY LIFE,
but if men are to be driven out for en-
bracing such principles, | shall be glad
to be a martyr. | am satisfied, how
ever, that the representative masses of
the Republican party will not object to
these principles, but will adopt them as
they have before done in substance.
1t has been asserted and reiterated
again and again that the committee do
not represent the farmers of the state,
Well, that remains to be seen. The
committee has no reason to be disturbed
about the matter The farmers are too
busy now to be called from their work
to attend delegate convention; but, if
later on it is thought wise to call such
convention to express the sentiment of
the farmers of the state, the committee
have no fears of the result.
+. III. ATWOOD,
st. Cloud, April 1G.
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