The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-06-20
ThoeeLettex..

lutely stunning insult OF President
Hall, it did not publish the letters
themselves for several reasons. Mr..
Donnelly was willing to attribute the
matter to an egregious blunder in
Judgment. We felt the same wav.
And SO. lest the feeling against Hall
should break up the Fergus Falls
convention, and the practical turning
out of several of the old disturbing
element be attributed to us, the
matter was judiciously delayed. And
even now, though the letters have re-
manned in our office ever since, we
publish with feeling OF regret-as
we know that if the letter by Hall
were unwritten it would remain
unwritten forever. The copy pub
lished by the Pioneer Press is in
correct on essential points. The fol-
lowing is the letter to Mr.. Donnelly,
dated May Goth:
Believing that the attack on the
leading members OF the Fifth district
alliance by the GREAT WEST in it's is
sue of the 23rd inst will cause bitter
feeling hostile to yourself, and that
your presence at the meeting to be
held on the 10Th of June, as the in
vited guest OF the alliance, will be un-
pleasant for yourself and to the
members of the alliance, l hereby
withdraw the verbal invitation ex-
tended to you some time ago to at
tend said meeting. The leaders of
the Fifth district alliance are not
thieves, liars and traitors, but are
honest and uHselfish workers for the
advancement of human liberty, JUS
tice and right. cannot believe that
you are the author of or party to
these slanders.'
II Mr.. Hall did not believe Mr.. Don
nelly was the author of "these SLAM
ders,' why publicly insult a man
whom he could hardly reach up to
from below? 1t is enough to say
that when Mr. Donnelly writes for
the GREAT WEST he puts his name
to it.
The following is the reply OF a man
who never strikes without a culver
following every blow. The whitening
power Of Ignatius Donnelly never
leaves even a weed on the field of
conflict:
Your valued favor of the 26th inst.
is received. When you invited me to
attend the Fifth District Alliance
meeting on June II, made up nv
mind to be with you at that time to
help along the alliance work. You
told me at the same time you were
going to St. Cloud to see Mr.. At
wood to arrange about the issuing
OF the call for the convention. You
went there. The call was issued. 1t
omitted in it's list OF speakers all
reference to myself and named in my
stead w. w. Erwin, of St. Paul, and
Others. Mr.. Erwin is an able gentle
man and my friend, but he is not
farmer. or a member of the Alliance.
l considered this action of Mr.. At
wood deliberate insult, and as YOU
are president OF the Fifth District Ali
ance, and had conferred with him as
to the case, | could not but feel that
you were a party to it. l could not
think that Atwood, sour and malig-
nant as l have long known him to
be, with an atrabiliousness of nature
IN inverse ratio to his insignifcance,
could have ignored the state lecturer
OF the alliance, after you had invited
his presence, without your authority
and consent. had, therefore. writ
ten to my friends that l should not
attend the meeting, and your notice
for me to stay away was therefore
unnecessary.
When | speak in the Fifth District
it shall be as a private citizen, and I
shall feel it my duty to show up the
creatures who are striving to use the
alliance for their personal benefit.
Hodgson and Sprague have already
feathered their nests to the extent Of
-, GOO a year each. Canning desires
to go to congress by turning the
Republican leaders of the alliance
over to the Democrats. Furlony has
got fat office out of the Hail Insur-
ance Company and Atwood desires
to use the machinery of the alliance
to lift himself out of his native moth
ingness into notoriety. 1t is the
duty OF all real friends of reform to
expose and smash such creatures.
The GREAT WEST has not yet told
half the truth about them. AS for
myself, l have worked for eight years
for the alliance without a cent of re-
ward.
| was man of eminence and in
fiuence before the alliance was born.
and will be.when 1T is dead. / ask
nothing OF it but the opportunity to
serve it. l have fought lions il nv
cay, and l am ready now to 90 on
the Warpath against ;aclxoIS -,