The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-12-12

An Answer to q Letter.

Hon. Ignatius Donnelly has re-
ceived a letter from O. w. Kingsbury
of Preston, Mimi, county lecturer
of Fillmore County, to which he has
replied as follows:
HASTINGS. Mimi, Dec. 9Th, 1890.
o. w. KINGsBURY ESQ,
Preston, Mimi.
DEAR SIR:
have received your valued letter
OF the I'd inst. Absence from home
has delayed my reply to it.
You say, "Please give me an early
answer and let it be such an answer
as all the world may see.''
Your letter is rather brusque, and,
under some circumstances, I might
justly take offence at it. But be-
leve you to be an honest man,
whose intelligence has been abused
by outrageous slanderers; and l
therefore not only reply to you, but
shall give a copy OF my letter to
the GREAT WEST, SO that, as you
say, ''all the world may see it," I
am the more willing to do this be-
cause l feel very sure that you are
not the only person to whom these
falsehOOds have been told.
You ask me first :-"Was it in Will
liam r. Merriam's interest that you
withdrew from the campaign two
years ago; and why did you work
for him them"
reply:
/. The convention that nomi-
mated me in 1888 was a trick and a
fraud, gotten up by politicians, for
their personal ends, while I was
absent from this country. It's pur-
pose was to affect and influence the
Republican state convention, which
followed soon after. was trapped
into accepting the nomination, un-
der the belief that all the men en-
gagged in it were in earnest. There
we're but six farmers in the cOnven-
ton.
2. After the Republicans had met
and acted there was no further use
for the third party movement. It
had no basis. 1t dissolved beneath
my feet. l was withdrawn from the
ticket by the Executive Committee.
3. I supported the Republican
party and Gov. Merriam because
had been an old-time Republican; be-
cause the Democratic State Central
Committee had, not long before, by
an unanimous vote, declared that
they wanted nothing to do with me /;
although, as an Alliance candidate,
for Congress, in 1884, endorsed by
the Democrats, had reduced Major
Straits majority from 10000 to
about $50. They further declared
that / was to have no consideration
cat home or abroad" could not
have advanced towards the Demo-
cracy, or have acted with them, I'M
der these circumstances, except at
the absolute sacrifice of self-respect
and personal honor. Moreover the
Minneapolis Millers' Association had,
that year, sneaked into the Demo-
cratic state platform, by some COM
tantamount to a declaration in IA
vor of the repeal OF all state in
spection of wheat, so that the buy
ers would, as in the old time, have
the sole power to fix grades, weights,
etc., to suit themselves; and this
meant robbery OF the farmers OF Min
nesOta, of not less than So, 100000
per annum. Under these circum-
stances 1 supported the Republican
ticket and l have no apologies to
make for doing so. l understand the
same proposition, to repeal the
grain inspection laws, is to be made
this winter, and l shall fight it, in
the Senate Chamber, as fought it
on the stump, in 1888. The Alliance
men of the Red River Valley, who re-
member my speeches that year, will
tell you that the chief burden OF my
argument, at that time, was opposi-
ton to that proposed repeal of our
grain laws. Do you think I did
wrong?
You ask me next:
"Did you have at least partially
consumated deal with the Republi-
cans to work for them this year?
Did you beg the Executive Commit
tee not to expose your
IneSe are ASTONISHING QueSClOnS
and imply still more astonishing
lies. 1 will give you, or any other
man, 81 900 if you will show that
there is the slightest foundation for
them, of any kind whatever. If did
"beg the Executive Committee" as
you say, Il suppose you mean the
Campaign Executive Committee of
the Alliance), mot to expose me"
now beg them to lay bare any and
all facts that would justify this SLAM
der. invite them to do so. l defy
them to do so. Some of that COM
mittee were my enemies, some were
my friends; but friends or enemies,
honest men or rogues, l challenge
them all, or any one else, to come
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