St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-21
THIS PEOPLE,s PARTY.

The Peoples party, sO-called, was
born yesterday at Cincinnati, and stands
like an orphan with its character in its
hand, asking popular support. The
platform adopted is the work of IGNA-
THUS DONNELLY, the Minnesota char
latan; and the fact that no one occupied
a more prominent position in the con-
ventlon just adjourned than he shows
better than anything else could the char
acter of the men who composed it. In an
assembly of sober and practical citizens,
earnestly bent on securing definite and
feasible reforms, shallow and wordy
impoStor Of his stripe would have re-
ceiyed but curt hearing. His abilities
are of the veneered pattern, which
would attract only the inexperienced,
the credulOuS and the visionary. He
bears Oh his face and in his every word
the marks of inSincerity, folly and
SeltiShneSS; and in body where sound
wisdom and knowledge had any place
there would have been excited, as soon
as his voice was heard, inquiries as to
his public and private record. In such
case his prominence would have en-
Gured but for an hour.
Of the fourteen hundred delegates
who assisted at the parturition of this
new political organization, over four
hundred are the local followers of the
lunatic economist from the Kansas
prairies, WILLIAM PETER, and the
balance embrace only here and there a
name which has been heard before or
will be again heard in public affairs.
They are almost without exception men
who have not made a success of their
own lives, and who for that reason con-
slider themselves capable of directing
the life of the nation. Personal misfort-
uneS, based partly on their own incompe-
tency and partly Oh the i'll chances
which may befall even the worthy, have
given their views a sinister cast, and
they have built up by lonesome and
unenlightened meditation a political
philosophy too vague to be criticised, or
even TO be comprebended by them
selves. To such people humbug like
DONNELLY, mouthjng round sentences
and blowing forth meaningless pIati-
tudes with bellows-like persistency,
seems John the Baptist preparing the
way for a coming deliverance. and they
listen with distended eyeballS to the
wonders of his wisdom.
Men of this sort can never exert any
permanent influence on the nations
thought, because they cannot secure for
themselves hearing. even if they have
anything worthy to be said. The
strength of the Democracy and the Re
publican party lies in the character of
their leaders. Their party principles
may be criticised very honestly by peo-
pie who differ from them, but they have
the virtue of numbering among their
foremost men vigorous personalities,
serious, learned, honest and strong.
Such men force on their fellows
respect and attention, and even
their fallacies and errors are Endorsed
and fought for by enthusiastic and
trusting followers. But a party with
DoNNELLY as one of its leaders, stand
ing on platform of his construction,
every plank of which is of necessity
nailed with ignorance and ornamented
with lies, has no more vitality than a
weed, and will be trampled under foot
% AOHooO iuNH pass ONOi IL Oi Otl0lI way
TO their daily work. The world has no
time for DoNNELLY'S buffoonery and
harleQuinade. Life is short, and the
road is hard enough anyhow. Decent
people cannot afford to give their
strength and days to watching the man
whr uses words to conceal the truth,
and who in the guise of prophet be-
lies by his actions the principles he pre-
tends TO advocate