The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1891-05-23

restored, the report of the committee on
permanent organization was heard, SEN
ator PETER being announced as perman-
emit chairman. The report of the COM
mittee on order of business elected ap-
plause. When the program outlined
showed q place for appointment Of mem
beers of the national committee, opposi-
ton was manifested at once to the pro-
position to limit all speeches to five
minutes, but it carried. An attempt to
modify the report so as to practically
make unit rule, it got the convention in
to a marvellous parliamentary tangle.
Harden, of South Dakota, argued that
the enormous power given the compare
lively nearby states was grossly unfair
to such communities az California, which
had only two delegates present. The
on the ground that every one that came
to the convention should have a vote and
have it counted. It was necessary to ap-
ply the previous question gag before a
vote could be obtained OF the report of
the committee on order of business.
Then the report went through like a can
non ball. How the convention did
screech when the vote was announced.
"That means the third party right now,"
shouted the excited Kansans. I'VE are
going to have another national
committee, don't you see and that is
what we have been after. We've won
the first victory anyhow, hooray, [ say,
hooray"
PANDEMONIUM BROKE LOOSE
from the ceiling to the floor. While the
applause was etill making the windows
rattle, Senator PETER managed to an
nounce the dinner recess. 1t was no &C.
cident that the new party enthusiasts
scored heavily in the adoption of the re-
port of the committee on rules. The
Massachusetts delegation, which con-
trolled the rules committee, fearing the
platform committee report would be ad-
verse to immediate action for the third
party, conceived the idea of providing in
the rules a committee report for the
national committee, and Delegate Brown,
of the Bay state, in explaining the rules
to the convention, gave warning that the
adoption Of the report meant the birth of
a new party, his idea being that there
could be no executive committee with
ont a third party. The report was
theless adopted and the result is that,
while the committee was Juggling away,
some of its members, being the brainiest
opponents of third-partyism at this time,
pending action, should it be adverse, was
forestalled by the adoption of
the report of the committee
on rules. When the convention
reasselnbled, a letter from L. L. Polk
was read, advising the conference to IS.
sue an address and defer action on the
third party until 1892, caused a breeze
and when the motion to refer it to the
committee on resolutions was declared
carried there was a loud demand, notably
from Minnesota delegation, that the neg
alive ba put more forcibly by the chair.
The demand was renewed and continued
from time to time, during the reading
of a number of miscellaneous kilograms.
Fish of Minnesota argued that Polk's
letter was ill-timed, and claimed it
showed how useless it would be to 9
fer the third party question to the meet
ing in 1892, at which Polk and his fol-
lowers will be the leading spirits. Igna-
thus Donnelly, chairman Of the commit
tee on resolutions, climbed on the rost-
rum at this juncture and almost his
first words caused q whirlwind of excite
ment.
THE DECLARATION FROM DONNELLY,
which set the convention wild, was to
the effect that he was there to report that
the committee on platform wat a unit for
the organization of a third party. Don
nelly evidently felt that his moment of
triumph had came in the struggle which
he himself so deftly began just twenty;
been SO publicly oastigated by General
Weaver of Iowa. Two alternatives were
presented, he said, either to ignore a
third party or divide the friends of re-
form. He gave way to Robert Schilling
of Wisconsin, secretary of the committee,
who read the platform, as follows:
THE PLATFORM.
Your committee on resolutions begs
leave to submit the following:
LIST. That in view of the great social,
industrial and economical revolution
now dawning upon the civilized world
and new and living issues confronting
the American people, we believe the time
has arrived for the capitalization Of the
political reform forces of our country and
the formation of what should be known
as the Peoples party of the United
States of America.
ID. That we most heartily endorse
the demands of the platforms, as adopted
at st. Louis. Mo-, in 1889. Ocala,
Fla, in 1890, and Omaha, Neb., 1891, by
industrial organizations there represen-
ted, summarized as follows:
(a) The right to make or issue money
is q sovereign power to be maintained by
the people for common benefit, hence
we demand the abolition OF the national
banks as banks of issue, and as a substi-
tute for the national bank notes we
demand that legal tender treasury notes
be issued in q sufficient volume to trans
act the business of the country on cash
basis, without damage or especial adj
vantage to any class or calling, such
notes to be legal tender in the payment
of all debts, public and private, and
such notes when demanded by the peo-
pie, shall be loaned to them at not more
xL.n k,-~ soo~ novk ~n~ on~,,no ,,~1r n0n.