Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1892-10-21
4 CoMFLE I'E ST SURRENDER.

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From all present indications it is
apparent thatsthe extraordinary pro-
ceeding of the democratic state
committee in transferring electors Of
the peoples purity to the democratic
ticket will be beloved hy extraord-
mary results.
The most extraordinary feature Of
that proceeding is that which pre-
sents to view asfeW individuals, who
have have been delegated to discharge
certain well-deGned duties in the
present campaign, as placidly assum-
ing to themselves the powers and
functions Of the state convention Of
the party which gave them their
existence, says the St. Paul
Dispatch. Not only that, but they
assume to tin direction which
that convention virtually declared not
to comport with its understanding Of
party principle or policy.
It must Of course, be asked whether,
if such. conduct is tolerated by the
democratic sentiment of the state,
there is any use in hereafter calling
the democratic voters of the state
together, and formulating through
the constitutional agency of. con-
ventions Of the sparty's representatives
the opinions and wishes Of the body
Of electors. A state convention under
such construction Of its powers, is
constituted merely for the purpose of
forming a state committee, in whose
hands it places absolute power over
the affairs of the party. If that COM
mittee had the right to surrender four
of its presidential electors in favor Of
four electors ofthe peoples party, why
not in favor of so many republican
electors or so many prohibition
electors?
! It does not seem possible to recon.
cile such exercises of power with the
theory that the mass of the democratic
J electors are responsible agents or that
they comprehend the nature of the
institutions Of the country. It is moi
necessary to point out that the
principles Of the party to which thei1
democratic state committee hands
them over are the opposite in every
essential respect of those taught by
the founders of democracy; that they
indeed represent the two opposite
poles Of national administration
There is honor involved in the con
tinued assertion Of party principle
under such circumstances as poin
toward continued defeat; and there il
dishonor involved in the desertion o
party principles for the purpose of {
E smere passing, tentative success. I
this course is tolerated there does no
seem to be any good reason why, il
this state, the democratic party should
not hand itself entirely over to thu
populist party.
The mean surrender Of all POSSIBLE
ity Of electing the state ticket which
is involved is a matter that may b,
left to those whom it immediately
concerns. Few have at any tim'
been deceived as to the purpose Of tn
democratic leaders in nominating Mr.
Lawler. Their open avowel nov
that he is put up merely to b
slaughtered is a natural result of thu
new policy of surrendering on nationa
issues to the peoples party and OF
state issues to the republican party
| When the cost ofsuch course come.
to be figured out at the polls it may
after all be found that the stat
committee in this case counts withou
| its host; that is, without the mass O
men who vote the democratic ticket
state and national, from principle.