The farmers' union., 1892-09-01
A Political Earthquake.

was asked hj reporter for al ac-
count of his "Trip.
There is he said mo mistakin.
the political sentiment in tie statc,,
that we visited 1t is in favor Of the
Peoples party and is rapidly growing.
The change in the past six weeks,
particularly, has been remarkable.
People who have been reading the
regular press accounts Of our meetir IS
together with partican descriptions of
the feelings oe the masses in the
western states have no just conception
of the upheavtl that has taken place
since the Minneapolis and Chicago
conventions.
''Oae Of the facts which has become
manifest lately and with which ! WAS
most deeply impressed durili. our
trip is the growth OF sentiment in
favor of the peoples party in the
great center, of population. Hereto
fore it has been mainly confined to
the coun,r, bat it is now taking pos
session of the cities and is doing so
very rapidly. This is largely owing
to the change in the attitude Of the
labor organizations in the cities and
towns The di:ltrnt trades unions of
San Francisco, for example, are !,
unit in the support Of the peoples 5
party. This is likewise true Of the
large elites OF Washington, Oregon
and Montana. Our party WAS formed
by the industrial classes and this
fact is being recognized i'll the west.
and the unanimity with which the
trade unions, miners union and the
kni ghts of Labor of the western
states Will support the peoples party
candidates will paralyzc the two Old
parties in November.
THE public does not un lerstan.l
the temper of .Iie people at this time
Why, right at this moment there are
almost as many people under arms
in this country on the account o!
labor disturbance AS were asked fer
troops issued 10y President Lincoln at
the outbrake Of the civil war. There
are at any rate on both sides, strikers
and troops, at least $4,000. and this
is good sized army. This is one
Of the reasons why there is so much
ENTHUSIASM in favor Of the people 5
party ut this moment. Labor is
more restless at this moment than
any time before, and it is realized
by the laboring classes that it l.;
utterly useless for them to look
further to the two old parties for re
lief. Out in Montana and Washing
tom the miners at work ere contribut-
ing the support Of the Coear d'Aien
strikers. Further south tlrp contri-
buttons are going to Homestead.
The west Is AL ab!aze. Thinking
people out here do not think it pos
sib!e for the Republican nominees to
be elected this year, for the reason
that the Republicans lost nine states
in 1880 that they carried in 1888,
an aggregate OF 10
electoral votes In order to be sue
cess:ul they must regain these states
and al the same time hold the silver
states. and this is an impossib,li,v.
| believe that tic peoples party will
cary every state west of the Missouri
river. am little reluctant IN max
ing that statement fer fear Of being
thought rash, but yet this Is my
honest conviction based on what |
have observed in The last month.
'.Our company went from here to
Beaver. where two meeting We're held
in the coliseum. 1t was packed with
900 people and an over ilow meeting
WAS ncid on the street attended ly
1909 The Colorado silver league
was in session there and also the state
convention of the peoples party.
The two bodies agreed Oh Il full joint
state and electoral ticket. This is
the peoples party ticket, and 1t is con
sl,:tred by conservative men that it
will receive three out CT every four
votes in the state. In the last seven
weeks forty five Old party papers
out there have come over to ti,e poo
pies party. Oae Of them IS tie
Aspen Times, Hsitcd by =. Clark
Wheeler who was delegate to the
Minneapolis convention. Wheeler
boitad the ticket us soon as he return
ed from Minneapolis and he is now
stumping the state OF Colorado for
the peoples party.
We held meetings at five Of the
chief towns i'll Colorado, besides max
ing platform speeches ali along the
line. At Pueblo twice rs many turn
cd out to sec Weaver rs turned out
to see Harrison last year. Al Aspen
5. 600 members Of the mines union
met Our party at the depot. There
was street para e and meeting in
the afternoon evening, eaci, attending
by 5000 people. That is in pitls'n
county, and Il. Clark Wheeler esti-
mated 9o per cent of the voters in
that state will be cast for tl.e people 5
party candidates.
I'VE arrived at Reno, Ncs., at II
O'Clock at night, several hours late,
but crowd of 800 was Waiting to
meet us, and Il meeting was held.
In Nevada there will he hut one
electoral ticket II is for Weaver
and Field. Us the silver people recog-
nize that the peoples party is the
only one in favor of free silver The
vote for the peoples party candidate
will be unanimous.
Eve held rous;ng meetingsat Los
Angeles, Fresno, OHiand, Sacramento,
ann San Francisco. The SHl Fran
cisco trades unlon in passin: reso-
luton pledg,ng themselves tosupp,rt
the peoples party candidates has had
tremendous influence in or favor
In all the cities Oh the coast.
I've went north, taking N Port
land, Tacoma, Seattle, Spok:a,e, He
lena and Butte. The recent strike in
the Occur d'Aienc county hascrystal-
llzcd sentiment in our favor IN that