St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-04
Touching Tribute to Col.
Polk, the Dead President
Of the Alliance.
The Best Address Of the Day
Made by Hon. Ignatius
Donnelly.
Mr.. Powderly Speaks Briefly
but FeelinglY Of the Dead
Chief.
Collection Boxes to Be Placed
for Funds for Col. Polk'S
Family.

Family.
OMAHA, July 3.-The vast assemblage
which attended the second days session
of the Peoples party afforded a striking
proof of the respect in which the men,
Ory of the late Col. Polk is held by. the
supporters of the movement which he
was instrumental in founding. The
session was devoted exclusively to the
delivery of addresses eul0gistic of the
dead champion of reform and expressive
of the reverence in which his name is
held. Though the speeches contained
many inspiring sentences as to the fut-
ure of the fight in which the indie pend
ent party is engaged. the recognition
of the loss which the: party has
sustained in the death of its leader
seemed to be the one thought
which occupied the minds of the dele
gates, and rarely was there departure
from solemn silence which gave to the
gathering more the air of a church
service than of great national conven-
tiOn. After prayer by CHAPLAIN Diff
ASbooNhOA, Vic OPCuluS, dQulCSS was
delivered by H. l.. Loucks. of South
Dakota. who has been selected for the
permanent craftsmanship of the conven-
tiOn., The speech was marked by
sympathy and feeling which caught
every member of the vast audience, and
was received with silence which bore
testimony to the respect In which the
memory of the late president of the
Farmers Alliance is held by those with
whose movement he had been identi-
fed. One of the sentences which broke
the painful stiffness of the gathering
was the declaration that the people of
the new movement looked to l.. l.. Polk
as the Lincoln OF
An Era of Freedom
Brother Polk" the speaker conclud-
ed. was the one man whose place can
not be filled. He was the one around
whom all our hopes centered as they
can round no other man. 1t is meet that
we should pay our respects to his
memory. He died martyr to our cause
from Overwork. His kindly spirit looks
down upon this meeting today and will
remain to guide it till our proceedings
are ended"
Editor McCune followed: II knew
our lost friend" he said, ''and it is
pride and pleasure to me to he able to
say knew him. To know him was to
loved him best. The noble soul, the
magnificent brain, the wonderful ora
tory of l.. l.. Polk were given to the
cause of our movement. He devoted him.
self to the destruction of sectionalism
which had been fOstered by those cor
rupt politicians who ruled this land in
the interest of those by whom it was
robbed. The cause which Col. Polk
led meant the freedom of labor, the tri-
umph of the people; it meant that this
country would come back to the prin-
ciples of those who founded it and in
corporated in its constitution the prin-
ciple Of government of the people, by
the people and for the people.
Had he been here tomorrow" de-
clared the speaker amid the rousing
cheers of the assembly. ''he would have
been selected to bear your banner aloft.
His memory inspires us with hope; it
reminds us of duty, Let us be care
ful how we discharge that duty; we
will discharge it as becomes our man
hood by keeping in view the example Of
Our Lost Leader.
and by determining that we shall not
lag behind until the cause which he
championed shall he carried to success"
Mrs. Todd, of Michigan, paid touch
ing tribute to the memory of the de-
ceased leader. His attitude toward the
I debauchery of the present system of
government gained for him persecution
and villainous slander. She said he was
cruclfied as the sayiorS of the people
have ever been crucified in one form or
other. But he is not dead: he never
lived till now, and the recollections of
his deeds will ever act as an inspiration
till the victory of our cause is pro-
claimed"
Gen. Weaver was the next speaker.
His speech was brief, but summed up
in well-chosen and pathetic words the
public life and deeds of Col. Polk.
He loved his race, he declared. and
despite the fact that he had
full knowledge and complete under
stonding Of the great wrongs under
which the people of this country were
suffering, his faith rose superior to all
difficulties, and he felt certain of the
ultimate triumph which is certain to
come to movement which shall free
the downtrodden people of this nation.
The sentence received with the loudest
chorus of cheering was d quotation
from the dead Southern reformer-..I
am standing now just behind the cur
tain, and in the full glow of the coming
sunset. Behind Inc are the shadows on
the track; before me lies the dark
valley. When l mingle with its dark
waters want to cast one lingering look
upon country whose government is of
the people, for the people and by the
people,"
1.-The name of Col. Polk" the speaker
concluded, Twill remain
For Ages a Monument
of po wer in this country, and a great
bulwark against the surging tides of
hatred and political animosty. May
we cherish his memory and may we see
that his family, which has lost a head
and father, shall be cared for" This
reference to the family of the deceased
was received with a response which
showed that the Peoples party dele
gates are not unmindfnl OF the services
conferred upon them by the man in
whose memory the meeting was held.
A speech. every word of which was
marked by solemnity and earnestness,
by Mrs. Leese, of Kansas, was followed
by the most eloquent eulogy of the day
= that of Hon. IgDatius Donnelly.
"A great man," said Mr.. DOnnelfy,
s'has fallen. He has passed from the
darkness into the light. He has stepped
from the visible into the invisible.
He has crossed the dreaded but kindly
line which limits the miseries of this
imperfect life. A mighty tree has fallen
in the forest
AS falls on Mount Avernus
The thunder-smitten oak;
Far DER the crashing forest
The giant arms lie spread;
And the pale augurs, mUttering low,
Il \