The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-06-06
Brave Words and True,

Onuer the mead OF The COXey Move
| ment the Chicago Sentinel has an article
| that meets our views exactly We publish
| few extracts from it, regretting that we
| have not room enough for the whole:
THE COXEY MOVEMENT
The time has come for plain speaking In
regard to this onward march to Washing
| ton" There is a manifest disposition on
| the part of the dominant press to associate
| the Coxey movement with the People S
| party. There is also an effort on the part
of some of our well meaning but thought
less POpuliSt friends to join forces with
the Coxeyites We for one do not propose
to be dragged into the Coxey movement by
the jibes of an opposition press nor by the
leadership of those Populists who have
seen fit to give it their personal support
and adherence.
The hellish cunning of the arch enemies
of the people themselves could never have
Matched out a scheme better calculated to
Illustrate and defeat the magnificent pur-
pose of the great PopuliSt movement than
this Self-Same Coxey march to Washington.
Upon the principles enunciated in the
Omaha platform $1,000 votes were polled
two years ago. That is one thing that
struck terror to the hearts of the Shy
locks The Populist movement is what the
robbers fear. They care not straw for
the CoXey movement. Well knowing this
the dominant press are seeking to shift
the line of battle from the Omaha platform
to the CoXey idea.
Anything, anything to divert the atten-
ton of the people from the principles of
the Omaha PLATFORM
If it can be kept up; and if by any posi-
BILE scheme disaster can be brought upon
the March to Washington enterprise,
then the word will be passed along the
line of the Associated Press: 1T is a
Populist unconventional Shylock has won!
The Populist party will be a dead cock In
the pit next November!' He'll itself has
never Matched a craftier scheme.
Instead of spending time talking of the
Coxey movement, Populists ought to be
talking of county conventions, state con-
ventions.
And we see no possible good that can
come out of the Coxey movement. 1t is a
tom-foorS errand; a wild goose chase after
| will-o' the wisp.
Instead of marching to Washington to
petition a self-convicted venal congress,
why not mach to the polls and elect con-
| gress that will need no petitioning?
The leaders of these various branches of
| the Coxey army have simply seized upon
| the discomfort of the people and are thus
destroying one factor which might have
| been utilized with grand and enduring re-
| suits at the ballot box next November.
They are going to Washington to petition
| congress, we'll knowing that congress is
already owned body, soul and breeches by
| Wall street. 1t is like lamb asking aims
of a wolf; a dove begging mercy from
hawk.
)
| aid already? Has it not already forfeited
| the confidence of the people? And are not
! the people ready, from Oregon to Maine,
| from Texas to Minnesota, to rise up and
| repudate congress at the ballot box?
Is not congress (both Democratic and Re-
| publican wings) in exactly the hole that
we all want it in? What "easier work.
| do Populists want than to pound the life
| out of it at the ballot box next November?
Still another class of Coxeyites say sig
| nificanty, But 1t means the revolution!"
What kind of revolution, you poor fools?
Do you mean a revolution drenched with
blood? There is no excuse for such rev.
olution. The man who thinks it or talks
it, matter how sincere or honest he
may be, is the worst enemy of the peoples
rights and liberties that can be found
within the boundaries of our A states.
Our forefathers won a revolution. But
they won it as one nation and one people
against foreign nation. And moreover,
when they won, they won everything that
is essential to maintaining government
of the people,. They won these essentials:
First, free speech.
Second, free press.
Third, free asSembllge.
Fourth, the right to vote.
Fifth, the right of the people to select
their own rulers and law makers.
And, with these five undeniable and I'M
questionable rig'A, If the people Of the
United States can not peaceably right all
wrongs, then they ought to suffer!
At the end of successful revolution
even, what additional right could be added
to the above five?
Our governmental machinery is all right
as it is There may be changes needed,
but there are ways of making such changes
without a resort to revolution by force
Simply because lot of rascals are at
present running the machine we do not
propose to abandon 1t. Let us denose
the rascals and put the machine into good
hands.
Aye, We have faith in the American peo-
pie. We have faith in the fundamental
principles of our government and in the
constitution Of the United States. The
American people are at heart law-abifina