The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-11-11
GRONLUND's LECTURE.
Delivered Before the University Club
Last Night.

Lawrence Gronlund delivered an in
club last evening. Following is q syn
opsis of his remarks:
The fall Of Populism Is intimately
connected with the subject that alone
makes life worth living to me-Collec-
tivism or Socialism. 1 have done all
/ could to induce workmen in the east
ern and middle states to vote the Pop
ulist ticket at the last election, and
yet am highly encouraged by its dis
appearance. This is easily explained.
1 have never been an admirer of the
party;I never called myself g. PopuHst.
because l could not endorse the Omaha
platform; but I saw in it the only re-
form party we had; it was of Ameri-
can growth, hence l considered it al
most criminal to try to start a new
third party during its existence. In
my weekly articles to the New York
Twentieth Century, have pointed out
that it was not worthy of having SUI
preme power. Think of Senator Pepf-
fer in the executive chairi He, who,
when he was asked what he would do
to bring back prosperity, replied: II
would issue a thousand million of
greenbacls, then another thousand
million, and so on, till we have pros
perity." Why. of course, instead of
prosperity he would bring on the great
est ruin it is possible to conceive. But
L hoped it would be made worthy of
having supreme power. 1t was section
al; L hoped it would become national;
that it would secure a foothold east of
the Mississippi, and thus give the
people of those sections a voice
in it's councils, when the plat
form for the next presidential
oil 70 h.
if that should not happen, then
undoubtedly the next best thing would
be just what has occurred: that the
party should be wiped out, and leave
the way clear for the formation of the
successful third party. But the bene-
fit is even greater. 1t will be seen that
consider the mischief to have con-
sisted in the Greenbackers having
been the soul of the Peoples party. 1t
is admitted that this is 50; the sue
ces of this party Is due to them, and
so is the failure. Now, 1 wish it dis
tinctIy understood, that 1 everywhere
have found the GreenbackerS the most
generous and enthusiastic Of our Amer
lean citizens; their hearts are right, but
their heads were wrong. Is it not curl
Gus that there are no Greenbackers in
Europe; that the last ones date from
1915, in England, the year when the
Bank O1 GLHSIdIlU. JEStllICQ 0PCNAC Pe1J
ments. Greenbackism 1 have looked
upon as positively national American
disease, and one that unfortunately par
aIyzed the whole reform movement.
Must it then not be hailed as posi-
tive deliverance that this paralysis is
now over And have I not a right to
say I feel highly encouraged! Green
hackers, or Populists, have had the
same aim that 1, as a Collectivist,
a1Iinc-tn wit. the
overthrow of the dominion OF organ
lied capital We both wanted to curo
the same fiery, vicious horse, capital
ism: but 1 wanted to curb it by the
hit the mouth, and they wanted
to do it by the tail
The greenbackers have tried to tie
the hands of capitalism with ropes OF
sand, with fiat money, without con-
siderinr that no matter what kind OF
money we had it would surely go into
the pockets of the rich and not of the
moor. into the pockets of those who own
and control all our wealth. The only
wa.y to deprive them Of that control is
ownership and manage
ment-gradually established; and for
starting a party that will do this we
now have an opportunity such as we
never had and probably never shall
have again. But in that party green
hackers must either Voluntarily from
patriotism take back seats, or be rele-
gated to the rear. A splendid oppOr-
tunity for starting such a party pres
ents itself in the meeting next month in
Denver of the Federation of Labor
when undoubtedly war upon the wage
system will be declared. Americans are
an energetic people, and on this is
founded my hopes that in our country
will first be successfully
One presidential election
can settle the matter; and there is
sentiment abroad that the new century
will bring in a new era, and mark this
sentiment governs the world.