The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-12-11
HOW TO GET TOGETHER.
LET Us MOVE UNDER DIFFER
EMIT REGIMENTAL COLORS.
But All Charge Together, For Vic.
tory, With cold GlOrv' Flying
Over Our Heads.

1t is with great pleasure that we
print in this issue highly important
communication from very able man,
Edward Evans, of North Tonawanda,
New York, Provisional Chairman Of
the National Reform Executive Com
mittee, appointed at the Staten Is
land Conference of Prohibitionists,
Populists, etc., held July 3, 1895. We
are glad to see that he looks SO favor
ably on our proposition to have all
the elements of Reform assemble, in
separate conventions, at the same
time and place, and unite, If possible,
in support of the same candidates for
president and vice president. This
would be practical union of all Re-
form voters, while permitting each
organization to stand squarely on its
own platform. We relegate our diff
ferences to the future, while moving
to victory. like the ancient phalanxes,
which carried the Roman eagles over
the known world. Surely no sensible
POpuliSt can refuse to vote for TIE
Peoples Party candidates for presi-
dent and vice president because his
right-hand neighbor, rohibitionist,
and his left-hand neighbor, Free
Silverite," are voting for the same
men, as the nominees of their conven-
tions. II there were any radical and
ineradicable differences between the
great principles Of these different ele-
mentS of course such union Of forces
would be impractcable: but there is
none. They all believe in the free
coinage of silver and gold at the ratio
Of Is to 1; they all believe that the
man should rule and not the dollar;
they all believe in morality, virtue.
honesty and temperance; there are
none who desire this country to be
governed by the saloon power; there
are none but believe the nation is 60
ing headlong to destruction; there are
none but believe the great corpora
although they may differ as to the
best way to get at that result!
Then it will be asked, why, this be-
ing so, do you not all get together in
the same hall and constitute your
selves one party? Because we differ
as to methods. When men go into
deadly hand-to- hand conflicts they
strip to the waist. The Populists
feel that they must disencumber
themselves of all side-issues, and plant
their feet on the solid rock of the
Omaha platform. If they make Pro-
hibition one of their issues the whole
fight will turn upon that. They
would be placed on the defensive
from the start. When they talked
free silver, or an enlarged currency,
the enemy would reply,-"what right
have you to dictate to your neighbor
what he shall eat or drink?" The
clamor would be dreadful and the re-
suit would be we would have no more
votes than Prohibition could give US.
But il the Prohibitionists have q par
ty in the field of their own they will
make all the converts they can; where
popular feeling will ustain them they
will combine with the Populists on
state, congressional or legislative
tickets; where it will not sustain them
each party can paddle it's own canoe
But it will be said,-how can you
find candidate for president or for
vice president, who will represent all
these different shades of opinion? II
he is a Prohibitionist the anti-Pro-
hibitionist will not vote for him; and
If he is not Prohibitionist the Pro-
hibitiOniSts will not support him.
Our answer is that the Presi dent does
not make laws; and the vice president
simply presides over the United
States Senate. The president can, it
Is true, veto bill, but the bill must
pass both houses Of Congress before it
reaches him to veto; and he could be
safely pledged not to veto any meas
ure Of Reform which passes the two
houses of Congress. And the people
would elect Congress they could de-
pend upon for wise and reasonable
legislation. The President would
have nothing to do with the ques tion
of Prohibition unless National Pro-
hibitory liquor-law was passed; and
that would apply only to the District
navy. and the territories, now reduced
to almost nothing. And ii such law
passed both houses of Congress nobody
would think of asking the President
to veto it:-for it would be the biggest
joke of the century to see the Wash
ington congressman and lobbyists
brought down to cold water and but
termilk.
There is therefore no practical diff
Guilty in the way of so uniting all the
various elements which desire to
drive the two old party frauds out of
power, and give the nation a new
birth of decency and liberty.
When the Germans fought their
last great war against France they
we're a mere string of loosely connect
ed, petty kingdoms: but with victory
came unity; and mighty empire
was born out of the conflict. And in
the same way If we can once over
throw the damnable reign Of the
Money-power the victorious forces will
be gradually welded into one har-
monious whole; and then it will be for
the wisdom Of the liberated people to
decide as to the wiseSt methods of re-
form; and Congress will debate and
wrangle and legislate for years before
all the great questions now pressing
for solution are settled; but when
thew are settled it will be in the line