The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-07-19

tts NJ
sWesksn the off ~ party right at
|sthsssccriitica moment. Unless rs ana
Ill friends insist that = large ma
iority should yield Il the dictatton of.
small minority, we shall expect the
General to be working harmonjepasy
with his party IA the future.
But this Is not all the 1esso taught
by the action Of the Iowa Popnl3 Con-
vention. We have won the re & Of
our enemies, as well ase1 dragged
those in our own ranks. The 6eader.
commenting on the result Of the con-
vention. says: "The defeat, therefore,
In the Populist Convention Of the lead
ers, who were: engineering the plan.
promises to have effect upon the poll
itics Of the State more than appears
from the record. 1t mean that it will
be impossible for the silver leaders of
the Democratic party to say to the
Marshalltown convention. Here are
the Populists, about 10000 in number.
whom you can get for your nominee II
you will indorse the free coinage of sill
YER It implies that the first and the
vital step in the programme has failed:
that the carefully built house Of cards
has toppled over. Whether the Demo-
Gratis nominate a gold monometallist or
q silver monometallist, adopt free COIN
age OF silver, or indorse the national
Democratic platform, or whatever 9TH
er course may be pursued, the Populist
strength will be given to the Populist
candidates. The Populists have de-
cIlned In advance to be caught by the
Tree silver bait, and the planners who
nave e so industriously at work
Tor the last two or three months have
for sale a badly battered secondhand
scheme"
In a brief editorial paragraph, the
same paper says: "Let all the people
who believe in political action, which
IS Tree from suggestion Of bargain and
sale, commend the action Of the Iowa
Populists, VINO yesterday, almost
unanimously rejected the proposal
looking to fusion and a shady political
dicker. Fusion does not pay, and it
e will. Indulgence in 1t will do
more to break down a party than all
the assaults of the opposition. A party
should have the manhood to stand up
on it's W feet and not rely on bor-
rowing a wooden leg"
No party that appears to be afraid to
advocate its own principles will or can
succeed. When honest men leave y
party because of corruption and shady
deals, they are not likely to join n :
other one that is apparently engaged in
the same business. If Mr.. Viewers
policy had won in the Iowa Conven-
tion, and a fusion could have been ar
ranged between the Democrats and
Populists, in all probability the gold
bugs would have yielded to the free
silver Democrats in the Democratic
Convention, and the Democratic party
would have remained solid, while the
Populists would have lost votes. As 1t
is, the contention between the silver
fierce, and result either in q split
among the party leaders, or in a large
number of Democratic voters leaving
the party, most Of whom would join
the Peoples party. The Peoples party
of Iowa has done itself credit, and
while it is to be regretted that such
men as Weaver will pursue a phantom
for the sake Of temporary success, the
cause is to be congratulated that such
suicidal policy has met defeat at the
first State Convention held by the
Populists this year. There is no party
organized and equipped to make the
silver fight so we'll as the Peoples
party. It's doors are open to all COM
ers. It's platform Is broad enough for
every anti-monopolist in the land. 1t
extends the hand Of welcome to all true
reformers, but it will not trim its plat
form to suit political shysters or to
boost anybody into Office. This we
know to be the sentiment of nine-tenths
OF. the rank and file, and the party will
fight it out on this line, If it }akes two
summers. w. S. MQEGAN.
Prices Would GesJp. VII