The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-02-20
DISTRESS IN A.
The False Charge That 1t Is Due t.
POpulism.

The False Charge That 1t Is Due to
Populism.
To the Editor:
An article published in the Times of Dec.
% says:
Nebraska appears to be another West
ern state on which the blight of Populism
has fallen with deadly effect. In a half
dozen counties in that state the people are
reduced to the lowest stages of restitution,
and there is urgent demand for charitable
aid to save them from actual starvation.
While the primary cause of this deplorable
condition is the failure of the crops, the
same condition extends more less over
the entire state, and is largely due to the
general paralyZatiOn of industries and the
strngency of money by Populist legisla-
ton and the prevalence of Populist theories
among the farmers and working people,
In regard to the above, I would like to
ask the writer Of that article what the
Populists had to do with the failure of the
crops the contraction of the currency?
1t has been their aim to increase the cir
culaton of money, instead of contracting
it. Was it the blight of Populism that
swept over Minnesota during the same
period, causing so many manufacturing
establishments to shut down and throwing
thousands of people out of employment,
causing them to either steal or starve?
Was it the much admired Knute Nelson,
who has done so much for the laboring
the interest of the people this time, instead
of the corporations, as he did when he was
in congress before.
1t would be just as reasonable to lay the
hard times in Minnesota to Nelson as it
was to lay it to Gov. Waite and other
Populists in other states In my judg-
ment those PopuliSt states haven't SUI
fered any more than has the fair state
of Minnesota under Republican governor
Where are the good times we We're going
to have with the repeal of the Sherman
law? Methinks they have flown like the
principles of the old parties have
The Tribune came out on the eve of
Nov. 5 (because it hadn't the backbone to
come out before) with a false and damag-
ing sta tement in regard to the financial
condition of Colorado, wherein it stated
that the property had deprecated $500, Co.,
600 during the Populists' misrule (as they
chose to call it, which is false, and they
knew it to be SO at the time. They were
bound to gain their point either by fair
means or foul, and they chose the latter.
Gov. Waite, in his annual message, says:
"The valuation of real and personal prop
erty has decreased in value $50 100000 since
the repeal of the Sherman law. Silver min
ing the leading industry of Colorado, has
been practically destroyed" How much
has the property of Minnesota deprecated
during the same time? Those Populist
states have got better credit in New York
today than has Minnesota A few more
deals like the Guaranty Loan and Menag-
cites will fix them plenty" Why not be
fair in such matters and lay the blame
where it rightly belongs? In my judgment,
when they contract the currency by de-
monetizing silver and cause a stringency
of money, it is done to benefit the money
mongers, and not the people. In several
lectures that l heard before election last
fall they referred us back to Abraham
Lincoln and few other good men and
what good they had done. That is quite
true. but, as they said about S. M. Owen,
they have deteriated and fallen away from
the principles laid down by Lincoln, and
have been bought over body and soul since
that time by the money power.
Abraham Lincoln did not advocate the
contraction Of the currency, but on the
contrary he said: IF government enact
ed a debt with certain amount of money
in circulation, and then contracted the
volume of money before the debt was paid,
it is the most henious crime government
could commit against the people"
D. COW,
IJopLipc Mimi