The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-02-27
MINNESOTA DEMOCRACY,
Is 1t Dead? Are Its Followers
Coming Into the Peoples
Party?


Coming Into the Peoples
Party?
We clip the following from the Min
neapolis Penny Press of Feb. Goth.
"The outlook is very clear that the
Democratic party of Minnesota is a
thing Of the past" said one of the
foremost Democratic politicians Of
the state, at the state capitol yeSter-
day. He was commenting on the late
campaign which turned down Mar
shall Campbell. "It is my prediction" :"
said he, that the party will never or
game, and make another campaign
in this state-not as the national De-
mocracy is now organized. or rather
'disorganized.'
The defeat of Campbell has made
all parties In interest very sore at the
powers that cleaned him out, and the
fat gentleman in the White house.
One of these is said to be the editor
of the Globe, P. j. Smalley, who may
not say much. as yet, in the Globe,
but whose swearing apparatus is said
to be running at extra typewriter
speed. 1t is secret of the Globe
sanctum that when the denounce-
ment came that Campbell was
goner, Editor Smalley walked up to a
large portrait of the obese gentleman
hanging on the wall, and seizing it
with his impiOus hands literally re-
versed it, and horribly defaced the
picture by jamming it into the un-
yielding StuccO.
This fuss over the marshallship is
but one of the many things which
have tended to destroy the party in
the state, being the last straw to
break the Campbell's back. as it were.
1t all goes back to the fine Italian
work Of the last campaign when the
Republican brethren worked out the
scheme of uniting the Democrats and
Republicans in the interest Of Knute
Nelson. Gen. Becker got his reward
as promised, but the party went to de-
structiOn.
1t is possible that there may never
be even call for another Democratic
state convention, and the quandary is
what will be the result; where will the
erstwhile faithful go. Those who
went bodily to the Republicans, elect
ing Nelson, will doubtless largely stay
in their new bed. But the majority
will, no doubt, be found with the
PoDulists, especially since the new
prominence given to the Peoples Par
tY by the financial disturbances in Con-
gress.
There is already talk of a confer
ence looking to this movement, and
it is possible that it will be on a dis
tinct money plank, for free coinage Of
both the metals. Should such a union
occur it is certain that the combined
forces would sweep the state twenty
months hence"
We hope these prognos tications are
correct. II the honest Democrats
separate from the plutocratic section,
and advance towards the Peoples Par
ty we will build bridge of gold for
them to cross upon. That will be the
very break up we have long antici-
pated. 1t will be one based on
natural and necessary division of
sentiment. The great mass of the
rank and file Of the Democrats are at
heart Populists; the gold-bug Demo-
Gratis have already joined the Republi-
can camp and are happy there; and
one-half of them will stay there. The
Others were scared into supporting
Nelson and will break loose in 1885,
There is no hope for this country
until the hard and fast lines of the
old parties are broken up. Let there
be a fusion of citizens not of organiza-
tions.
In this connections we would quote
the following from a recent number
Of the Minneapolis Journal:
Congressman Springer, in an inter
view published recently in the Jour
nal, said very emphatically that he
believed, and his conversation with
other public men confirmed him in his
belief, that there is an imminent
prospect of disruption of both par
ties on the question of standards.
He thinks that about two-fifths of
the Republican party and three-fifths
of the Democratic party favor the sim
gle silver standard. and that the
question will force itself upon the ma
tional political conventions Of the
next year.
Coming events cast their shadows
before them. Will there be a realign- :
ment of political parties on the stand
ard issue in 1896? Is the question of
the gold or silver standard to over
shadow the tariff and all other ques-
tions before the country? l. D.