The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-03-27
WANTS A FUSION
OF POplfsm and Prohibition.

To the Editor:
AS l have read the Representative about
a year, l must let you know that 1 cannot
be without it. am a Norwegian, and
have for the past 10 years been searching
for a &. Bjornson in this country which
l have found in the editor, Il. d." of the
Representative. He is a man without the
slightest bit of superstition; a man not
afraid to tell his opinions; a man VINO Will
stand by those that need any help, who in
this age are the producers. The time has
come for them to be in 1.-The protection
too, now.
There is only one thing 1 have against
the Populists, and that is the Matchmaking
Of the liquor traffic. 1 know the "Gotaborg
system is far preferable to our present sa-
loon system, but as l am of the opinion that
the liquor is running nearly as much as the
banking or money system of this country.
! shall not be satisfied until both of these
evils are gone to sheol, where they be-
long. The liquor is demoraliZing human
lty; so 1 doubt if we will ever see any
justice before it is chased out of exist
ence. 1t has never done any good. l read
PoPSA tAC OtiiCl Ody " hhAh ~ "oo -
the Representative, that somebody had
brought, en- masse, liquor into the basement
OF the house of representatives OF Indiana,
and that it was brought there to demon
alize the representatives. 1t is enough to
make the most strong-hearted men weep,
for the poor labOring men get the evil re-
sults-the bad laws passed under such cor
rupt influences.
l went up town one night, and as I came
up near the Union depot I met two police
men dragging along an acquaintance OF
mine, dead drunk. L stepped forward and
promising to take him home with me, but
they pushed me aside by letting me know
that if | didn't Shut my mouth I should go
along, too. So the poor fellow had to go
to jail and stay there until the next morn
ing; then they let him out, after securing
his fine, while his wife and four children
were almost starving, as they had for
months lived on almost nothing. l was
shocked and surprised to see the young
ones dancing upon the floor. barefooted and
almost naked, in the middle of the winter.
1t almost forces the tears to my eyes as I
recall that scene, and think that it could
occur in a land flowing with milk and
honey and within the city limits of the
city of Duluth. But as the old saying has
it, "It is of no use to cry over spilled
milk" We must take action if we would
improve our condition.; and as Mr.. Don
nelly is one of the leaders of the reform
movement in our state, 1 should like to hear
him explain himself as to the necessity of
uniting the Peoples party with the Prohi-
bition party, which is so much wanted, Of
a move to that attempt in Lansing, Mich.
Why shouldn't we do the same? Hoping
that you will think of it and give an an
sWer through the Representative. i an
yours for justice and good government,
E.. o. FJERSTAD.
(Etxyarxv AM roo, So n r;o~ ~ a~,-o
ance, and regards the use of alcoholic
beverages as one of the mighty evils which
Cypress our frail humanity; but the ques-
ton is whether the Peoples party have not
enough on their hands in trying to bring
victory to the principle of the Omaha plat
form. without taking up any other ques-
ton. In 1894 we adopted in this state the
principle of abolishing the saloons through
the "Gotaberg SYSTEM" and, as a result,
re lost 10000 votes and did not advance
the cause of temperance a particle; while
in the meantime the Prohibitionists put a
ticket in the field and drew all the votes
away from US that they could. The picture
presented by our correspondent of the
Indebtedness of his friends family is a
sad one, but the man had brought it on
them by his own weakness and vice. How
much sadder is it to see millions of good,
honest, Woodworking people, who never
touch liquor, who are the very salt of the
earth,' driven off their farms and reduced
to pauperism by the evil conditions which
the Peoples party was organized to fight?
Should We abandon these to repair the
damage inflicted by the drunkard on him
self and family ED. RepD