The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-04-22
HOW TO GET TOGETHER.
A Prominet Labor Leader Has Ideas on Il
. Subject.

Prominet Labor Leader Has Ideas on the
~ ~ Subject.
Editor Representative:
In a recent issue of your valuable paper,
an editorial How can we get together?'
was read with much interest and to my
mind this Is the all important question be-
fore h American people today. The uni
versal discomfort, born of oppression and
wrong that exists; has taken form in nu-
mefOus Industrial and political ~organiza-
tons, all working for the same purpose
and fighting the same foe; they may differ
as to methods, some may not 60 as far as
others, but all will realize sooner or later
that they must '..get together before any
remedies can be applied and that in uni
f1eation there is ultimate and inevitab BILE
victory while IN division, defeat and dis
aster as their certain doom. No matter
what is the true remedy or the proper way
out every mothers son Of us should under
stand thai nothing-absolutely nothing
can be done while we are divided into nu-
merous camps and pulling different
strings.
Once united on such issues as we can
agree upon, intelligence will predominant
and in the end the best n logical meth
DDS are sure to prevail. How to accomplish
this is the all absorbing question, but if
we bury our prejudices and stable
our hobbies, l can see no reaSo why we
cannot come together and crystalize the
reform forces of the country into a resist
less power that will, November next re-
store the liberties, our ~forefathers fought
Tor n give to the people Of the United
States that government of the people, by
the people, and for the people, we have
heard SO much about.
l Will endeavor to outline a plan that is
feasible and practical and if tried 1 think
would bring u various reform element
IN municipal, state and national affairs
together. The one method that nearly
every reformer agrees upon is the initia-
tive and referendurn-and it is by the prin-
clple OF direct legislation that L would
solve the problem of How can we get
together" the rank and file of the thous-
ment. are not responsible for the divisions,
gnbyenAR.ntie- pmtiH Ell cmfw mfwyfw
1t Is the leaders, and in many cases
the m~isleaders. that are the cause of it.
Let a representative committee for each
organization be selected to meet in Joint
conference to agree upon a basis of rep
resentat1on according to the membership
of each and issue a call for a general con-
vention to be held at some central point,
Tor the purpose of adopting a platform up
on which all can stand and work, let them
incorporate in that platform such meas
ures as the organizations represented an
unanimously agree upon, let the measures
or issues over which a division occurs be
referred by referendum vote to the rank
and Tile OF the organizations represented
and a majority vote shall adopt or reject
all measures or planks so referred. The
planks unanimously adopted by the con-
ventton and those accepted by a majority
vote would 90 to make up a platform
upon which all would stand and triumph.
No organization need surrender any of it's
principles. but could advocate them with
the greater advantage Of association with
the members of other organizations and
the assurance that if they were correct
they. would be finally adopted. To my
mind this is a simple proposition and
would place the reformers of the country
in q position they must occupy before any-
thing can be accomplished.
Sylvester Keliher,
Minneapolis. April 4th, 1896.