The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-05-13
REDUCTION OF SALARIES.

Mr.. Peter Sh1ppma1, leading fOpulIst
Of lie Sueur Center, LIE Sueur county,
whites us an interesting letter from
which we make some extracts.
Ex-Lieutenant Governor Barnett Gibbs
of Texas, has made strong speech, bear
ing upon all the most important subjects
in the reform movement. including the
reduction of all official salaries, as an
absolute necessity, because he says,
"'rhey are used as the sinews OF war by
the party in power and the Populists will
capture them under a pledge to make
them live on less rations." !.
The following resolutions are from the
Southern Mercury of April 23d:
Resolved, In view of the fact that the
price of labor and the products OF labor
have been reduced fully one-haQf, and
taxes raised in the face of a contracting
currency, we demand the reduction Of all
fees and salaries commensurate with the
labor performed in the various Offices,
I'VE deem the adoption Of uniform
system of text books for the public
schools, to be furnished by the state at
cost.
1--WE denounce the extravaganza OF the
present administration Of this state, and
proclaim ourselves in favor of a reduction
of state expenditures to point common
surate with the ability of the state to
pay
This kind of politics IS as good for Min
nesOta as for Texas and will make votes
and friends faster than any other argu-
ment. Bring it to the front and give 1t
chance. 1t is evident to every reformer
that the Office holders, with their excess
sive salaries are the main stay and po-
litical heelers of plutocracy.
When Mr.. Donnelly was here, in the
fall of 1892 speaking, he told me person
ally that he was in favor of reducing all
official salaries, and that, if elected, he
would recommend the reduction of all
salaries from governor down.
hope that he adheres yet to that prin-
ciple and will allow us to agitate that re-
form measure in The Representative, as
it will be the most effective measure of
inducing old party voters to join us.
"Touch a mans pocketbook and you will
touch his heart" never meant more than
just at the present time, when a has
grown to about the size Of a wagon
wheel.
To succeed we must adopt the Texas
method and fight the devil with his own
colt the merchant who ridicules reform
and advocates old party" and "gold
Standard and go twenty miles out of
our way to patronize friendly merchant,
or send 200 miles to department store
for our goods. We must give the royal
bounce" to every local paper that never
misses an opportunity to give us punch
in the ribs or ridicule Mr.. Donnelly or
some other leader of reform. We must
adopt the logic of Barnett Gibbs when he
says: "The only way to fight an enemy is
with your vizor down, with one prayer to
Lord and ten ticks to the enemy"
In Montgomery the other day I over
heard some of my bohemian friends,
who had read and studied "Coin's Finan-
cial School, in their own language, ar
guing with hard ware merchant. When
they finally got him cornered he tried to
laugh to scorn their arguments, and said:
"Ah, see, Donnelly has got hold of you
fellows; you'll find out where he'll leave
YOU"
That is about adj the defence he could
make.
Will F. Bookman, prominent mer-
chant Of Texas, has published the follow
ing plain letter:
II am a Populist. have burned the
D1luSCC OCuIuU IuC ctIlu dul IlSlYt LII Will
the boys from the forks of the creek, to
help elect their ticket next November
1t is those people from whom I get my liv-
ing. When they are prosperous, so am
/; and when adversely overtakes them, it
gets me too. Every word of Barnett
Gibbs arra.gnment OF the Democratic
party is the solemn truth, and we have
yet to see single denial of any of his
statements In the papers
"Once the Democratic party was as
pure as the men by whom it was organ
lied, but it is not SO now. 1t is in the
power Of merciless 'pie-grabbers' who,
like pirates scuttling a sinking vessel,
are getting all they can out Of it before
1t goes down forever. And it is going
down, sinking deeper and deeper each
day; and many who have faithfully stood
by It all their lives now see the folly of
longer remaining with the old wreck.
The scales are dropping from the eyes of
thousands. and they are rallying where
the Popuist banner floats untainted and
untarnfshed in the breeze"
Whenever our local merchants will
come out like that, then, and only then.
should we consider their howl and clamor
to patronize home merchants and leave
our money at homer instead of sending
of for our goods to the department stores
OF the cities Of Minneapolis and Chicago.
THAT CARTOON.