The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-11-25
THE CAUSE OF IT.

control Of one Of its original founders,
Prof. G. Vincent, an able and honest
member of an able and honest family.
He has this to say as to the causes Of
our recent defeat in the United
States. It will be read with interest
by POpulists everywhere:
Looking to the States that were ex.
pected to give a majority for Mr..
Bryan. but which went for Mckinley,
we find some significant things. In
the States Of Indiana, Kentucky, w.
Virginia, Wyoming, California, Ore
gOn and the Dakotas, all of which are
in the Mckinley column. or are saved
by scratch, change Of $4,000 or go
600 votes in the eight states would
have reversed the election and sent
Mr.. Bryan to the White House.
Now why we're not those states car
ried by Mr.. Bryan?
The answer is obvious.
In all these states, except West Vir-
ginia, the Populist vote was a consid-
cradle factor, and in several of them
this vote was largely driven to stay at
home by the unreasonable demands of
the Democrats, that the Populists sur
render their organization and become
Democrats This they could not
and would not do. It is true that
finally. just before opening the polls,
fair union terms were agree upon, but
it was too late to repair the damage
done in the earlier part of the cam
paign. It was too late to heal the
sores or hide thesscars made early in
the summer. II the Democratic party
had stopped when Mr.. Bryan had been
named for the Presidency. and had
recognized the fact that others than
Democrats" desired free silver or
monetary reform, and had referred
the complet ion OF the ticket to the
expected allies that were to meet in
two National Conventions, July %, at
St. Louis, thus gracefully acknow-
lodging, in advance, the services ten
dered, it would have opened the way
for union Of forces that would have
contained none Of the elements Of
weakness that carried defeat to the
standard bearer of the allied parties
on the Sd Of November. Monetary re-
form is postponed for four more years
through the stubborn party greed
that demanded all, and only yielded
at late hour what was wrung from
it by half-disheartened, half-disgusted
allies.
The nomination of Mr.. Bryan was
we'll done, but when it was accom-
plished, there appeared to be still
laundering for the ''hesh-pots of
Egypt" and an effort was made to
throw tub to the Eastern whale, in
the shape Of vice presidential NOM
ination that was In itself an insult to
the expected allies. Some of them
swallowed their chagrin. but the Pop
ulists being longer trained in the
needs OF campaign for reform, knew
that victory of that sort would be
"apples of Sodom," turning to ashes
at the touch of the possessor. Some
Populists were even willing to sacri-
flee all party pride and accept the pro-
fessionS of the so-called "rege nerated
Democracy" trus ting all to them, but
large portion Of the party could not
be seduced to such course.
After concessions were made, the
Populists very generally accepted the
situation and assisted in carrying out
the plans matured by those placed in
charge Of party affairs.
The writer was one OF those who
wished things could have been ar
ranged otherwise, but when the party
conventions and officials had done all
in their power, it was a choice of &C
NCRCluk UuC OulOu CICCUCu OI
for Mckinley, and there was no hest
fancy in making up the decision.
Elsewhere in this paper is pointed
out the tendency Of late converts or
new recruits to blackslide, or return
to old issues Our only hope lies in
more perfect organization of the Pop
ulist party, and the keeping intact Of
all it's educational forces. The Popu-
list party is responsible for the great
popular uprising, and it must keep
abreast in the way Of organization,
nor Slacken In any respect its efforts
along the line marked out by the St.
Louis platform.
There is great deal of truth and
force in all this. We took the posi-
tion, before the St. Louis Convention
was held, that while we might be
ready to cooperate with the free
silver element outside of the Pop
ulist party, we ought to do SO upon
our own basis, and as a separate and
distinctive organization. We made
the comparison that we must stand
upon our own quarter deck Of our own
ship. That devotion to a common
cause was no reason why we should
jump overheard into the sea, and
leave our vessel to be wrecked: that
we could better cooperate from our
own ship than we could in a mongrel
way in no ship. Events have demon
strated that we were right. There
are millions OF Democrats who are
just as good, honest and true men as
any we have in the Populist ranks:
but we are sorry to say that there are
some who saw in this great revolution
simply an opportunity to swallow the
Peoples Party and rejuvenate Democ-
racy; they were willing to take our
ideas and our voters, but the men who
had put forth those ideas and rallied
those voters were to be ostracised and
destroyed. In Minnesota there was
very little of this feeling, and yet the
two elements sit today in sackcloth
and ashes;-the Democracy bewailing
the defeat of Mr.. Bryan and the Peo-
pies Party lamenting that they have
been shorn Of large part of their
membership, and that they have to
struggle hard even yet to prevent
their descent into the bottomless gull
let Of Democracy. We have no preju-
against the Democracy; they have
for our Rarpains-THEY TALK