The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-03-25
am now hanging on the ragged edge OF
despair have no money or would send
it now. Yours despondently
old SOjer.
roc,,y NE:~~ NMo~ol,
st. Paul, Mimi, March 10.
A TREMENDOUS GROWTH,


of Tennessee.-Let Them Hold Their Grip
Something More Than Silver Needed.
Editor Representative:
Nearly every man in Sherman Heights,
Hamilton county, Tennessee, is a Populist.
-Four years ago only one or two Populists
could be found in the town. If the growth
of Populite sentiment here is any indica-
ton of it's growth elsewhere throughout
the Union the Peoples party will elect the
next president by an overwhelming ma
jority All that we have to do is to hold
our grip. The Omaha platform is the
most magnificent political document the
world ever saw. 1t favors free money and
the referendum, without which no people
can be free; it favors government owner
ship and control of all banks, railroads
and telegraph; and it favors free coinage
of both gold and silver at the ratio Of Is to
1.
But some people say there are too many
things in the Omaha platform. They do
not object to the free coinage plank, but
it does not appear that the Populists have
anything else these critics like. 1t does
no good to tell them that even in England
the government owns the telegraph lines;
that the Prussian government has bought
all the railroads in that country, the net
earnings of which now amount to over fif-
ty million dollars year; that government
ownership of railroads is a common thing
in Europe; and that the only possible way
to make the people of any country free
is to give them free money by government
loans at low rate Of interest, not exceed
ing l per cent per annum. These critics
of the Omaha platform want us 70 aban-
don everything but free coinage and to ap
pear to be perfectly wild on the free coin
age question. They tell us we had free
coinage down to 1873. This We admit.
But if free coinage alone is such marvel
ously good thing, what shall we say of
the bank pan;cs of 1893, 1910, 1919, 1926,
1887, 1847, 1857, and 1873, which crooked
the land with financial commissions, each
one leaving an attendant loss to the coun-
try of at least one billion dollars
The celegrated William Pitt did not at
tach that importance to free coinage
which some of its advocates seem to think
it is entitled to. LET the Americans"
said he, "go into their funding schemes
and banking institutions and their boast
ed liberty will prove to be sham.
Bonds and banks, in William Pitts
opinion, would ruin America; and now
anybody can see that Pitt was right.
Think about the seven financial panics
before the late war, brought about by the
banks, each panic costing the nation a
billion dollars. Did free coinage of gold
and silver prevent those panics, Or prevent
the banks from robbing the people?
The Peoples party must hold it's grip?
and fear nothing but traitors.
It is great mistake to suppose it would
L. ~, I'll -
win votes.
Great parties do not grow up in day.
We are growing fast enough; and l believe
we cam elect the next president without
any sacrifice of principle.
Pardon brief reference to some of my
political experience l have been elected
twice as member of the general assem-
bly, of Tennessee from Franklin county,
and was four times candidate on the
same platform of opposition to the rail-
road debt In my first race l got only 153
votes; in my second race l got GIL votes;
in my third race, 1929 votes, and in the
fourth race, 1906 votes. was opposed to
taxing the people to pay the interest or
principal of the railroad debt and 1 ran
upon my own Independent platform. l
never dreamed of abandoning my plat
form on account of the small vote got in
my first race in 1874. l stuck to it, and
would have been elected next time if
third candidate had not been brought out
in my civil district to take away some Of
my votes. In my third and fourth races
1 was elected without any trouble, and 1
have always thought it was simply be-
cause never got discouraged.
In conclusion allow me to say that the
Peoples party should do as did, stick to
its platform and hold it's grip.
John R. Beasley.
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