The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-08-12
MR.. DONNELLYS SPEECH.


AND PoPULIsTs. BEF ORE THE DEMO.
CRATIC STATE CONVENTION, AUG.
4TH, 1895, AT MINNEAPOLIS, MINI.
Mr.. Donnelly was received with ire
mendous applause and cheers, which
continued for several minutes. When
quiet was restored he said:
Gentlemen of the covention.
This exceedingly kind and cordial
greeting tells me that am at home
and among friends. (Cheers.l
I am in this city, at this time, upon
the invitation of the honored chair
man of our State Central Committee,
Mr.. Thomas J. Meighen, (applause).
to confer with representatives of your
party, to ascertain If it is possible for
all those who think alike on the great
question of Free-silver to vote to-
gether at the ballot box. CHEERS
We have been somewhat hampered in
our action by the reflection that we
have no official authority to speak for
the Peoples Party which will meet in
this city on the Goth inst. We can on
ly tell you what we think that conven-
tion will do. We cannot bind it,,
We can see no reason why, in this
great crisis of human destiny the PEG
pies Party and the new Democratic
party should not act together.
In fact we Populists claim to be
even better Democrats than the
Democrats themselves. (Laughter.)
There Is no body Of men in this coun-
try that has . more supreme respect
and veneration for the two great lead
ers OF Democracy in the past than the
PopulistS. / refer to Thomas Jeffer-
son and Andrew Jackson. Great
cheers.) These are not idle words Of
compliment. Upon the title page Of
the newspaper which / have had the
honor to publish Tor some years in
this city, there has long stood the
portrait Of Thomas Jefferson; and up
On it also appears the declaration that
the paper is san advocate OF Jeffer-
sOnian Democracy and Lincoln Re-
puDlicaniSm."
I am glad to see the signs OF unity
SO prevalent here. They augur we'll
for the future. This convention,
stormy and yet harmonious, great
laue hter), is ready to turn down its
most che ris he'd idols in devotion to
principle. This act measures the
lengtu and breadth and the height of
the tidal wave Of free silver advocacy
that is sweeping over this country
from one end to the other.
There is no reason why we should
not combine. We understand that
you gentlemen will nominate for gov
nor OF this state Hon. John Lind.
(Cheers.) We hope on election day to
go to the ballot box with you and vote
for the same electoral ticket, for Will
liam J. Bryan. (Applause.)
We have been met here with the
most cordial and kindly treatment.
We have encountered nothing but
magnanmity at the hands OF your
committee. They have cheerfuliy
granted everything reasonable that
we have asked, and we have asked for
nothing that was not reasonable. All
we desire IS that you leave certain
places vacant upon your ticket. We
want 10 have left vacant for US four
places on the electoral ticket, the
place OF lieutenant governor and the
place of attorney general, and on the
10Th day of August l think l can
pledge you that we will fill those with
honorable men worthy of your sup
port, and that we will nominate your
party candidates for the other places
on the ticket. Aud for the first time
in the history OF the state, the people,
rising above ali the limitations OF
party, and all the rule OF bosses, will
march side by side. as one harmonious
body, and sweep this state from Lake
Superior to the Iowa line. (Tremen-
dous applause.)
But gentlemen know you are here
for business and will not trespass on
your time. (Cries OF go on''-Go on"
1--WE could listen to you for 4 week."
etc.
Why should delay you?
The day Of argument is past. The
day OF action has arrived. There is
no man lii this state with intelligence
enough to keep out Of the imbecile
asylum who does not understand that
this is the battle Of 1916 over again.
Great applause). There is no man
who does not understand that the
enemy who fought US at Yorktown and
Trenton and at Bunker Hill is fight
ing Us today. | speak OF the power OF
England. That power which has told
you, through the mouth of It's great
leader, Gladstone, that it was the in
Teresa OI Tie English pcOplcs dS VIC
greatest creditor nation in the world,
that themOney due her on her loans
and her Investments, should be paid
annually in the dearest and scarcest
money that the world could afford.
With it she could buy SO much more
Of all the productions OF the countries
OF the world; ami she is buying our
wheat today that ought to be worth
dollar bushel, for 80 to60 cents a
bushel. So with our cotton and all
our other productions. This has got
to stop! The American people can
not walk that path four years longer.