The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-07-01
Norway Lake, MINI.
A PESSIMISTIC POPULIST.

GoltOr representative:
AS reader, for the last ten years, Of
most all your newspaper articles, and, l
believe, everything published in book form
by you in that time, and as a sincere and
ardent admirer of your genius. e,oouence.
versatility and stubborn, persistent fight
against capitalistic tyranny and for the
rights OF the weak and small In society,
and perhaps especially because of your
undaunted faith in the people and peace
able, methods Of reform, when such quail
ties as intelligence and good judgment are
SO slowly forthcoming with majorities, per-
NIT me to ask the question: Will, in your
opinion, populism triumph soon enough to
avert universal bankruptcy and civ. war ?
l. In the first place, is It in consonancs
with the teachings of history to expect a
sufficient amount Of intelligence and good
judgment in complicated, and to some ex-
tent. abstract, untried principles from
more than very limited minority?
2. Fortune favoring, Will it not take
at least generation or two to make any,
thing like Intelligent, responsible Ameri-
can citizens out of the hundreds of thou
sands of voters, with the most meagre
hereditary qualities mentally and morally,
tal.sm have accomplished its purpose, have
foreclosed on the homes and belongings
of these masses and reduced them and
their offspring to absolute serfdom?
8. Is It reasonable to endeavor to teach
toads to fly, to teach morals to criminals
or philosophy to fools?
4. Is 1t not therefore hopeless to labor
for reforms on the lines mapped out by
the humanitar:ans, because ignorance and
prejudice are liable for centuries to come
to reign supreme with the great majority.
why, even intelligent people in other re-
spects-college professors, preachers, and
professional men-are ignorant as school
children when it comes to estimating the
details OF political economy, such as the
money question, production, distribution,
etc.,
5. Is there anything the human being
is more reluctant about than admitting
mistakes and remodeling his conceptions?
6. Can the masses be converted by any
thing but dire want and necessity, and is
It not throwing pearls to porkers to adj
vance philosophical, idealstic arguments
to the masses?
Z. Did not Mr.. Barnum form a correct
psychological estimate of the public when
he declared that it loved to be humbugged?
l am moved to make these questions
because of what have observed, pondered
and read The populace in olden times
stoned it's prophets and benefactors. and
the sovereign people Of today, with the
right to vote, very often meets It's best
friends, its ablest and most efficient and
dis.nterested champions and leaders, with
suspicion, with lazy lukewarm assistance,
if not with direct opposition in the way of
SANDERS and Misrepresentation. l have
for years been an ardent Peoples party
man, Started the movement in my neigh
borhood long before there was any Peoples
Party) but after seeing how you and many
others have been treated, and after getting
even a considerable taste of it myself,
begin to reflect I could not safely per-
sist in following that course, because l
had a mother, wife and several children
dependent on me for living; this again
depending upon my standing in the COM
munty, which was composed of few
rich and great many poor individuals.
The "old gang" was getting soldly against
me as I had been opposing them. But
the blessed many whose battle I had fought
over and over again, at times at consider
able expense of both time and money,
where were they? If the Republican and
Democratic papers started some political
canard, these fellows, a good many of
them. seemed almost anxious to believe
the worst. They evidently reasoned like
this-that old party papers could not pub
l.cly print infamous les and ISLANDERS about
Peoples Party men, unless there must be
something in It. Whence l was finally led
to ponder over the question: Are there
not great many voters who are 80 constl-
tuted that they neither want to be saved,
nor can be saved, nor are worth saving?
After these, by following the directions OF
their leaders, the clergy, have assembled to
the Place where golden harps are twanged
in the moonshine and where the meek and
lowly sit on silver clouds all day n snow
white muslin gowns and are enjoying zee
cream and a perpetual dolce far niente,
Will not the convictions of the remaining
multitudes have to be reached rather
through the pudding-like contents of their
skulls?
Look at the campaign two years ago! I
know personally quite a few "Populists'
who voted with the opposition, because
they could not afford to vote with the Peo-
pes Party then; times would be better
when Republicans and Knute Nelson were
elected; they needed better times because
they were in debt. hard up, mortgaged,
ETC. Now, what can be expected from such
asin:ne stupidity? And IS there anything
but sangu:ne, over-optimistic disposition
to adduce as reasons for hoping tina this
sort of fellows will soon belong to the past
or form an Insignificant minority?
As before suggested, how long course
of tutelage will be required to teach a
calf Beethoven's symphonies on the piano.
or a toad to navigate the air? Yours for
all possible reforms. -Ole Lincoln.
A GERMAN REMEDY.
Editor Representative:
I vas an old deutcher farmer hler now