The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-05-20
A SLANDERER ANS VERED.

A SLANDERER ANS WERED.
A friend calls our attention to re-
cent number of the "Skandinaven." of
Chicago,-the vicious sheet which is
hired every campaign to put forth
lies which the Scandinavian papers
Of Minnesota are too decent to faith
err. When we ran for governor against
Knute Nelson in 1892 it covered the
state with the charge that the records
Of Congress showed that we had been
bought up by some railroad company
by bride Of $4,000. We challenged it
to prove its charge; it was unable to
do SO, but it kept up its attacks.
Then it claimed that we were a
Catholic. and we were running for
governor under the direction Of the
Pope, and if elected would turn the
whole people over to the dominion of
Rome. The scoundrels knew perfectly
we'll that we were not a member Of
the Catholic, or any other church, and
never had been. But it was good
enough lie until after election. and
affected the votes of thousands. In
1894 it received 81 900 of the corrup-
tion funds Of the Republican party,
donated by railroads and lumbermen,
(despoilers of the children's school
landS), and every dollar Of it. wruno
from the unhappy people Of Mime
sofa. And now it seems it has been
harping away, week after week, in an
attack upon ourself, of which we were
happily unconscious, until sub
scriber walked into our Office and
handed us the following article, print
ed in English, in the columns of that
delectable sheet:
HIS SILENCE CONvICTS HIM.
The REPRESENTATIVE in Mime
apoliS has not complied with the re-
quest of this paper to state when and
where Abraham Lincoln uttered
those ominous words of warning
which have appeared in many papers,
THE REPRESENTATIVE among them,
under the name of "Lincoln's prophe-
cy." Mr.. Donnelly has great deal to
say about all kinds Of fraud, but on the
subject OF this particular fraud be is
as silent as an oyster.
AS all well informed people know,
the prophecy" is a fabrication, and
very poor one at that. Its fraudulent
character has been exposed at least
dozen times; but the world Of fools
and ignoramuses is large and the sup
ply Of INSCRIPTIONS newspapers is
fully equal to the demand. Such his
torical falSificatiOnS constitute very
important part of the stock in trade
OF a large number Of reform" organs.
MIR. Donnelly's version Of the PRO
phecy" is not quite SO silly as the orig
inal which carried upon its face con-
elusive proof of it's spurious origin.
but any one can easily detect that it
is a latter-day production. The Skan-
dinaven had some difficulty in per-
Suading itself that man Of Mr.. Don
nelly's intelligence could have been
ignorant of the true character of the
alleged quotation Of which he made
use, but it preferred to give him the
benefit of the doubt. His silence
proves, however, that he was fully
cognizant of the fraud and did not
hesitate to defile the grand features
of the great martyr president In order
to further base demagogical designs.
IL IlO HuO any AOSolA via uOVCA AOA
truth, he will inform his readers that
the prophecy" lie has fed to them is a
fraud and lie. But he will probably
not do it. He has become SO used to
wallopng in falsehoods that lie
more or less is matter Of very small
concern to him.
It is sufficient answer to say that
in our issue of May 6, 1896, two weeks
ago, our lie assistant editor, Mr..
Frank N. Stacy. unconscious of the
terrible clatter this flee dog OF Chi
cago was keeping up, wrote an article
called "Lincoln as Populist." We
quote part Of it being taken from Mr..
Lincoln's message to Congress, Dec.
1861.
(Appendix Congressional Globe, 37th
Cong. End SIS. p. A.
MONARCHY itself is sometimes hint
ed at as possibls refuge from the pow
er Of the people. In my present posi-
tion, could scarcely be justified were
l to omit raising warning voice
against this approach OF returning
dcspotism. 1t is not needed nor iit-
ting here that general argument
should be made in favor Of popular in
situations; but there is one point with
its connections not so hackneyed as
most others, to which ask brief at
tention. 1t is the effort to place CAPT.
tai on an equal footing with, if not
above labor in the structure Of gov
eminent. 1t is assumed that labor is
available only in connection with
capital, that nobody labors unless
somebody else. owning capital. some
how by the use of it induces him to
labor. Labor is prior to and thus in
depe ndent Of capital. Capital is only
the fruit Of labor, and could never
nave existed If labor had not first ex-
listed. Labor Is the superior OF CAPT.
tai, and deserves much the higher
consideration. No men living are
more worthy to be trusted than those
w'o toll up from poverty; none less
inclined to take or touch ought which
they have not honestly earned. Let
them beware of Surrendering politi-
cal power which they already possess,
and which, II surrendered, will surely
be used to close the door of advance
ment against such as they, and to fix
new disabilities and burdens upon
them till all liberty shall be lost"
The above sentiment was voiced in
one Of LincOln's first messages to Con-
gress, and was again expressed by him
in an address delivered to working
men during the fourth year Of his ad-
ministration. Were the above scnti-
ment to be uttered today. it would be
promptly pronounced Ly the old party
press and the corporation organs,
"Populistic."