St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-04
GIVE us GOOD MEN.

Lynch, Of Minneapolis, a communica-
ton concerning the future Of the Peo-
ple's party and its relations to the
other two great organizations, which
we regret to find unavailable for pub
1ication; less because Of it's length than
because Of the personalities and Of
fensive epithets with which it is re-
plete. These things are not addressed
to reason, and they have furnished al
together too large portion Of the
stock in trade of prominent leaders
among the Populists in the past Abuse
does not convince anybody. 1t adds
nothing to our knowledge Of the polit-
ical situation, Or to our view Of the
policies that should be pursued, to rant
about corruption and monopoly, and
q venal administration and a subsi-
died press, and all the rest Of the rot
which has become the principal capital
Of men who wish to trade upon the pas
sions of the people, instead Of leading
them by appeals to their reason. Any
one who will go through the public
utterances Of men prominent in the
Peoples party ranks will find that they
have yielded to this fault We need
only refer to Pennoyer and Waite and
Lewelling, and, latest Of all, to Till
man, to prove that one great need
OF the Peoples party is to abandon
general vilification as a weapon, and
come down to facts and logic.
The point is capable Of still more
practical application. The only forci-
BILE thing contained in Mr.. Lynch's let
ter is his arraignment Of both the Dem
ocratic and the Republican parties for
failure to fulfill their promises to the
people and to carry out, when in power,
the pledges Of the platforms on which
they obtained their support This is
a just charge. These parties have
both fallen short of their promises and
their opportunities. But so has the
Peoples party. There are few chap
tiers in American politics less credit
able than the story Of Populist rule in
Kansas and Colorado. In the
other states in which the Peo-
pies party obtained a greater or
less degree of power, it has not used
1t, on the whole, to any better effect
or with greater advantage to the pub
lie than either of the old parties. This
is because it has leaned toward men
violent in speech rather than wise or
just in action.
The great need in public life in this
country today is the selection Of men
Tor office OF greater fidelity to prin-
ciple. we believe that the principles of
the Democratic party are superior to
those Of any other political organiza-
ton in existence, or destined to come
into existence, because they are found
ed on immutable truth and are con-
sistent with the greatest amount of
individual liberty and the surest guar
antee of human rights. We hold.
therefore, that in the success of the
Democratic party lies the greatest
promise and hope of this country. That
will not follow when men wearing the
livery Of Democracy get into places
only in order to betray their party, as
did the five senators in the Fifty-third
congress. We do not find the principles
of the Peoples party satisfactory. We
do not find that where the People's
party has secured a majority Of the
votes, it has put it's best men into
Office. On the contrary, we be-
heve that the men who have
obtained office by Populist votes
are less representative of the
masses behind them, have less of the
conscience and sincerity and we'll
meaning of their party's voters in their
own makeup, than the representatives
of either Democracy or Republicanism.
1t is not for us to say why this is So
1t is sufficient to note the fact.
We find, then, embodied in the Pop
ulist movement, along with much that
appeals to the desire for Justice.
number of principles or methods of
government which we believe would
inevitably lead this country back TO
monarchy by the straight and broad
road Of state socialism. We do not
ind that 1t chooses, at the ballot box
any worthier men than either Of the
other parties. We DO find in Democ-