The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-09-02
PETERED OUT,

Shortly before the State Convention
met that dirty sheet, the Penny Press,
gave out that Mr.. Donnelly was to be
expelled from the convention. The
vigorous crowd from Temple Court
took the country delegations as they
came in, and proposed this heroic
method of restoring to Mr.. Owen his
good character. But they soon found
that the farmers would speedily
smash any such nonsense.
Then they proposed that the con-
vention should endorse Mr. Owen.
Mr.. Donnelly gave them notice that
II this was attempted there would be
the liveliest fight ever seen in the
Northwest; that he had pocket full
of proofs that Mr.. Owen had spoken
against the Initiative and Referen-.
dunn at st. Louis. and that the party
could not endorse Owen without cut
ting loose from that great principle.
and when they did they would lose
half their followers.
Then they said they would bring in
blanket resolution, endorsing all
the Populist nominees for Congress
and smuggle Mr.. Owen through in
this way. Mr.. Donnelly replied that
the State convention had nothing to
do with the district nominations, and
he would move to amend by striking
out the Fifth district, and thus put
Mr.. Owen on trial for betraying the
party. So that scheme was dropped.
The Stearns county convention had
passed a resolution denouncing those
delegates to st. Louis who had re-
fused to obey their instructions to
nominate and vote for Mr.. Donnelly
for president; and this proposition
was about to be brought up, and there
was determined purpose to have
vote upon it in the State convention;
and there would have been a-poll-par-
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, and dreadful
amount of dirty linen would have
been washed in the face Of the public.
Mr.. Donnelly did not ask for any such
action;-he feared it would tear the
convention to pieces and greatly in
jure the party. He believed his
friends were in majority and did not
fear the result. And SO: at Mr.. Don
nelly's request, peace prevailed.
Then the Minneapolis gang were in
a dreadful sweat lest Mr.. Donnelly
should get chance to speak and rip
Owen up the back; and whenever his
name was called, as it was vociferous-
ly, there was dreadful hustling to
and fro to get some one else on the
platform.
The Pioneer-Press report says:
The committee on credentials not
not being ready at that time to report,
attempt s were made to get speeches
out Of H. j. Peck, congressional nomi-
nee in the Third district: E, E. Lom-
men. nominee in the Seventh district;
Maj. Bowler. S. M. Owen and Ignatius
Donnelly. The others were not forth
coming. Donnelly was willing to get
into the game. but was cut off by the
appearance of L. M. Aver with the re-.
port of credentials. When the Gre
dentials were disposed of Maj. Bowler
moved that Prof. Gould, of Wasioja,
be given five minutes time. II. A..
Waliraff of Ramsey county again at
UC LII UUCO w HCO AVuAVAAy OOlOlV UuO
convention. He said that he was con-
WINGED that the credentials commit
tee had brought in its report in order
to prevent Mr.. Donnelly from address
ing the convention. Wallraff was
squelched by q motion to proceed with
the regular order.
The little l-e-e-t-le fellers' were
terribly alarmed lest the wild boar Of
the forest should break loose and gore
their bloodless tin god. But Mr.. Don
nelly had no desire to speak. He
could at any time have marched to
the platform, in response to the thun-
derous calls that went forth for him;
but he has always more opportunities
to speak than he cares to avail him
self of. And ii he had spoken he
should not have attacked Mr.. Owen,
unless an attempt had been made to
endorse him; and even then he should
have calmly discussed the Initiative
and Referendum and the necessity OF
standing by it, against those who
would secretly betray it.
There could be no question Of the
feeling of the convention towards Mr..
Donnelly. When at later stage he
rose in his place to simply put in NOM
ination Mr.. Aiken of his own county,
for Lieutenant Governor, the whole
con vention broke into shouts ITO the
PLATFORM" and when he mounted the
platform the house rang with cheers
and applause which lasted for several
minutes. II he had desired to do any
tripping" he had the opportunity
then. The Old Guard of the Peoples
Party-the old Alliance men-the
| farmers-the heroes Of q hundred bat
tles,-knew that Mr.. Donnelly never
betrayed them; and that he haG
fought for twenty-five years for the
rights of the common people; anG
they would have torn the house dowr
IL the new recruits from the city Of
Minneapolis had sought to put any in
dignity upon him. And even those
who had been led to believe, by the
lying Penny Press, that Mr.. Donnell,
had come there with dynamite In hi!
pockets, to blow up the Peoples Par
ty, began to realize that they hat
been swindled once more by knaves
and that Mr.. Donnelly had simply
fought to preserve the integrity O
the party and to defend It's mos
cherished principles, against coward
and traitors.
Mr.. DOnnelly held a perfect levee Al