The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-09-09
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
All the Political Parties Getting in
Shape for Active Campaign
Work.
PEOPLES PARTY HEADQUARTERS COMMAND
UNUSUAL ATTENTION.
Special to the Representative.

Special to the Representative.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Aug. 31.-
The heated term is practically over. To-
morrow, which is the first day of Septem-
Der, marks the usual period when every
party in a political campaign gets down
to work in earnest From now on until
the election in November it will be
battle between the people and the min
ions of aggregated capital and corporate
wealth. Already the national capital
presents a scene of remarkable political
activity. The headquarters of the ma
tional Republican congressional commit
tee, the national Democratic congress
siOnal committee, and also the head
quarters of the national executive COM
mittee of the Peoples party, are located
here. The Peoples party has also
branch Office in Chicago, which will be
in close touch with the national head
quarters here during the whole cam
paign. The peoples Party has secured
four large rooms on the ground floor of
the Wormley building, and presents
equally as creditable an appearance as
the headquarters of the two old parties.
A force of clerks are already at work,
and present a busy scene of activity.
While the headquarters of the two old
parties have large working force, and
are sending out more literature, yet,
probably more interest attaches to the
work of the Peoples party headquarters
than to that of any other party. They
hold the key to the political situation
and the country realizes it. The Peoples
Party not only commands unusual atten-
ton from this fact, but also because in
it's national convention it showed more
patriotism, and a greater desire to ac-
cOmpliSh results of great and lasting
benefit to the American people than any
other party has shown. At the Chicago
convention the Democratic manag gers adj
mitted that the only way to make sure
of the defeat of Mckinley, candidate
who represented the foreign bondhold-
ers, the monopolists, trusts, and holders
of aggregated capital, as we'll as all the
forces of organized greed, was by COM
bining in this campaign all of the voters
who place the welfare of the country
above party upon one candidate for pres
ident. They further admitted that these
forces could be more easily combined on
Hon. Henry M. Teller than on any other
man, yet they refused to nominate him.
and gave as their only reason for not do
ing so that he was not Democrat. They
admitted that he stood with the people
IL
did not wear the label and brand of the
Democratic party. 1t is known, however,
that there was another important reason
which largely influenced their action,
and that was, they feared that if Mr.. Tel
Ter was elected he would not distribute
all OF the patronage of the federal pie
counter to Democratic heelers These
old party managers had their way with
reference to Mr.. Teller, but they did not
have their way with reference to the can
didate that was nominated They in
tended, and expected, to nominate some
man of their kind, who had talked loudly
for silver, but who would have placed
party above country and patriotism, and
have supported a gold bug or any other
man nominated by the convention. Mr.
w. j. Bryan, the brilliant young patriot
from the West. made his speech before
the convention and smashed all their
plans. He had time and again declared
That he would put country above party,
and that he would join the Peoples party
ii the Democratic convention did not
break loose entirely from gold buggerv
and monopolists, and Eastern domina-
ton. He was guilty of the highest party
treason, and was blacklisted by the par
ty managers because he was ready to
walk out OF the Democratic convention,
as Teller had walked out of the Repub-
l1can convention. If he had done so
which he would have DONE had oppor-
tunlty presented ITSELF he would. no
doubt, have been the nominee of the
Peoples Party for president. as he is
today.
The Peoples Party convention did not
follow the narrow, selfish example which
the leaders of the Democratic convention
had set them. They did not refuse to
nominate and support William ]. Bryan
simply because he did not wear the label
OF their party, simply because they did
not know how he would distribute fed
eral patronage. They nominated him be-
cause he represented the great funda-
mental principles of good government,
that must be settled for the people or
against the people in this fight. They
nominated him because he was one of the
people, stands for the people, and will he
the peoples president if elected. They
nominated him because no better candi-
date could be selected, and because mill
ions of men not members of the PEOPLES
Party were already pledged to vote for
his election. They nominated him be-
cause it seemed to be the surest and
quickest way of restoring this govern
ment to the landmarks of our forefathers
the surest and quickest way of breaking
the shackles of corporate and foreign
domination, and restoring prosperity to
an oppressed and outraged people.
If the national Democratic convention
mad nominated candidate for vice-pres-
ident who represents what Mr.. BRYAN
represents, the Peoples Party national
convention would have nominated the
whole ticket by an almost unanimous
vote. Every intelligent man in America
knows and believes this. In short Sew
all was not nominated for the same rea-
son that Bryan was nominated. IF Mr.
Sewall was at the head of the Democrats
ticket, he would not carry dozen states
In this campaign. He is the kind of a
candidate that the old bourbon leaders
of the Democratic party intended to mt
at the head Of the ticket The PeonIe's
Party in its national convention practiced
what it has preached. 1t put country
above party, and Endorsed that which was
good, aud condemned that which was
bad It nominated candidate for vice
president as the running mate of William
J. Bryan who represents what Mr. Bryan
represents.
There must be cooperation of the sill