The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-07-01
PROF. CATION MOVES OVER.

Mr.. Editor:
1 have been requested by my friends of
the Prohibition party, with whom l have
affiliated during the past eight years, to
state my reasons for supporting the Peo-
pies party in this campaign. To comply
briefly with this request affords me pleas
ure: and when I enter actively into cam
paign work shall In my public addresses
amplify my reasons believing, as do that
the Peoples party, enforced by the vot-
ing strength of the liberal element of the
Prohibition party can effectively settle
the great issues Of the day.
The time Is passed for party worship. 1t
is a day of concentrating the voting cit-
zenry into two great organizations. The
one, backed by corporate power, and vo-
racious greed, determined to maintain and
by continued corrupt legislation, increase
their unearned wealth. filched from the la
Dor of the toiling masses; the other Or
ganization equally determined to contend
for special privileges to none, but equal
rights to all; determined to undo by legis-
lation the wrongs accomplished at wash
ington, during the past thirty years by our
servant representati ves who betrayed in
to the hands of the monied power, the vest
ed rights Of the people. In this battle
there Is no room for a third organization.
Judging from the increase Of the party
of the people; from the decrease and dis
rupting elements at work In the ranks OF
organized wrong; it needs no prophetic eye
to see that justice is again as In 1860, max
ing ready to ascend the throne Of power,
that this Republic may once more be
government of, for, and by the people,
instead Of a den for thieves.
1t being granted that the Peoples party
will succeed in this campaign; 1t being
further granted that the great wrongs of
Republican and Democratic legislation
will be righted; we are forced to conclude
that the Peoples party will obtain long
lease of power, If for no other reason than
that assigned for the lease Of power given
to the Republican party, which is now
we'll agreed to be the purity Of its admin
istration at the hands Of Abraham Lin
coin, where the record for purity and JUS
tice closes.
We must then, seek for legislation on
questions Of suffrage, temperance, civil
SERVICE monopoly, tariff reform, ETC., from
this party. Let the temperance voter
enter it's ranks now, and assist the party
in instituting legislation granting the peo-
pie the Initiative Referendum, and pro-
portional representation: The Initiative
through which the people can institute
needed legislation; the Referendum by
which the people may repudiate unwtse
and corrupt legislation; proportional rep
resentation by which the rights of minor
tiles may be protected. These reforms are
demanded by the Peoples party. With
such political machinery, the majority of
the voters of the states can enact such
legislation as they may desire on the Ques-
tions of temperance and suffrage.
The People party Is the only reform
party that is unified in its demands. The
others are hopelessly using their limited
war material in efforts to destroy each
faction, instead of plannig separate on
slaughts against their common foes. No
party can plead the cause of humanity
and recognize or countenance the gold
standard system.
At a time when the masses, who organ
ize reform parties, are so impoverished as
to make effective campaign work almost
impossible, wisdom demands unification Of
our forces, that we may destroy, speed
lily. the criminally established sources Of
our poverty. This done, we shall again be
in position to take UP the cause of the
uplifting of the debauched, the victims of
inherent or acquired ViSciousness. But,
while the just as we'll as the unjust the
temperate as we'll as the inebriate are
engulphed in one common ruin, wisdom
again demands that we first make COM
mon cause against the common foe. The
financial trust, that cuts down all money
save gold, and corners that, and doubly
appreciates its purchasing power, has we'll
been likened to the old SOW that breeds
and nourishes the whiskey, the oil, the
bank the railroad and other trusts and
combines, the total destruction of which
must be affected ere this Republic can be
restored to the purity and power intend
ed by it's founders.
THOMAS JASPER CATION