The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-01-29
A DELAYE LETTER.
BUT ALWAYS WELCOME-MR
POORES NIEWS-EVENTS HAVE
REALIZED THEM

BUT ALWAYS WELCOME-MR
POOREs VIEWS-EVENTs HAVE
REALIZED THEM.
Editor Representative:
l can see growing tendency of good
earnest refOrmers, towards favoring a
single free silver issue in the coming cam
palgn, as the most sure SSUe to win on.
i am willing to admit that it looks that
way so tar as winning the offices. but
where viii our relief laws come from?
certainly not from a congress composed
OF free silver men who are likely to be
elected on that single issue There would
be about as many honest free silver men
as can be found In the present congress,
the balance would be international free
Silver men, intrinsic value free silver
men, who are really the moss back
G. O. p. D. O. T. free silver men. They
will be in the majority, because in the
coming campaign they will be supported
by the subsidized press. pulpit and pol
iticianS. A congress elected upon such an
issue would either be a deadlock, with all
blame attached to the honest free sill
Yer men. or a "wood-chuck' bill would
be passed that would hoodoo the unthink-
ing voters, but leave us in the same or
worse place.
In some things I can see a parallel to
conditions preceding the civil war; in
other things l see a vast difference.
. There were but few blacks south of
Mason & Dixon's line but realized their
enslaved condition, although they were
illterate. While now we have so-called
intelligent white slaves who do not real
ize they are slaves to conditions brought
about by the blind party prejudices and
indifferent as to the results Of vicious
laws enacted under the party name.
l doubt if a negro slave ever was OBJ
Hged to ask charity after a seasons hard
work, yet white and black slaves of their
conditions are obliged to appeal to char
ity every year after raising good crops,
and being able-bodied, with no sickness
to lay their misfortunes to.
One farmer in my immediate neigh
borhood who was temperate, industrious
and honest, rented a farm of about 400
acres, worked hard. had $500 when he
started in, at the end Of two years he
gave up the unequal struggle owing ST.
400; he raised fair crops, had no misfor-
tune or sickness, except he voted the
old party ticket. as the man he rented
from did; the owner of the land got all
he could afford for time yet he will
vote the G. O. P. ticket while yet; but
think before many years he will fail to
find fool victims. 1 have concluded that
the fool renter is not far from the con-
dition of the Indian "Ryot," who when
beaten, folds his hands and cries-'Al-
lah.'"
There were colored slaves before the
war who risked their lives to obtain
freedom from what is called chattle-
slavery, while now there are thousands
Of so-called intelligent white slaves who
would assist in taking the lives of those
who are trying to free them, rather than
| to vote to free themselves. 1t is truly
said that the Republican party never was
| organized to free the black slaves.
| Neither is the free silver party organ
| lied to free the white slaves, and it will
| take a similar disastrous accident of
| war to free the white slave under free
silver rule, if strictly free silver party
| is organized and they get into power
| 1 don't care to champion a party that
will start out relying upon parallel
| accident to accomplish what they wish
| the voters to think they will accom-
| plish, and then maintain their hold upon
the people for 30 years, upon their stolen
laurels until the peoples prosperity is
again destroyed.
| The only honorable way any united eff
| fort of the reform forces can be made in
| the next campaign is as Mr.. Donnelly
| has suggested, mutual conference by
| committee, at nominating conventions.
| If there is not enough true earnestness
| in the lone idea" refOrmers to make such
| sensible effort, then say that People S
| Party men should fight it out on the line
| of the Omaha platform if it takes a gen
| Grafton. The initiative and referendum
| are good enough, as by their full adoption
all the principles of the Omaha platform,
and all other platforms, can be honestly
brought before the people free from any
corrupting influences.
| Let true reformers fight for principles
| that live forever; men come and men go,
but the principles, equality. justice, live
! forever. and are well worth fighting for
to secure by those who are denied them,
! and as we'll worth fighting for by those
who have them to maintain.
HAMLIN V. POORE,
| Bird Island, Mimi. JAM a. 1896.