The record-union., 1896-10-02

request and urge this plea
E. NJ WARDALL,
Chairman Ex. Com. of the Peoples
Party of California.
r. E. Bush, Secretary.
MGLASHAN'S ANSWER.
E. M. Wardall, Chairman, and r..
Z. Bush, Secretary of the State Ex-
ecutive Committee of the Peoples par
ty of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. You have
an undoubted right to ''entreat'' me to
hand in my resignation as Congress
sional nominee of the Second District.
This is the first move you have made
since this fusion business began, in
which you have not transceneded your
legal rights. AS a committee, you We're
never empowered to undo the work OF
the convention which created you; a
mere authorization to fill vacancies was
the outside limit of your power. l was
nominated for Congress and you were
named as an Executive Committee by
convention which was largely COM
posed of ''middle-of- the-road" Popu-
lists. They were radically, violently
opposed to trimming or fusion Of any
kind. They insisted that nominees
should pledge themselves to fight to a
be elected. Had you limited at such a
course as you have since pursued, you
would have been hooted from that con-
vention. If an Executive Committee
without special authorization from the
convention can arrogate the powers
you have exercised, a few committee
men can completely nullify the work,
alter the policy and defy the wishes OF
the convention
To illustrate: In this Second District
the miners are engaged in q direct
war with the railroad company regard
ing mineral lands, and the convention
deemed it wise to select for Congress
man who has lived in the mining re-
gions and been identified with mining
interests for forty-two years. You
have substituted a candidate who was
raised and known in a valley town.
The convention named a man, who
has always, as journalist, as citizen,
ana public speaker, been identified with
labor organizations, workingmen's agi-
tations, anti-Chinese movements, and
strikes, and who was elected to mem
bership in the A. r. U. during the great
railroad strike. You pull him down for
young lawyer fresh from college,
whose only appearance before the pub
lie was while stumping the district
with Marion Biggs, who was favorable
10 the railroad while in Congress and
who now supports the funding bill
There are 10000 voters In the dis
trict who are members of the American
Protective Association, and the Mayors
of the two largest cities in the district
were elected upon this issue alone The
convention selected an A. P. A. who has
been somewhat prominent in the order,
Yet you set him aside for one who repre-
sents the opposition. You may be wiser
than the convention, and your candidate
may be stronger, freer and in every way
better man to represent the people,
but the convention had a right to
choose, and your action is unjust, lille
gal, and Subversive of every principle
OF Populism. Abraham Lincoln's ad-
wee to Ex-Governor Oglesby was:
During your entire life keep very close
TO the people" This is Populism. The
convention nominated T. V. Gator for
the United States Senate because the
members came direct from the the peo-
pie and knew >their wishes Your ac-
uon IN forcing Congressional fusion
whether the candidates would or no, is
quite as despotic and unjustifiable as
though you. had pulled down Mr. Gator
and indorsed Stephen M. White or
George G. Perkins. You doubtless claim
that the success of the silver issue justi-
fies any action on your part, however
arbitrary, unlawful or coerciye. Not so.
Right cannot justify itself by commit
ting wrong. Truth cannot enthrone it,
self by perpetrating wrong. You can
not build up a great party of purity by
tyrannizing the nominees of the party
Certain authority was delegated to you.
and when you overstep the bounds and
employ usurped authority with which
TO crush the individual rights of those
whom your party nominated for Office.
you bring reproach upon the party. 1t
has been boasted in the past that the
Peoples party deserved to be intrusted
with power because it was pure, lust.
honest, and never condescended to "do
politics" If you have not done poll
tics" and pretty good politics at that,
Mr.. Gator and Mr.. White have and you
have been willing allies. But you will
quote the above letter as proof that you
acknowledge my rights. and confess
that you cannot pull me down You will
point to the words "entreaty." persist
ent request" another appeal" urge
the plea" etc, to show that you are
merely supplicating for something you
cannot compel. But the funny part Of
1t all is that you never thought of zap
peaHng, urging" "entreating," or
pleading" with me until now, and only
do so at present because you are con-
vlnced that you are unable to kick,
drive, beat or stamp me out of the
fight.
You have exhausted every possible re-
source to wound my feeling, drive away
my friends, force me to resign. and to
make the Peoples party know that my
Democratic opponent is the regular
fusion" candidate You have in very
truth been harsh and imperious." Your
persistent entreaty' has been persist
ent persecution. Your pressing" me
ITO decline" has been such pressure as
the thumb screw and rack exert.
1t is simply infamous at this late
day to acknowledge my rights, when
ycu have given the public such i'm
pressons as were expressed by the Sac
ramento Bee" of September 2Sth. to
wit: The Democratic and Populist
committees of the Second Cone~ession-
al District, after careful Investigation
and consideration, decided that the only
sure way to defeat Grove L. Johnson
for Congress was to unite forces, and
they accordingly agreed to make Mar
ion De Vries of Stockton Democrat
the joint nominee, as being the strong
est man named and to withdraw c. II.
McGlashan, Populist, from the contest.
McGlashan made no objection to the
conference of the committees, but when
he ascertained that De Vries and not