The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-02-08
IS AGAINST FUSION.
Chairman Washburn Of Populists
Again Writes His Ideas.
Says His Plan Would Unite
All Factions.
Believes PopulIst Lamb Should Not Be Swal.
lowed BY rammany Tiger.

Boston, Feb. 8.-George r. Washburn,
chairman of Massachusetts Peoples
party committee. has written the follow
ing open letter:
Hon. ]. A. Edgerton, Secretary Peoples
party National COMMITTEES. Lincoln.
My Dear Sir-I congratulate you on
your very able letter. 1t Is plausible.
and would do credit to an adroit lawyer
with q weak case. but you have not made
plain why two parties should force one
issue, nor have you reasoned away the
actual dangers that threaten the life of
our party and the reform press.
i do not favor the abandonment of sill
yer or any change In the platform. and
my appeal must not be construed to
mean that. You do not discriminate be-
tween planks and issues. Our platform
contains many planks, but the campaign
was fought on one issue, though we did
not abandon the other planks. We made
q subordinate plank Of the issue. trust
ing to win by aid OF the alliance. In the
order OF the platform. scientific money
comes first. We forced the Democrats
to champion silver, but we stand ready
to defend 1t, when necessary.
1 have received hundreds of letters,
coming from nearly every state in the
union, representing every faction of the
party and including nearly every leader.
and the unanimous sentiment sustains
my appeal. Your letter bears the dis
tinction Of being the only one opposed,
and The Rocky Mountain News the only
paper, so far as received.
While / do not ascribe to you the in
tent, nevertheless, your plan Of having
an Identical issue with the Democrats
would result in a union of the Populistic
"a NH n ha To q h,xf xnrkt n
the former inside the latter. While II
was possible to unite during a fighting
campaign, II Is not wise to continue the
union during an educational one.
Your plan would force us to follow the
Democrats under their banner, when we
should lead them under our own. Your
plan would humiliate our brave people,
while mine would inspire and ennoble
them. You favor retaining a subordinate
plank as an issue. / favor making the
main one, which includes yours, the is
sue.
You favor a plan that would factionize
the party and divide the west and south.
I favor plan that would unite all fac
tions and lead to victory. You favor a
plan that would suppress our main
planks. l favor plan that would open
them to discussion when the people want
to talk about them. You favor a plan
that would add thousands of adherents
to another party. i favor one that
would add thousands of adherents to our
own.
Fusion for a campaign may be polite,
but permanent fusion on identical issues
means absorption and disintegration for
our party. Disintegration, from the
same cause, killed the Greenback party.
Why should we invite similar fate?
You favor an issue that may be aban-
doned by the Democrats through some
n rff picn fn n vaIo y,
would not be affected by these changes.
You favor a plan that would enable the
Democrats to absorb the Populists and
pave the way for a union Of the two
wings of Democracy, leaving the future
of reform forlorn hope. favor a plan
that would force the Democrats to ad-
vance to our position rather than to re-
cede from theirs.
You favor plan that would wreck
and ruin all the reform papers of the
land. favor plan that would preserve
and prosper them. Should other ques-
tions absorb the attention Of the people,
or should an international agreement be
reached by the Republicans, 1t would
leave the silver forces stranded without
an issue and afford them an excuse for
backsliding.
The issues I favor are the ones that
will command the attention of the peo-
pie during the next four years. Why at
tempt 10 1OTce one issue, Wnen the people
will discuss the others?
This move on the part Of the Populsts
will place our party at the head of the
column of reform, with the Democrats
protecting the rear. Our defense of the
greenbacks will add thousands of voters
to our ranks.
1.-The radicals Of today are the conser-
vatives of tomorrow" If we educate the
people between elections on scientific
money, metal money will become the
conservative measure Of the future. un-
til the invariable paper dollar shall final
~ take it's turn and become the money
OF all nations. The next battle may be
fought on scientific money vs.. metal
money.
There will be an informal. unofficial
conference In Memphis on Feb. %. It
will be attended by leaders Of the party
from every section OF the country. be-
lieve the resolutions adopted at that
time will be so emphatically I'm favor of
independent action as to lead to Official
Endorsement by our national commit
tee. In calling a separate conference,
you have unwisely added to the confu-.
sion. Yours fraternally,
George r. Washburn.
The state central committee of the
Peoples party of Massachusetts met
Saturday for the purpose Of electing off,
GERS and an executive committee for the
current year. George F. Washburn OF
Boston was elected chairman of the
committee; =. p. Field. Boston, secre-
tary; Albert r. Perkins. Wakefield.
treasurer. The executive committee
consists of the officers named above. to.
gether with Warner Johnson, Boston:
Levi r. Pierce. Lynn: r. NJ Eldridge,
Worcester George Leonard Mcneil,
Somerville: T.. Gerry Brown. Brockton;
j. J. Tierney. Holbrook. The following
resolution was adopted: Resolved,
That the state central committee OF the
Peoples party OF Massachusetts, affirm
their allegiance to the national plat