Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-11
PRAISES FOR POPULlSTS
Secretary Washburn Issues an Address to
His Party,
THINKS THEY WON A GREAT VICTORY
Urges Them to stand Alone and Not
lie Camp Followers of the De-
mocracy-Silver Fight TO
lie Continued.

BOSTON, Jan. 10-George F. Washburn,
member of the peoples party national execu-
tive committee today issued an address to
the populists of the United States. In part
the address is as follows:
We are to be congratulated upon the
growth of our party and the fact that Ill
the recent election, nearly half of the Vot-
CrS of the union endorsed much OF our plat
form. No party ever achieved more bril-
liant success in so brief a time. Although
handicapped in the late campaign, we
emerged from the confess stronger than
ever our party alone has voting force
larger than that which elected Lincoln, and
an able, effective reform press of nearly
1000 papers. We elected several governors
as well as hundreds of state, county and
town officials. We hold the balance of
power in the United States senate and
have four times as many congressman as
ever before.
We united with the silver forces in
their campaign-not because we believe free
coinage of silver Is the solution of the
financial problem, but because 1t would
under existing circumstances, meet with
the least resistance and would become the
entering wedge for our main issue, VIZ
fun legal tender paper money, issued and
regulated by the government alone. Hav-
ing proved our loyalty at the polls we are
free to act separately on advanced lines
and to emphasize the real issues our party
was born to advocate. We cannot in honor
lay down our arms and cease our activity
until the war for which we are enlisted has
ended in victory for our cause.
The democratic party proposes to con-
tinue the silver fight. Two parties cannot
exist on the same issue. The greater alb
sorbs the smaller. Therefore, If we remain
mere camp followers of auoth r larty, disin-
tcgration viii result Our party success
alone forced the demoCru-s TO adopt the
Chicago platform and nominate q popocrat
for president. Converts made by party
regularity cannot be trusted with the re-
forms of the future.
We are not democrats and cannot be
classcd as such. We Simply united for Il
single campaign The democratic party
is but the rear guard of our own. We do
not stand for redemption money, but for n
scientific dollar, kept invariable by proper
regulation of the money volume. Then
why should "A high school graduate rc-enter
the intermediate grade? our grandest
achievements are in the future
The proposed retirement of the green
backs and the discussion of the Pacific
the two strongest measures of our plat
form; and whatever issues the other par
ties may adopt, the logic of events will
soon force upon both congress and the
people the consideration or these measures
so as to overshadow all otncrs and win to
our ranks thousands of voters from both
the republican and democratic parties.
l suggest that a national conference of
party leaders and workers be held us soon
as practicable, that we may have Il fun
ana iree expression of v:,;nion regarding
our future work. We hope, therefore, that
the reform press will give the fullest poss-
BILE exposition of their views on this I'M
portant subject; and our friends are invited
10 write me or our national chairman, ex-
pressing their ideas on the indeDendont +
party action herein proposgd