Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-01-14
POPULIsM NOT DEMOCRACY.
National Committeeman Washburn
Says the Two Parties Cannot Exist
on the Same Issue


Washburn, member Of the Peoples
party National Executive Committee,
has issued an address to the Populists
of the United States. In part the ad-
dress is as follows:
"We are to be congratulated upon
the growth of our party, and the fact
that in the recent election nearly hall
of the voters of the union indorsed
much of our platform. No party ever
achieved more brilliant success in 30
brief a time. Although handicapped
in the late campaign, we emerge from
the contest stronger than ever. Our
party alone has voting force larger
than that which elected Lincoln, and
an able, effective reform press of near
ly 1000 papers. We elected several
Governors, as well as hundreds of 9TH
er 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
the recent campaign not because we
believe free coinage of silver is the
solution of the financial problem, but
because it would better existing con-
diticns, would meet with the least re-
sistance and would become the enter
ing wedge for our main issue, namely,
full legal tender paper money, issued
and regulated by the Government
alone. Having 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 enlist
ed has ended in victory for our cause.
"The Democratic party proposes to
continue the silver fight. Two parties
cannot exist on the same issue. The
greater absorbs the smaller. There
fore, if we remain mere camp follow
ers of another party, disintegration
will result. Our party success alone
forced the Democrats to adopt the
Chicago platform and nominate Pop
ocrat for President.
Converts made by party regulari-
ty cannot be trusted with the reforms
of the future. We are not Democrats
and cannot be classed as such. We
simply united for single campaign.
The Democratic party is but the rear
guard of our own. We do not stand
for redemption money, but for scien-
tific dollar, kept invariable by proper
regulation of the money volume. Then
why should high school graduate re-
enter the intermediate grade?
"Our grandest achievements are in
the future. The proposed retirement
OF the greenbacks and the discussion
of the Pacific railroads question will
bring before Congress the two strong
est measures of our platform; and
whatever issues the other parties may
adopt, the logic OF events will so force
upon both Congress and the people
the consideration of these measures
as to overshadow all others and win
to our ranks thousands of voters from
both the Republican and Democratic
parties.
81 suggest that a. national confer
ence of party leaders and workers be
held as soon as practicable, that we
may have full and free expression of
opinion regarding our future work.
We hope, therefore, that the reform
press will give the fullest possible ex-
position of their views on this impor-
tant subject; and our friends are in
vited to write me or our national
expressing their ideas on
the independent party action herein
proBoeed