The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1897-12-23
POnER0Y TO THE POINT

He IL Opposed to tho Conference Of ths
Nashville Committee, for the Purposes
stated, and Gives his Reasons why.
Mr.. Eltweed POmerOy, President Di-
rect Legislation League, and member
National Committee Of the Peoples
party to Mr.. Milton Park, in which he
states some good reasons why he is OPP
posed to the conference and its pur-
poses. The letter is as follows:
NEWARK, n. j., Dec. l6, 1897.
MILTON PARK, Esq, Chairman Orgsni-
cation Committee, Dallas, Texas.
DEAR IR:-YOur circular letter OF
the llth, inviting me as q member of
the National Committee of the People
party to conference to be held at st.
Louis on Jan. 18th to hand. 1t will be
utterly impossible for me to spare the
weeks time and 800 necessary to at
tend that meeting at the time given.
If could spare the time and money,
which cannot my business at that time
Of year would prevent my attending.
But even if l could spare the time and
money, and my business could spare
me, | do not think | should 60, because
with the machinery in force already in
the Peoples party, an expression of
opinion or official action by 1t can be
taken without their assembling in one
place. By the use of the Initiative
and Referendum, any three members of
the National Committee of the Peoples
party can start matter and force it
to vote of the National Committee.
SO that this meeting in st. Louis is ut
terly unnecessary and when our people
are so poor and the little money they
can spare is so much needed in reform
work, think it is almost hrartless to
try to call them tO9ether and
thus force theE, to spend money which
can ill be spared from other purposes.
l could not without violating the
principles of Direct Legislation which
l have so long advocated, overlook
this direct slight of the practice of
Direct Legislation inside of the Peo-
pies party which this so-called organ
izstiOn Committee has perpetrated in
this call.
And from the condition of the work.
ing people over the country, it seems
to me that your meeting will be mainly
composed of two classes-Of men who
have money enough and time enough
" spare to attend it most of them with
some private ak to grind or some pri-
vate revenge to satisfy and second of
h"se whose expenses are paid by some
Ole and who are not free in their &C.
tiObs. l do not see how it is possible
for there to be there any body really
representative of the great cOmmc n
people of our land.
am opposed to the holding of a ma
tiOnal nominating convention in 1895
as it seems TO me that such will only be q
tizzle, but of course 1 may be mistaken
on that point. I wish you and your
friends we'll in your efforts, but feeling
that the nomination of a-President
next year is foolish, and that you have
plainly sighted the practical use OF
Direct Legislation in the party organ
ization of which you claim to be a
part, while 0utwardly commencing it's
national use, 1 cannot attach my self to
your organization. 1 have always
called myself a middle-of-the-road
POpulist and worked and voted that
way last year at St. Louis but SO much
abuse and denunciatlOn has come from
sO-called middle the-roaders that
think l shall have to drop that name.
Very truly yours.
ELTWEED POMEROY.
Member of National Committee from
New Jersey.