The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-06-16
speakinx Oute :

Speaking Outra *
Doctor Christian Johnson of Kan
dyohi county, editor of the Willmar
Tribune, is opposed to the men who
would destroy the Peoples Rarity, and
has to say in recent issues Of his pa
per-
The crisis of the peoples party as an
organization is finally at hand. Last
summer when we got on to THE real
ropes of the fusion programme we fore
saw and foretold just what would and
is now happening, towit the utter de-
struction of peoples party as politi-
cal organization. For this reason we
at the time opposed this fusion pro-
gramme the best we knew how. We
had come to love and respect the Or
ganization and host of the noble men
we used to meet and deliberate with
at our state gatherings. The peoples
party had grown to be the second party
in the state, and was in excellent fight
ing shape to march forward from VIC
tory to victory.
But just then a clique or coterie at
Minneapolis, with some assistance from
certain few populists from the state,
assumed charge of the affairs of the
party and proceeded to carry out the
programme that ended in nothing
| more nor less than the utter ruin of
the party in the state.
The immediate point on which the
issue is now forced is whether the pop
ulists of the state shall take steps to
go to the Nashville convention July 4
and attempt to reorganize the party
anew
ton of populsts of the nation, but Ma
tiOnal Chairman Butler refuses to
sanction it, Butler represents the flu
sionists = that is, the men who wish
the destruction of the peoples party
for the benefit of democracy; the re-
form press represents the sO-called
| middle-of- the-road faction.
reply to a republican editorial critic:
We can assure you, however, that we
shall not attempt to hang on to your
party, so don't worry Neither shall
we hang on to the democratic party.
You would, of course, like to have us
do that so that you could crush us at
one blow. But please excuse us. We
are not like old party editors, so rad
ically partisan as to believe that our
party is all made up Of angels and
yours of demons. Nor are we SO mar
row minded as to believe in one single
cure for all the ills of life.
We cannot afford. and shall not if
we can help it, to humhng our readers
by promising them better times from
measures that cannot bring it. The
danger to true reform now is that the
new democracy will go before the
people with one single nostrum, come
into power, fail to bring relief and be
| utterly crushed in return. But intelli-
gent populists the old guard who have
| studied economic questions for years.,
cannot be carried away by such SUI
perficial views.
1t is better to tell the truth. if it is
| hard to hear. The disease of this ma
ton is deep-seated ana OF slong stand
ing, and radical treatment Is necessa-
ry to make lasting ctre Palliatives
| might have helped it some in the past,
but the disease has progressed too far
now. The faith-conf1dence cure will
lost faith in doctors and their incon-
sistency.
| But, by and by, after the people have
tried all their old political nostrums,
and still no relief from the business
/ depression, they will want new deal.
But we can afford to wait for the
people to move. We can stand it as
long as they can. We have pointed
out the remedy. The people will call
for it by and by, and then, and not be-
fore, is it our time to act. p. >4ss1
Important Resolutions From Calf
| fOrnia.
Ed. Representative:
enclose copy of resolution adop-
ted by our Peoples Party County Com
mittee last evening, which I think you
will appreciate, and the readers of the
Representative also, and which l hope
may aid in strengthening the move
ment for the adoption of the principle
and methods of direct legislation in
cur party organization by the Nashville
conference of July 1. 1t is of vital i'm
pOrtance for the life and continued ex-
istance of our party, and to preserve it's
purity, secure adherence to it's princip-
les and party declaration, that we aban-
don the method government by rep
resentatiOn' as now established in
the old party organization, and adopt
a truly democratic form of government
whereby the rank and file of the party
shall control and govern it's policy and
enunciate it's principles, and not he
subject to the dictum of the party COM
mittees, bosses and officeholders. Our
party cannot preserve it's purity as an