The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-12-01
SHALL WE NOMINATE IN 1887
Let Every POpulfst Read This Ar
tfcle.

Let Every POpulist Read This Ar
There is no question that the Peoples
party Of the United States is in a bad
way.
The nomination Of Bryan last year
has pretty nearly cooked it's goose"
1t was sold out by the of1ice-seekers, for
a mess of pottage-and a mighty small
mess it has proved to be.
In New York 1t was utterly ignored
during the last campaign. Even Henry
George, with his 10000 votes, had not
good word to say for it. In Ohio its
vote fell from $4,000 to 5000. In Iowa
it tumbled to the same figures, and is
all torn to pieces. In Virginia and Ken
lucky it disappeared in vacuum.
What are we to do? Shall we des-
pair and give up the ghost and lie down
and die? Or shall we renew the fight
where we began 1t in 1891?
We are better off than we were then
Now we know the true men from the
ucSu-pOC IellOWS.
Weaver tried to prevent the estab-
lishment Of the Peoples party In 1891
and he has now led the Populists Of
Iowa into the Democratic camp. Owen
was ready last fall to trade off the king
dom of heaven for Democratic indorse-
ment. He got it and that was all he
tn,
state Of mind, and the Populist vote has
diminished in his district so that he will
probably never go back again to con-
gress. Kansas is now a Republican state
This is the ripe fruit rof the fusion tree
Dead Sea apples!t Z
But what are we to do?
Even if we hold our national conven-
ton first in 1900, will not the flesh
pot fellows crowd in and take possess
sion Of it, and turn it over to the De-
mocracy, even though Democracy means
Tammany? Il
The conference Of Populists held at
st. Louis last week proposed that we
resort to an extraordinary expedient,
towit, that WE MEET IN THE SPRING
OF 1898 AND NOMINATE OUR CAN
DIDATE FOR THE PRESIDENCY
AND MAKE A TWO YEARS CAM
PAIGN FOR OUR PRINCIPLES!
If there was fusion" then it would
HAVE TO BE ON ONE CANDIDATE!
An effort is now being made to get the
national committee of the Peoples party
to unite in this movement
What say you, brethren, of this idea?
Let us hear from you. Give us short
emphatic letters. Let us have a refer
endum upon the question.
We are in a bad fix. If we stand still
another party continues to steal our
ideas and membership; and we
have no assurance that if successful
they will not sell both out
Shall we burn our ships, and go in for
a grand battle for principles, and leave
the consequences to God? Or shall we
sail until the tenacles of the politicians
enfold us in a network of suction and
Let us hear from the people.
But let no man despair.
The evils which gave us two million
votes in 1894 still exist The sentiment
of distrust of both the old parties is as
strong as ever. The late elections have
but confirmed it,
If We had nominated our own candi-
dates last July, and made our own cam
paign, we should have polled five mil
lion votes, and Mckinley would nave
been defeated. And suppose the cleo
tors of the Populists and Democrats,
having majority, had agreed upon
Bryan for president, who would have
regretted it, provided the Peoples party
had come out Of the battle united and
triumphant?
But, oh, the fc DIS! The fools! Who
held some petty personal advancement
SO close to their eyes that they could not
see the great interests of mankind We
do not blame the, rank and file who
abided the trade, in good faith, when
the mistake was made; BUT GOD WILL
NEVER FORGIVE THE LEADERS
WHO LED A GREAT PARTY INTO
SUCH A SLOUGH OF DESTRUCTION.
But all is not lost so long as honor
and true hearts survive
up, guards, and at emf" Id.