The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-07-28
4 Review.

The Philadelphia American Approves
of the Address Issued by the
Nashville COnference-An Intelli-
gent Criticism and Confederation.
So often have our people put faith
in leaders who have proven false tc
their trusts, who have thought more OF
self preferment than the public veal
and who have sacrificed the interests
entrusted to their care for their own
self advancement and emolument, who
| though elected to defend the interests
OF the people have served the ends OF
oligarchy, that there is a general sus-
picion Of leaders. And this distrust OF
leaders makes fertile ground fer the
sowing of jealOusies, it paves the way
for men who think more of self pre-
ferment than they do of the general vel
fare, to pull down those who have
gained a measure of confidence and
leadership. This intoxicating of jcal-
ousies, this pulling down of leaders
! ment of some place seeker who puts sci,
before country, is unworthy of a great
cause
That all the antagonism shown to-
Party National Committee is born OF
,, unworthy jealousy, far be it from us
to say. The general distrust of leader:
| may have been made use Of doubtless
has been made use of TO raise up antag.
Onisms to Senator Butler and his course
as chairman of the Peoples Party Ma
tiOnal committee. That he has not
acted in his official capacity for the
best interests of the Peoples party
that he has even betrayed his party is
| unquestionably the belief of many hon.
est Populists. Whatf oundation, If any
there is for such belief we know not
| That Senator Butler has shown cour.
| age and ability in the senate we do
know; that he has deliberately, wit
tingly sold outh is party, we cannot
| believe.
| perhaps in his judgment of the best in
terests of his party, but we all make
| mistakes, we all err at times That he
| has Intentionally done injury to the
Peoples party, that in allying it with
the Democratic party his set purpose
was to retard his party's growth tc
| belittle it's Importance, it is not fair tc
| assume
And for good reason or for bad,we have
| a schism in the Peoples party. But
! whatever the reason for that schism,
| that schism must be healed before the
Peoples party can become a power
| There is no room or occasion for dis
! sensions among those Of the same faith,
yet dissensiOns we have. To heal them
| is a necessity. The desire to do so, the
| belief that Senator Butler is untrue tc
his party, responsible for the schism
and that the party direction must be
taken from his hands in order to heal
the dssensions, led to the assembling
of the late Nashville conference to de-
wise means for the reorganization of the
i Peoples party. That cCoferencne, thor
! oughly representative of a goodly part
OF the POpulist party, acted with com
mendable self-control, without display
of prejudice or petty feeling. The sum
| of it's labors and conclusions it boiled
! down into an address to the people OIL
| the United States declaring that the
Peoples party was born to live not tc
| die, that the aims of the party could
| not be advanced by smothering the
party identity in fusion deals with the
Democratic party, that the Peoples par
ty can better serve its purposes by
maintaining it's independence than by
subordinating itself to another party.
| and that, therefore, fusion arrange
| ments, whereby the party loses it's iden
tity and sacrifices the advancement od
all but one of it's aims for the advance.
ment OF that one, cannot be regarded
as permissible by good Populists.
The address, Or rather appeal, of tbs
Nashville conference for union has in
parts the ring of lofty patriotism it is
ever marked by a spirit of rare tolera.
tion for those who entertain honest diff.
ferences of opinion, a federation doubly
cOmmendable in a conference growing
out of a political schism. LET dissen-
sions cease" reads the address, "CLve
up the gaps and forward to victory. Let
every POpulist become missionary. Il
proselyte the unthinking and convert
the mistaken. Let us meet preiudices
with facts, passion with patience and
ignorance with intelligence The fiat of
God must be respected: Let there be
light. -
For our own part, we are welded to
no party, we flatter ourselves that we
are not unreasonably set upon the car
rying out of our own views as to ways
and means of bringing about union and
success We insist upon but one thing
Unity of action among those of the
same faith How such unity may be
brought about, further than that it may
be achieved, does not convernn us. We
urge new party only as what seems
to be, to us, the best means Of attain
n hi