The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-09

Lincoln, Neb.. Feb. S.-J. A. Edger-
ton, secretary Of the Peoples party
national committee. tonight gave out
the following letter. sent to Commit
teeman Washburn of Massachusetts,
in reply to that gentleman's letter pub
lished this morning:
Lincoln. Neb.. Feb. S. 1897.
Hon. George F. Washburn, Boston,
Mass:
My Dear Sir-After asking me for
a comment on your plan see that you
have answered that comment in the
public press. do not care to multiply
words, but simply desire to correct one
or two statements.
If, as you say, you do not favor the
abandonment OF silver" then there is
no difference between us. 1 am as
much in favor of pushing the fight on
all the planks of our platform as you
are. I am just as much opposed to
the disintegration or ABSORPTION of the
Peoples party, but when you talk about
Changing the fighting issue" then L
am not with you.
You go on to enumerate very many
terrible things which my plan would
bring about. Why. my dear sir. my
plan is to simply stand where we have
stood for the last four years; my plan
is TO simply push this fight on the
same lines that we have in the past
on to victory. Ny plan is not to de-
sert free silver in it's hour of defeat.
but to stand by it like men until we
reverse this verdict brought about by
Misrepresentation and fraud.
The goldbug Boston Herald, for
which you gathered your symposium of
letters, announces in evident glee that
your plan means "a practical aband-
onment by the Populists of free sill
ver''
1 do not wish to adopt course that
even has such a semblance of abandon
ing free silver that it Will give that i'm
preston to our enemies.
My plan is to go on with the fight
so that we can win a victory in 1900
and thus bring partial relief to the
struggling masses of the country. I do
not have any fear that the Republicans
will bring about an international agree
ment AID thus leave the silver forces
stranded as you speak about, and l do
not propose to cease the fight in an
ticipation of that result Il your plan
is, as I understand it, it is just such
a plan as the money power of this
country wOuld like to see the People's
party adopt.
You say there will be an informal
at Memphis on Feb. p. Is
this in pursuance of the call made by
Paul VandervOort? You must realize
that this is a manifest injustice to the
POpulistS of the trans missouri country
for it is almost impossible for them TO
reach Memphis at that time; and 1 beg
to remind you that west of the Mis-
souri, river our party has II, of its u
Of
D governors. and that it has state,
county and municipal officers in almost
every state in this whole territory.
This is where the Peoples party was
born in 1890. and where it fOurishes
today in its greatest vigOr; and the
Unofficial conference" viii hardly be
attended by a man from this whole
vast region. You charge me with call
ing a second conference. | did not. I
do not assume the power of calling con-
ferences as some others seem to have
DONE but inaSmuch as there was talk
of holding a conference at Memphis 1
suggested to Chairman Butler tnat it be
held ar Kansas City, so that il could be
attended by the POpulists of the west
as well as those of the south. I have
no doubt that the conference at Mem
phis will adopt almost any resolution
that the middle of the road party may
suggest. 1t will be entirely dominated
by this element. All those sO-Called
POpulists who did what they could to
lefeat Bryan last fall I have no doubt
viii be represented at Memphis. The
spies in our camp and the
Populists of the VandervOOrt, Dunning
md Mathews stripe, will doubtless all
be on hand. If you care to father q
conference dominated by these elements
you are at perfect liberty to do so but
he POpulistS Of the great northwest.
Who stand true to silver and all our
principles will not be there and will not
De bound by any action which this in
ormal conference may take.
You say that you have received many
etters from over the country endorsing
your plan, and that mine is the only
me which has not endorsed it. 1 was
informed by Mr.. DeavOr, one of your
committeeman from this state,
hat he has sent you letter opposing
our plan which you had not published.
am in receipt of a very large num-
)er of letters from PoDulist leaders
Who do not endorse your plan, and I
mink within the next two weeks that 1
will be able to make public hundreds in
he same line.
Your plan seems to me to foreshadow
practical shelving of the silver issue
f the Peoples party. This l shall Op-
,ose. Even if 1 am the only POpulist
n the United States that does oppose
t; but l believe that a great majority
f the party will take the same stand.
Yours truly,
J. A EDGERTON.