The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-01-27

DenounceS IngPatitude-The Owen Gang and
the St. Louis Convention-Som Pertinent
Questions
Editor Representative
l want to let you know. and others
whom it may, concern why left the
Pop convention in your city last fall.
To begin with, wish to say that l
am what is known as middle of the
Road Pop" l was in the field as a
worker in the Peter Cooper campaign
of 1876, and delegate to Chicago 10
1880 to nominate Weaver. [ have seen
so many Democratic tricks, all the
way through, that l am Disguised; and
the last convention at your city was
all could stand. l was told by dele
gate, on the way over, that as far as
John Lind was concerned it was all
"cut and dried" Delegates had no
say in it. intended to vote for Doc
Ames, as many of our people here
wanted to vote for him. Ii it was left
to written ballot and Lind got a ma
jOrity | would bow to the will of the
Majority: but there was no chance to
get vote by ballot, SO got out as
fast as possible. Also l was sick of
the actions of the St. Louis conven-
ton. l am one of this kind that
want to give honor to whom honor is
due. don't expect that any mortal
man can please everybody, but [ be-
lieve in principles and unity in essen
tials, however much we may differ in
non-eSsentials, with charity in all
things. | am we'll posted, in ways of
political tricksterS and these eleventh
hour converts carried off the st. Louis
convention, and left the old, true and
tried men, who bore the burdens all
the years, was too much for me.
remember what Thomas Paine said Of
ingratitude. Some vices make their
approaches with such splendid appear
anceS that we are at a loss to know
whether they are vices originally, or
virtues corrupted; but meanness and
ingratitude have not anything in
them to render them doubtful; they
are so originally vicious that they are
generated in the dung of all other
vices, and crawl into existence with
the filth on their backs" And that is
exactly what l thought Of when | saw
an account of the days doings at the
St. Louis convention in the evening
papers. The statement that the dele
gates of Il think Indiana, offered to
honor a MINES ota man, whom every
body recognizes as man of marked
ability. Hon. Ignatius Donnelly, whose
whole life and talents were employed
to elevate the toiling masses. the
down trodden. those whom the poet,
John Milton, refers to in his time, as
follows:
''They know not nor will understand, in
darkness they will wal on
The earth's foundations, III are moved and
out Of order gone,
How long will you pervert the right with
judgments false and wrong,
Favoring the wicket by your might, who
thence grows boil d and strong:
Regard the weak and fatherless, disDatch
the poor man caus,.
And raise the man in deep distress by jus
and equal laws.
If had been a delegate at that con-
vention l should not turn traitor to a
friend Of the cause, and take an llth-
hour convcrt-in fact no convert at
at all! | am one of those who call d
spade spade, and thief thief; and
| only found one man of all the cam
paign orators who visited Saltwater
in the last campaign, who had the
courage to follow that rule OF life. and
that man was Bill Irwin of st. Paul,
whom everybody knows as an eminent
lawyer and a friend of labor.
Then hurrah for Bill Erwin, and
Donnelly, and the "Middle-of-the-
Road Pops" Yours truly,
Saltwater, MINI. J. DORIAN