The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-08-25
INTERVIEWED
w. s. Morgan, Secretary of the POpu-
list National Reorganization Com
mittee, and Editor Of '.Buzx Saw"
Talks of Fusion and Anti.FusiOn.
(From Ohio State JOurnal.)

(From Ohio State Journal)
w. S. Morgan, of Hardy, Ark, and
Abe Steinberger, of Girard, Kan, both
prominent Populists, are stopping at
the Neil. They are here to attend the
Ohio state Populist convention. Mr..
Morgan is secretary of the national or
ganization committee of the Peoples
party and Mr.. Steinberger is member
of the executive board of the same COM
mittee. This committee was recently
organized at national conference of
Populists held at Nashville, Tenn, for
the express purpose of preserving the
autonomy of the Peoples party, extend
ing it's organization, and, as Mr.. Nor
gan expressed it, ITO prevent the party
cutting its own throat by disgraceful
fusion deals for few local Offices"
In reply to a question as to what &C
ton the state convention, which will be
convened in this city tomorrow, would
take, Mr.. Morgan said:
II cannot say; 1 have not been on
the ground long enough to learn the sit
uation. Through correspondence with
prominent Populists throughout the
state, and judging from resolutions
passed by some of the county oonven-
tions, presume there will be an effort
made to indorse the Democratic state
ticket, though why and to what end I
am at a loss to conjecture"
would such an action be in line with
that of the Nashville conference and
would it meet with the approval Of the
National Organization committee?"
1T would not be in line with amy
thing that is Populistic; would be antag-
onistic to the action of the Nashville
conference, and would be opposed by all
the power which the national organiza-
ton committee could command. The OBJ
ject Of the national organization COM
mittee is to prevent fusion and preserve
the party. This is the first effor- Of any
magnitude towards fusion since the
national conference, and may, there
fore, be considered as of national i'm
portance."
But an Endorsement could not prop
erly be called fusion" suggested the
reporter.
THAT may be true in one sense of the
word, but Itake it that an Endorsement
Of the state ticket would carry with it a
division of the local offices. should be
willing to risk my reputation on the
statement that the leading fusion Pop
ulists are promised and expect .divi-
sion of the local offices. The Democrats
have cast the die on the issue of free
silver and will undertake In the cam
year. They have adopted this issue, not
because they are friendly to silver, but
because they think it an issue popular
enough to restore them to power. I
have no more faith in their promises
now than had in 1891, when they de-
clared in 20 Of their state platforms in
favor of the white metal. They violated
the pledges made then and would do so
now if restored to power. If we are on
a gold standard now the Democrats
placed us there. With 1876 majority in
the house they repealed the Sherman
law-the only law we had left on the
statutes for the coinage of silver
and on the same day defeated five free
coinage propositions at different ratios,
as fast as the clerk could call the roll.
A majority of the Democratic congress-
men voted against silver then"
But" suggested the reporter, "they
charge that to Grover Cleveland"
THAT is baby plea, unworthy of a
great national party fit to be trusted
by the people. The Democratic party
gave us Cleveland; it gave him to us
twice and did it's best to give him to
us three times The men who are now
frantically demanding free silver were
equally as enthusiastic in their support
Of Grover Cleveland. They voted for
him three times-twice after he had
recommended the suspension of silver
coinage in two or more Of his public
messages to congressional abused the
Populists because they would not sup
port him."
but the Democracy of the South is
for free silver, is it not?"
"The rank and file of the Democratic
party both in the West and South are
in favor of free silver, but they have
few rights which the men who control
and manipulate the action of the party
respect. The bourbon bosses of The
South have only one object in view
to retain their power-and they are un-
scrupulous in the methods they employ
to attain their ends. Twenty-Five
Southern Democratic congressman yot-
ed in the house Aug. %, 1893, against
free silver coinage"
But they claim to be purified now p"
Eyes, and that claim is enough to
make a cow laugh. In the South they
have not scratched the moss off their
backs. It is the same old ballot-box
stuffing gang in the saddle. With a
declaration against gold contracts in
their Chicago platform, the Democratic
legislatures of five Southern states.
Alabama, Georgia, Texas Missouri and