The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-02-24

RAY such fantastic tricks be fore the high
heaven
AS make the angels weep
DESTROYING THE PEOPLES
PARTY.
TIE FACTS CAN BEAR BUT ONE CON-
STRUCTION.
A friend writes us that he thinks
we are unjust to Mr.. S. NJ Owen
| that he does not believe that Mr..
| Owen desires to dissolve or destroy
! the Peoples Party. Let us see.
| We are free to say that we do not
like Mr. S. NJ. Owen, bat he would be
the last man to whom we would know
lngly do an injustice.
The Free-Silver men of the state
held banquet at the Windsor Hotel,
st. Paul. on the 18th inst, to do honor
| to the memory OF Abraham Lincoln,-
the anniversary Of whose birth fell on
that day; and a great many speeches
were delivered, which were printed,
Feb 18th. IN ertensO, in the Mime
apolis Evening Press. We quote
from that paper the following extract
from the speech made, on that occa-
sion, by Mr.. Owen. No statement has
since appeared from Mr.. Owen that
it was not correct report of
what he said. Here it is:
How are we to accomplish this
necessary work?
| This is the great, the practical QueS-
tion that cOnfrOntS us, and that we
| o,1 |, IL, IL.
typify the organization that is going
Here are men of all shades of politi-
Cal opinion. Men who have been in
desperate political warfare one with
another. On my right is a man whom
l have struggled against politically for
years and years, and yet l went into
his congressional district last fall and
DID the very best | could to defeat
him by advocating his election.
(Laughter) On the other side Of me
| see old political foes, too, not only
marching under different banners,
but standing for different principles
Now, in the face of a great danger.we
have come together, and here we are,
inspired by one thong ht, by one mo-
! tive, by one hope, one holy aSpira ton!
Let the American people all come to-
gejhcr, as we have here. Let all
lovers of reform come together. Let
us forget that we are Democrats, that
we are Republicans, that we are ma
tive or foreign born; let us forget that
We are PrOteStantS or Catholics; let
us forget self and everything except
that we are American citizens! (Con-
tinued applauSe.) Let us be u11mindtM
Of the name that is inscribed upon The poLit-
icol banner 10? march under. Let us, if
need be. be disloyal to or old paty p1yju-
dices. Let us by the millions do what
we have done here by the scores to-
| night, and the end is attained.
Let us unite under some aanle. NO MAT
TER WHAT IT MAY BE. Let it
| be inspired by the same sentiments.
the same feelings, the same enthu-
| slaSm that is holding you people here
along into the wee small hours of the
| night. Let us send out from this as
sembly an influence that shall per-
meate the occupants of the remotest
| hamlet in the land.
| If this does not mean the utter and
absolute bandonment of the Peoples
Party then we do not understand the
English language.
| Mr.. Owen wants us to be "disloyal
to our old party prejudices; "-which.i in
our case, began in Cincinnati in 1891,
when we made the first movement to
organize the Peoples Party.
He desires that we should be indif-
ferent to the name inscribed on our
party banner:-whether it be Peoples
Party, Democracy or Republicanism
He wants us to unite under some
name, no matter ,rhot 1t mag be-"
If this is not urging the death and
burial of the Peoples Party what does
it mean?
We have no desire to persecute or
abuse Mr.. Owen, and shall not do so;
but how can we, as member Of the
Peoples Party. and as the editor of
its chief newspaper in this state,
stand silently by while such counsel
is given. by man who was two years
ago our candidate for governor?
And then, on the heels of MIR.
Ovens speech, came this action,
Evening Press report)
"ORGANlZE FOR 1898.
Col. E. Corser, of Minneapolis, one
Of the ableSt and most active leaders
in the campaign Of 1896, brought for
ward the idea foremost with him,
which is the continuance of the strug-
gle and organization for the future
battle, and offered the following reso-
luton, which was unanimously adopt-
ed:
Resolved, That the chairman Of
this meeting be instructed to appoint
a committee Of nine, of which he
snail be chairman, to formulate plan
of organization and union of the re-
form forces Of the state of Minnesota
for political action"
The appointments under the above
were made this morning by chairman
| HawthOre, as follows "
The list Of appointments did not
follow but will proba bly, forthcoming
in due time.
We had attended the banquet be-
lieving that it was simply, what it
purported to be, a social reunion of
the allies who had fought together
for free silver in the recent campaign
If we had understood that it was in.
tended to use this festive merry-mak-
ing as an opportunity to inaugurate
an organization that was to supplant
and overthrow the Peoples Party. we
should not have attended it. But the
introduction OF the resolution placed
us in the position of either marrinp a