The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-07-28
THE AUXILIARY COMMITTEE.

THE AUXILIARY COMMITTEE.
The Populists of the United States
met at Nashville to take steps to pre-
vent the Peoples party from being sold
out to the Democracy, or any other
party They had no power, nor did
they desire. to dethrone the national
organization of the party, II only that
organization would do its duty. But
the air was so full OF fears and suspic-
ions of some of the national commit
tee, that the conference felt that il was
its solemn duty to provide machn-
cry OF self-defence, on which the PARTY
cauld fall back if those in authority
attempted to sell 1t out They did not
propose to divide the party but to
unite it; and infuse into it a soul of
zeal and earnestness that would lead it
to victory
In some of the states it is claimed
that our committeeman have gone over
to the enemy. In others It is alleged
they never really belonged to us, that
they refuse to CALI conventions, etc,
etc. If the party was not to die from
intermecine treachery it became abso-
lutely necessary that there be some
authority with power to act promptly
when the traitor refused to act
In Minnesota we are in a peculiar
situation. The thee members of the
national committee are Thomas ].
Meighen, James NJ Bowler and w. r.
Dcbbyn. The committee, we under
stand, has not yet orga nized and elect
ed its chairman; but Mr.. Meghen is
its natural head, by reason OF his wis
dom and ability and the hold he has
on the public confidence. He was in
1894 the Peoples party candidate for
congress in the First district Major
Bowler is a good and true man-not
perhaps as radical as we would like
but he has large measure of public
confidence. He was the Peoples PAL ty
candidate for congress in 1894, in the
Third district, and ON the state ticket
for lieutenant governor IN 1896. The
other member. W. R. Do5byn, has new
er been nominated by the People
party for any office and never will be.
While the Populists We're laboring to
establish their party in this state he
was advocating, in an obscure paper,
the doctrine that free silver, green
backs and government ownership CT
hn %l,.@
evils that afflict the people, but that
the sovereign cure of all the national
disorders was to step some other fell
low from drinking whisky! His
election, as a member of the national
committee for this state. was The re-
suit of treacherous cabal and a con-
temptible trick. There are thousand
POpuiSts in the state better fitted for
the place than he is He claims to be
chairman OF the committee because he
was first named, and his being first
named was part Of the trick But he
will never do anything to advance the
cause Of reform in this state, and
could not if he would. No one has any
confidence in him, or feels that he fair
ly obtained his place on the commit
tee. He is simply nincompoop-with
a beard down to its waist.
The Peoples party of Minnesota
cannot be led by such a man.
The first thing u ne uone is for
that committee of three to come to-
gether and organize by the election Of
Mr.. Meighen as chairman. We say
Mr.. Meighen, because, while Major
Bowler is an excellent gentleman, the
constitution of his mind is such that he
naturally leans to conservative meth
DDS, and is disposed to FUSION Is
which the rank and file Of the Peoples
party are irrevocably opposed If he
is the head of the committee it would
he paralyzed, just as the national COM
mittee is now paralyzed by the slsptc-
ions which gather around the head Of
Senator Butler.
The times demand earnest and radi-
cal men, and the people will be satisfied
with nothing less.
If the state national committee is Or
ganized by the election of Mr.. Maigheri
as chairman, then we would advise that
state committee appointed at Nashville
should cooperate with it as IN a1vis-
DRY and cooperative body.
If that is not done thea the Nash
vile committee should meet and ap-
point state committee of 3ne from
each county. and these in turn should
appoint county and township commit
tees. and organize the whole stare. We
want no war if it can possibly be
avCided-but if war must come let it
come. A battle to the last extremity
is thousand times better than to see
the party die of dry-rot. or be sold out
by the men who have been advCcat.
ing it's merge into the Democracy.
STJCkNEy'S ADDRESS