The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-06-30

fusion deal between the Populists and
Democrats, and by so doing, they can
hold the rank and file of the Republican
party in line, and with what assistance
they can get from the of1iceholding and
Office seeking Democrats, they can
squeeze through and slide into Office as
they did last fall.
If Populist undertook to speak in pub
lie or in private last fall in favor of the
candidate nominated. the question would
be asked him: lis the nominee a Popu-
list?" which could not be truthfully ans
wered in the Affirmative, as the nominee
in most cases was Democrat. The
question would then be asked if we had
not had enough of that breed for the past
four years. But had the nominees been
straight Populists, they would not have
got at us with that argument
There is no question but that Mr. Owen
will work hard to defeat the Nashville
conference, with what assistance he can
get from the whiskers with the tough
COW boy hat on.
Mr.. Owen has good judgment. Here
is a sample of it. After being defeated
two years ago, when he ran for governor,
Mr.. Owen spoke at meeting held in
Washington hall, Minneapolis. He said
that the past election had proved con-
clusively that the working people could
not be depended on to suppress the politi-
cal power of corporate monopoly; or in
other words, they, (the common people),
could not be depended on to save the re-
public, but that great task evolved on the
great middle class, who had saved every
country In the past. The great middle
class! The business intelligence! Mr..
Owen is perhaps not aware that there is
no middle class in this country to-day.
They have been wiped out of existence.
In the humble opinion of the writer.
the populist papers and speakers have
not as yet mapped out the right policy to
pursue. They can never add to the ranks
of the Peoples party by signifying a will
lingness to fuse or cooperate with either
of the old parties; and by so doing, they
are assisting the old party politicians to
hold the rank and file in line 1t is a
fact that the rank and file of the Demo-
cratic and Republican parties are not
with the politicians, and will bolt if the
new party pursued the right course and
placed in nomination their own men who
are in the reform movement, and who are
thoroughly imbued with the principles
advocated in the Omaha platform. The
people will not support barnacles picked
up from the old parties, nor will they
support men who have not the courage
to come out fiat footed and speak their
convictions. The people want honest
men, fresh from the people, and the SOON
er the Peoples party leaders and papers
turn their guns on, both Democratic and
Republican parties, the better for the
party and the people,
Why for moment consider fusion?
Have you forgotten the rebuke at Chica-
go! Last summer. the Democratic party
not only slapped the Populists in the face
by refusing to meet them, as agreed to,
at st. Louis, and there, place in nomina-
ton men satisfactory to all, but they
turned and spat upon them by placing in
nomination for the vice presidency a
millionaire banker, and all this too after
having stolen the Peoples party platform
or portion thereof.
Now l ask the Populists, do you want
any more such treatment? If you do,
then go ahead and encourage fusion and
thereby assist the old parties to hold
their tottering ranks together But If
you are not eager for any more such
treatment, then l say stand on your own
bottom and the Omaha platform with the
referendum. Hold your own conven-
tons in 1900. and place in nomination for
the presidency Americas Grand Old
Man, Ignatius Donnely, with good run
ming mate and the result will be that the
people will come out victorious.
]. F. Cornell,
Hitterdal, MINI.