People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1898-01-14

1 0OSS~~~S $1,000
It was my intention to summarize in
one article the reasons why the spring
nominating convention should not be
held, but will diverge enough to re-
ply more fully to one point contained
in Mr.. Bateman's letter of November
"a, in the Missouri World. 1 cannot
resist the temp tation of showing how
shallow is his argument and how alb
surd his claims This political acrobat
seeks to ride two horses in opposite
directions. The ''funny men" must
look to their laurels or they will find
them resting upon the brow of Bate
man. To write on both sides of the
same question at one time and holly
support propositions Numerically OPP
posed to each other is a new feature of
| journalism for which we are indebted
to this genius from Maine. Observe
his logic. He says, 81 have steadily
maintained that we must defeat the
fusionists in our national convention
or the Peoples Party is doomed" and
in the next breath he proposes this
spring convention, every participant in
which could be excluded from the next
regular called Populist convention, if
challenged.
Would that Defeat the Fusionists?
Again he says, GAS 1 stated in my
last letter, boiling candidates aud fac
tions never receive large vote" and
yet this political Pickwick offers as a
solution of the problem, the biggest
bolt ever proposed by any Populist,
He urges separate convention to nom
mate separate candidates, all of which
would be outside of the legal machin-
cry of the party and ignored by the
Australian ballot system.
1t would be a meeting of faction
rather than party. He then hastens
to give his own argument black eye
by proving that such movement
would receive "a small following and
smaller vote" He proves it by saying:
"Party loyalty and regularity is indeed
strong. The straight Populists of iowa
Pooited the regular aetion OF Uneir opaUo
convention: their cause was just and
holy one. If ever boiling fac
ton could receive big vote, itcould
have been done here. Behold the re-
suit The great bulk of the party vot-
ed the fusion ticket, and the middle of
the readers only received beggarly
5000 votes. They are now wiped off
the political map and no longer have 6
standing under the Australian ballot"
Please notice that from these crushing
facts he argues that while bolt was
a dismal failure in one State, it would
be bowling success in forty-fve that
though party regularity" defeated
his plan in State campaign, it will
have no effect in a national one If my
Office boy could not think more clearly
than that 1 would discharge him.
To Save Our Party
Mr. Bateman advises this gigantic ma
tional bolt in general, policy he con-
dennis in particular. He kindly offers
to save the fusionists the trouble of
doing us up in the convention by doing
us up in advance. ''As things are
now going" says Mr.. Bateman, SWIM.
J. Bryan will be the next regular NOM
inee of the Peoples Party. The great
mass of the party will follow the regu-
lar action of the national convention
The boiling faction will not even be a
spot upon the political map; it's votes
will be counted as scattering" Then,
in true Pickwickian style, he continues
his argument IN favor of this same
boiling policy, which he assures us
will not result In "even a spot on the
political map" and that it's votes will
be counted as scattering"
Did anybody ever hear such fool
logic as this ? Does Mr.. Bateman for a
moment suppose that if he organizes
this stupendous bolt whose votes he
assures us will be counted as scatter
ing" and Bryan is nominated by the
fusionists, that Wharton Barker or any
fusionist, any part of the silver Repub-
lican, any part of the labor vote J? The
bolt Bateman proposes would elimi-
nate from the party the only men who
could oppose in the national conven-
ton the endorsement of Bryan. Bate
man and the fusionists are both pray
ing for the same thing. Bateman's
plan would leave a clear field for the
fusionists to arrange with the Demo
Gratis uudisturbed.
No, no. This scheme is all folly.
We have but one hope, and that is to
stay IN THE PARTY and
| Capture the National Convention
within the party just as the silverites
captured the Chicago convention. This
connot be done by boiling the party
any more than the silver Democrats
could have succeeded in the last cam
paign outside the regular Democracy,
/ sound the alarm to call halt in this
mad rush to political suicide.
Our last national convention selected
national committee-three members
from each State. This committee alone
is empowered to call Populist nation
al convention. Any boiling faction
calling convention not regularly and
legally authorized by this committee is
outside the Populist party. These
three men from each State are the
sole national representatives of the
party, and no others can take their
places except by the action OF the reg
ular State conventions therefore, no
matter how strong the movement or
how jealous its advocates, the legal
authority of the party is vested in
these men. If we elect delegates to a