The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-10-19
A STRONG ARTICLE

Die editorial from winch we quote SOIuc
passages. We are sorry that our limited
space prevents us from reprinting the
whole of it.
The Peoples party came into existence
a protest against injustice. d protest of the
West and South against the injustice per-
retrated and tolerated by government and
building up in the financial centers of the
country. chiefly of the East, a moneyed
cligarchy debauchtng and corrupting legis-
lative bodies. even the halls of justice, and
so undermining the very foundat lions of our
Republic. destroying liberty, making of Dem
ocratic government mere mockery, eXalt
ing money and enslaving man. AS a pro-
test against the dishonesty of our none
tary system. the injustices perpetrated un-
der the cloak of our transportation system,
the inequality and oppressiveness Of our sys-
tenn of taxation and which together had
built up this moneyed oligarchy, the Peo-
pies party was born To rectify this dis
honesty, this injustice. this inequality, was
the mission Of the Peoples party. This mis-
sion is yet to be fulfilled and to fill 1t the
Peoples party still lives The party cam
not die until it fills its mission and its work
is done. or until it abandons that mission.
And the earnest Populists who assembled
in convention at Cincinnati three weeks ago
resolved that the party should not aban-
don its mission, that if party leaders sought
to lead II to an abandonment of It's mission,
sought 10 so lead II 1Or thelr own sell dQ-
vancement that the party should abandon
them consider them outside of the party
ranks. And so keeping true to its mission
and that mission yet to be fulfilled, the PeO-
pies party still lives. Permit the party to
abandon its mission rely upon the Demo-
cratic party to carry out the mission OF
the Peoples party and the Peoples party
will die. it ought to die But this the
true Populists who lately assembled at Gin
cinnati refused to permit. They raised aloft
the banners of Populism and resolved that
the party should be true to its mission.
1t is said that the Cincinnati convention
had no right to speak and act for the Peo-
pies party no right to resolve that the
party should be true TO its mission and to
take steps to keep it true. But no man who
dissents from the resolution that the Peo-
pies party shall be true to its mission, who
holds that the Peoples party should aban-
don its mission to some other party, has
a right to call himself q Populist. That man
should call himself member of that other
party. that other party with which he would
Supplant the Peoples party.
1t is true that the Popusts of many
states were not represented by delegates at
Cincinnati. it is true that the acts of the
Cincinnati convention cannot be assumed
to be the acts of the Populists Of those
states or held to be binding upon them. But
the Populists who assembled at Cincinnati
were earnest men who did what they be-
neved to be right, did what they believed
necessary to save the Peoples party and
keep 1t true to its mission-its mission to
rectify the dishonesty Of our monetary sys-
tenn, the injustices perpetrated in the name
of our transportation system, the ineQual-
ity OF our system of taxation, and, above
all. to dethrone the growing moneyed dig
archy that corrupts and saps our body pO-
little, and establish a rule by the people.
To the fulfillment Of this mission the earn
est POpulists who assembled in Cincinnati
cOnsecrated themselves anew. That their
action will be approved by the Popuists of
those states, represented by duly elected
delegates they had no doubt that it will be
approved by the earnest Populists in those
states not represented at Cincinnati. and. in
the end, opposed by only those so-called
Populists who see in the triumph of the
Democracy the triumph of Populism they
fully believed. To their fellow Populists
they did not assume to dictate. They spoke
for themselves and in a way that they be-
lieved the majority Of earnest Populists
would approve. They named men whom
they believed fitted to serve their country
as president and vice-president. and charged
them to uphold the banners of Populism. to
keep the Peoples party true to its mission.
But the right to force the Populists of the
country to accept as their candidates the
men named by the convention the members
of that convention did not assume They
resolved that their Judgment in the selec-
tion of candidates should be subordinate to
the Judgment of the rank and file; that if
the rank and file did rot approve of their
selections that their selections should not
stand; that the judgment of the masses as
to tit candidates should be recognized as
superior TO the judgment of the convention.
Thus impressed with the right of the peO-
pie to rule. the convention referred its work.
it's selections of candidates. to the rank
and file of the party for approval or the re-
verse. The delegates to the Cincinnati con-
venton acted they thought BEST acted
in way which they believed would be ap-
proved. But they did not assume the right
to dictate to the POpulists of the United
States to dictate the names of candidates or
anything else. The convention nominated
candidates subject to the ratification Of the
rank and file of the Peoples party, If the
rank ant.. file prefer other candidates, and
they are to be given full opportunity to ex-
press their preference the nominees of the
convention will cease to stand forth as the
standard bearers. But as standard bearers
chosen by the convention they will stand
forth until the rank and file ratify the
choice of the convention, when. with such
Endorsement, they will stand before the
public as the unquestioned choice of the
Peoples party, or until the rank and file of
the party may choose what they may deem
to be worthier and better candidates.
But the candidates chosen by the con-
vention will in no event step down until
other candidates are chosen to step into
their places; they will uphold the banners
of true Populism until other standard-bear-
ers are selected to take their places, for the
banners of Popullsnl will not be permitted
to be draggled in the wake of the Demo-
cratic party: they will henceforth be held
aloft. the convention that met in Cincinnati
so decreed. and no man who would pull
down the banners of Populsm, who would
turn the People s party from it's grand mis-
sion. who would make of the party an ad-
junct to the Democratic party, to a party
serving the moneyed oligarchy, combating
that for which the Peoples party was born
to fight, defending the iniquties which it is
the mission of the party to rectfy, can be
regarded as a good Populist.
We repeat that it is true that the Popu-
lists of many states were not represented
by delegates at Cincinnati, and that the acts
of that convention are not binding upon
them. But it lies with the Populists of ev-
cry state to make them so, to make its acts
their acts. its voice their voice. And all the
Cincinnati convention did, all that 1t essayed
to do was to give to the true Populists of
the United states an opportunity to unite
their shattered forces, to point the way out
of the wilderness of disruption brought
about by fusion and ask Populists to follow
follow under the leaders chosen by the con-
rention or under other leaders who they may
Judge will serve them better.
The Populists who met in convention in
Cincinnati on the 5th and 9Th days of Sep
tember had definite purpose in view. They
met with the resolution to give assurance
to Populists that the party would be kept
true to its mission, and that they would
have straight Populist ticket to vote for
IN 1900. And this resolution they kept, this as