The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-03-30
endum as to eliminate In future all

regard to their party affiliations. other
wise the movement would lack moment
UNI and result in sectional or state
movement only. The larger the number
OF circulars sent out to true and good
men the greater the momentum and the
better the results.
To illustrate how such a movement
would work let; us suppose that in the
Northwest Bryan, Altgeld. Pingree.
Towne. Donnelly and Norton came to-
gether on circular letter of invitation is
sued by one Of them to the other five.
These six men are men of national
standing, we'll known reform views. are
all radical and from their numerous
public utterances, belonging as they do
to three distinct party organizations
there is little doubt they could quickly
agree on such platform as would perpet-
ually insure peoples government by
adherance to and adoption Of the refer
endum principle and declare for at least
some reforms that they could agree
upon. Think Of the admirers, the be-
levers in these men and their teachings
and the following they would have in
the Northwest and who can doubt the
strength Of such union?
This circular letter should be sent not
to these six men alone but to the largest
possible number of prominent and true
reformers throughout the nation to come
together in national convention for the
formation Of new party, a true reform
platform and the instituting of a peoples
government.
The second essential is the adoption
Of the referendum principle in the new
organization in such way as to prevent
for all time any one party or faction get
ting unfair political advantage. From
the adoption Of this principle the will
Of the majority would always prevail.
Principles would always take precedence
of party or men, and neither of the re-
form elements could object to it while
desiring honest reform
1t would insure forever a peoples
government, pure Democracy, majority
rule and no true honest reformer in the
nation Of any party will go on record as
opposed to a peoples government and
majority rule. The man who objects to
this on the ground simply that his party
must not die Is himself only partizan
and must abandon all claim that he
stands for principle. e. A. T.
Lind for Congress, Not for Governor.
Editor Representatives
Your Crookston correspondent in last
issue calls to my mind the fact that s.
NJ. Owen and Judge Mcdonald appeared
before the committee on resolutions Of
the state convention Of 1894 and adj
vocated to leave out the ratio, if not the
silver issue, altogether. 1 was mem
Der Of tho committee. 1t met at the
parlors Of the Brunswick and the events
are fresh in my mind now.
My trouble with Dobbyn began in the
spring of 1895, when Prof. DObbyn in
his Progressive Age charged the silver
men with working for pay from silver
barons. I, being then editor Of the
Willmar Tribune, publicly branded Dob
byn as liar. The professor of course
has hated me ever since. Your Crook
ston correspondent seems to think my
"uncomplimentary references" to Towne
I1,sro oil 7
have said anything against Towne or
Lind or any other man that was not
warranted by facts, and anybody will
kindly point that out to me, then | will
apologize and retract. I don't claim to
be infallible in my judgment OF men and
things, but 1 am intensity in earnest
about the preservation of the reform
principles, and the only reform party in
the state as long as there is any hope Of
saving them and it.
I stand second to NO man in admira-
ton of the splendid abilities of Towne
and Lind. Nor do I say, or mean to
say, that these gentlemen are not true
to their expressed convictions in regard
to political reform. But I do say that
their attitude at present is critical, and If
persisted in will lead to their political
ruin and loss to the real reform cause Of
the country.
Now I do not ask Messrs. Lind and
Towne to become Populists in order to
cooperate with them. On the other
hand they cannot act as decoys to lead
the Peoples party into the Democratic
fold. And I still further assert that
these gentlemen cannot continue to re-
main silver Republicans and do the
cause of reform in this state any good.
What these men ought to do, IT, as Mr..
F. D. Culver suggested couple Of weeks
ago in an article in The Representative,
to be now at work forming a new po-
litical parity mean in conjunction with
leading Populists and Democrats--to
take the place of both the Democratic
and Peoples parties. The above gentle
men are too intelligent not to know that
that is the only way to successfully CO.
operate. Now why haven't they been
actively at work before this to do that?
That is the query that is sticking In
the crops of thinking Populists now a.
days.