The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-02-04
He is "Ferninst" Fusion.
EDITOR UNION:

EDITOR UNION:
| notice by late issues of your paper
that you have instituted an Open
Court for the interchange of opinions
on subjects of interest to the general
public. There are numerous subjects
that would like to discuss with those
who, like myself, are striving to ele-
vate the Industrial classes and restore
to them the privilege Of having some
thing to say in governmental atfairs-a
right which was guaranteed to them
in the early organization of this gov
eminent, but a right which for more
than score of years they have been
utterly deprived and robbed of so far
as the general government is concern
ed, and to d very great extent in state,
county and municipal affairs. In view
of this fact it seems to me that the
paramount question is: "How can we
regain our rights under the constitu-
tiOn?"
mcnt producing argument to prove
that our rights and privileges have
been ruthlessly stolen from as. If any
| one is so blind TO existing conditions
! as to doubt this any Industrial man or
woman; [ don't refer to the privileged
classes), let them read carefully the
address of Hazen E. Pipgree, governor
of Michigan, before the Independent
| club of Buffalo, New York, since
Hanna's purchase of a seat in the U.
S. Senate. Pingree delivers one of
the most scathing rebukes to those who
! resort TO the means that have been en-
ployed for years past to foist men into
office regardless of the will of the people
and fasten upon the ruling classes the
sole responsibility for the depressing
conditions that exist, which carries
with it a conviction of guilt for all tn e
crimes committed on account of the
business failures, and death by starva-
ton from lack of employment, saying
| nothing of the thousands of deaths and
Wholesale slaughter of human lives in
Cuba, caused dir ectly by the inactivity
of our government by refusing to ZEN
| der aid to an oppressed people strug-
CLING for liberty, and an utter refusal
to carry out the pledges made. in ac-
| cord with the expressed will Of the
| people, 10 return to the question,
| ''How can we regain our rights?" AL
low me to answer only by maintaining
and nourshlng u political organization
founded on that broad principle "The
Brotherhood of Man" and that does
not now nor never has bowed the knee
to Baal the S. and now, Mr.. Editor, I
want to emphasize the fact that we
must maintain the peoples party
organization inviolate, untainted,
unpolluted by any unholy alliance
with corrupt political parties who, like
the man described in holy writ, had
protested time and again to be purified.
and after the nation, or the voters,
have cleaned and garnished the state
house for them they have returned to
their 'feathered nests" bringing with
them seven other spirits more vile
than the first. Let us avoid all fusion
in the future, but let us unite with all
reformes under one banner, with the
principles for which we have all fought
so nobly inscribed thereon. [ know
will be accused OF assisting the repub-
licans into power, but that has become
a patent righted assertion in the
mouths of those in favor of fusion with
the democratic party. 1t is the same
lash used in the southern states to
with the republicans, the democracy
being the dominant party there, and
the universal practice Of accusing the
dominant party with ills consequent
upon corrupt class legislation makes
this lash an etfectual one with which
to drive unthiuking voters from either
OF the old parties into the other. |
call this patented saying or accusa-
ton and know whereof I speak, and
I want every true populist, whenever
that lash is used, to know that it is
patented and that it comes from head
quarters. Furthermore, the person
using this lash to drive you into the
ranks of the fusionists is either an imi-
tator who allows some other fellow to
do his thinking for him, or else he has
had instructions from headquarters,
with an assurance of a piece of poIiti-
cal pie proportiunats with services
| rendered.
! Perhaps I should not have given
this away at this stage. [ only do so
through an earnest desire that some,
one may discover and advance some
logical reason why we should violate
our principles and unite with a party
| because it has seen tit to adopt one
lone principle that we have advocated
one that only promises relief by cur
ing one OF the evil effects of monopolis-