The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-04-13
THE SITUATION HERE.

| vi HEN fAh 11ES CAAAEO 11ElN
STATE CONVENTIONS FOR THAT
DAY AND IN THE SAME CITY! II
we had named January LIST. 1898. or
November 10. 1897, we shall have found
them smiling at the front door, sing
| ing:
"Will you walk into my parlor?"
Said the spider to the fly.
"Its the prettiest little parlor
That ever you did spy"
What is to be done? We must nomin-
| ate ticket June 18th, and there is NO
known way by which we can prevent
these persistent assiduous suitors from
nominating the same men. In fact we
cannot prevent any man or set OF men
from supporting our candidates, and we
don't want to.
| But If we do anything that cOnvinces
tho rank and file that We are conniving
and dickering with the Democrats for
division of the spoils of office our cake
Is dough-" Out Of one hundred voters
there are not, on the average, ten who
hold Office or expect to hold 1t. The
other ninety look with repugnance upon
schemes to enrich a few; they have no
share in the plumber or the profits of
the office seekers. They believe in prin-
ciple
1t IS APPROXIMATELY AN
NOUNCED, IN ADVANCE, THAT OUR
COMING STATE CONVENTION IS TO
HAUL DOWN OUR FLAG. EVEN
FREE SILVER IS TO BE THROWN
OVERHEARD. This was all the talk ut
the recent gathering of bushwackers at
which Butler and Weaver spoke. That
is the program. We are to disrobe
ourselves OF the shining garments.
woven for us at Omaha, July 4, 1892, and
in our naked pelts jump into the cess
pool, with the old party politicians. and
wriggle around until the filth smothers
the life out of us.
Major Bowler, Senator Ringdahl
s. M. Owen, and others. boldly an
nounced that all the distinctive issues
OF Populism are to be given up, and
WE ARE TO FIGHT FOR THE OF
FICES ON THE LOCAL ISSUES!
And chief among these issues is to be
a reduction of the rates of railroad
charges on freight and passengers by
legislative action.
And yet these men know perfectly we'll
that they are seeking to perpetrate a
fraud upon the people Of this state, that
will be as ignoninious in it's results as
the Halvor Stevenson order to reduce
railroad rates, made in 1892. which has
not yet been decided by the supreme
court of the United States and will not
be for five years to come.
In the meantime the same supreme
court OF the United States, always the
subservient tool Of the corporation. has
within month made a decision in the
great Nebraska case which knocks the
bottom out of the Stevenson case, by de-
claring that even a legislature has no
right to fix rates for railroads.. So that
when the case which was begun in this
state in 1892 reaches hearing five years
from now. 1t will run it's intelligent head
plumb against the Nebraska case and
have it's excuse for brains knocked out
of it.
In the meantime for 10 years the poor
producers have been fooled with chat,
and have not obtained penny reduction
in the shocking overcharges in the trans
portation of their productions!
And now the same game is to be
played over again, by combination Of
Populists, Democrats and Free-Silver
Republicans. The people are to be
fooled and honey fuzzled. A few men of
the Owen stripe are to get some fat Of
fees. and when the people find that they
have been once more swindled the
Peoples Party of Minnesota will disap-
pear in a volcanic explosion of public
indignation.
The Peoples Party Of the United
States has decided that there is no
remedy for the abuses Of the railroads
except government ownership. This de-
cision was reached after Is years of
futile attempts to get past the sub
terfuges of purchased legislatures and
courts.
And now we are asked to swindle. them
again by false pretenses and promises
that can only end in disappointment.
Will We be party to it? Will it be
honest?
How can we abandon all our principles
and make local issue fight on grounds
that are fraud and a cheat?
And what are we to get for 1t, except
to put few scallawags in offices where
they can plunge their hands in the pub
lie treasury up to the elbow?
Is all this scheme Of hireling tools OF
the railroads to turn the people from a
possible and final remedy to an impos-
sible and deceptive one?
That is the issue in the coming state
convention.
Are you ready for it? !. D.