The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-01-19

seats in the meeting. On motion the
national committee were given seats in
the meeting with full voice and vote in
the proceedings. "A members Of the ma
tional committee were admitted, includ-
ing their proxies.
The following committee was appoint
ed to prepare an address and outline Of
procedures: Gen. Burkitt, Miss Chain
man. Jno. O. label. Michigan; L. w.
Peck, Georgia; George F, Washburn,
Massachusetts; w. ]. Morgan, Arkan-
sas: H. Tracy, Texas; L. D. Reynolds,
Illinois; Jacob Coxey, Ohio; A. l.. Minus.
Tennessee; J. T. Willets, Kansas. J. A.
Parker, Kentucky
The following was the address, which
was unanimously adopted:
To the People of the United States-Nie
fusion movement cOnsumated at st. Louis
In July. SO, and the inexcusable treatment
or our candidate for vice-president in the
campaign that followed, gave rise to such
dissatisfaction among the rank and file of
the Peoples party as to threaten the abso-
lutte d1smemberment Of the only political or
gan1Zation honestly contending for the
cial and political rights Of the laboring and
producing classes Of the country. who are
the sole creditors. creators of our wealth,
who really pay all taxes, and who, in the
main, night our battles in time Of war.
Seeing our councils divided, our forces
disorganzed, and realizing that discomfort
within the ranks Of the genuine reformers
over the nOn-action Of the constituted au-
thorittes of the party was growing to such
an alarming extent as to threaten the COM
plete humiliation Of the Peoples Party. the
reform press, ever watchful of the public
interest. and always alert to serve
righteous cause. has essayed the unwel-
come task Of arousing national COM
mittee to a sense of the duty impending,
and volunteers it's assistance in the work Of
reorganizating our shattered forces.
Unfortunately, as we think, the patriotic
endeaVOrS of the press have been unheed-
ed by the legal guardians of the party's in
tegr1ty, and 1T became a question whether
the broken fragments Of the once proud
army Of reform should remain g. sort Of
adjunct to one or the other Of the old par
ties. whether an effort should be made
to raise its bedragged standard from the
dust and hold it aloft a sacred banner
around which men who love principle more
than political success, and who regard the
pubic welfare as paramount to individual
perferment, might rally for the final con-
test between the people and plutocracy,
and which contest Is to decide whether or
not enough virtue and courage abide with
us to enable US to regain for ourselves and
our posterity government of, for and by
the people, such as the fathers bequeathed
to US.
The reform press, at it's meeting in Mem
phis in February, 1897, appointed a COM
mittee with instructions, first, to commune
cate with the national committee and Sc
cure its cooperation in holding a national
delegate conference at some time and place
during the summer of 1897.
The national committee declined and the
press committee was then reluctantly
forced to consider the second clause Of
their instructions. which was to take steps
for the assembling Of national confer
ence at such time and place as they might
deem advisable. In obedience to these in
structions. the committee, failing to Sc
cure the cooperation Of the national COM
mittee, met in Girard Kan, on April 10,
1897. and issue an address containing a Call
for a national conference to assemble at
Nashville July 4. provided the voters Of
the Peoples party. to whom the question
was referred should approve the same The
people did approve the call. and in the face
of every obstacle presented the Nashville
conference was attended by delegates rep
resenting a constituency Of $4,000 earnest
reformers who Endorsed the Omaha plat
form without reservation
We submit to just public that the pro-
ceedings Of that conference proved beyond
controversy that the chief object Of it's
originators to inspire the "boys in the
trenches" with renewed courage to fight
the battles Of the great common people,
and we maintain that 1t did infuse new life
and hope into the hearts and minds OF
thousands of our disguised and deSpairing
comrades.
A ringing address was issued, proclaimin4
answering allegiance to the Populist creed
and declaring uneQuivocaly against fusion
with either Of the old parties in future, ais1
a national organization committee was APP
pointed and specifically instructed to CO.
operate with the national committee in
every and all movements they might choose
to make along purely Populist lines.
These instructions 1t has been our pur-
pose to faithfully execute and we deplore
the fact that no opportunity has been given
to carry them out.
Under such conditions as these the exec
utive committee OF the national organiza-
ton committee. impelled by the painful
knowledge that no rallying Of the reform
forces could be attained and no accrument
to our party strength could be hoped for,
until reassuring policy outlined and
boldly proclaimed by one CIR the other Cor
both) national committees to whom the pep
pie at home looked for advice and guidance,
met by appointment in the city of ST. Louis
on November %. and afte' mature consider
alton issued a call for this meeting of the
full committee and invited the nationak
committee to joint conference January
II. 1885,
Why the national committee a COM
mittee should have chosen to ignore this
polite invitation to a joint conference with
1t is unnecessary here to discuss.
1t has been the purpose always OF this
committee to be courteous to the national
committee. and our supreme desire has been
at all times to promote the harmonious CO.
operation with said committee, that fac
tional differences might be obliterated, our
party prestige regained and our organza
ton restored to it's once splendid estate. If
we have failed to take any fraternal step
to secure this much desired end. it has
been an unintentional omission, which
would disdain to palliate or excuse by qub-
ling. This committee feels confident of its
ability to show that it is no fault of ours
that the national committee is not present
as a body today, but it does not choose to
waste valuable time in wrangiing
questions of effect.
We avow 1T to be our sincere purpose now,
ever before to promote in every honor
able way the reform movement on true
Popu,ist lines, and we deem the issues too
momentous and the dangers threatening
free government too imminent to allow us
to pause to consider personal grievances or
affronts, to permit wounded dignity, real
or ina ginary. to overShadoW patriotic duty.
Under present conditions our beloved or
ganiZat ton is slowly but surely disintegrat-
ing, and our comrades who have valiantly