The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-01-05
AN ABLE PAPER
COL. s. F. NORTON. THE CHOICE OF
OUR PARTY At ST. LOUIS, ABLY
REVIEWS THE SITUATION
AND GIVES COUNSEL
FOR FURTHER
ACTION.
He Gives Brief History of the Party
rom Its Inception, Showing
His Own Connection There
with ard Continuing
Saws. ~

Up to the present time we have been
content in advocating the principles Of
Populism, studiously avoiding any part
in the war of words that has been 60
Ing on concerning The policy of the
party, hoping that in time the hot-tem-
Iered participants would cool off suf-
fciently to take a calm and dispassion-
ate view of the situation
But our hope has been in vain. In
stead Of getting better matters are get
ting worse. We feel it our duty, there.
ent situation, as we'll as to the future
course cf the party.
The only time that we nave not been
In the middle OF the road" during
the twenty -ears of our reform work,
was away Lack in the beginning when
there was NOT any road. \ few Of us
were out in the woods, blazing the
way for the men who followed after
and made it POSSIBLE to have a road.
In short, we have fought fusion from
The beginning, submitting 10 the policy
only when CutnumberttI in conventions
hy me" Who thought that there Was
short cut tc success. We submitted un-
der protest, rather than set ourself up
as knOwit-all or a kicker, possess
ing more wisdom than a majority of
our fellow workers.
That we were wiser time has fully
demonstrated. That to submit was an
error we confess
HAD THE MEN WHO VOTED FOR
PETER COOPER IN 1876 NAILED
THEIR LITTLE BANNER TO THE
MASTHEAD AND STOOD BY 1T
BRAVELY, UNFLINCHINGLY. AND
PERSISTENTLY, TAKING NO HEED
OF WHEN OR HOW THEY WE'RE
''GOING TO WIN" BOTH THE OLD
PARTIES WOULD HAVE BEEN
DEAD, BURIED AND FORGOTTEN
LONG BEFORE THIS TIME
But the evil genius of expediency.
stimulated by an itch for office, has
ever been the fatal stumbling block IN
the pathway Of one of the grandest
army of reformers that ever lived ON
the face of the earth
We have never given up the fight
and we do not propose to give it up!
No matter if we get knocked out
seventy and seven times. we will come
up smiling for the seventy-eighth
round, if we come up bare-footed gray
headed and alone.
Up to the time of the Democratic
convention in Chicago we believed that
the Cleveland wing would control the
convention. We further believed that
t!>re would be bolt of the western
Democrats-and there would have been
So believing, we advised a late con-
vention, in order that an opportunity
might be had for gathering in boiling
Republicans and Democrats.
But the boiling element (he pro-
gressive Democrats like Altgeld, Bryan
and that class) did their work too we'll.
They worked up a convention. whose
bold and unexpected policy not only
threw the Cleveland gold-bugs and the
southern Bourbons into CONSERVATION
but upset the calculations of those
Populists who were looking for an ac-
qusiton of bolting Democrats.
Bryan's mastery speech, and subse-
quent nomination, coupled with the
Democratic platform, so far finished
the business" that all that was needed
was for the hunters Of political loaves
and fishes to pave the way for fusion
at St. Louis.
Nor was the desire for fusion con-
fined to pie hunters There were as
honest, sincere and devoted reformers
as ever lived-men who had stood up
unselfishly and devotedly through long
and weary years of discouraging work
who favored the Endorsement of
Bryan at st. Louis. We recall an old
comrade, not only during the war but
through twenty years of reform work
AS devoted to the cause of reform as ne
had been brave upon the battlefield,
who came to us at st. Louis and said,
almost with tears in his eyes: Morton,
l would like to cast a vote for you,
but l believe it is my duty to vote for
Bryan" We told him to vote his con-
victions-and we respect him because
he did.
The only wise course to have Dur
sued at st. Louis was to have nomi-
mated straight ticket and then con-
Quoted the campaign with view to an
affiliation with the Democrats in the
ELECTORAL college in case the Democrats
and Populists should have majority
Of electoral votes
We shall ever believe that such