The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-06-22

he was stabbing me in the back. IT that
call disloyalty? He. was treacherous in
every campaign. and he has done more. to
| disrupt the Peoples party than any other
man. If his fight on me when represented
this party and was working for its success
! is not disloyalty, then Benedict Arnold was
q d patriot. You say you want to conciliate
conciliate me? To conciliate Major Bowler
and others whom this man has slandered
and maligned all these years? If we want
to be successful, let us get rid of him: I
believe his present name is not his right
nam but he,1na h; Of the
minious Donkey"
There is no doubt the convention
would not have permitted MIN to pro-
coed but for the appeal we made to
hear him. And in the same spirit, we
give him now the benefit Of our large
circulation for his abuse
We replied, as nearly as we can
recollect, as follows:
The uproar of the Owen crowd was
tremendous, and it looked for time
as if we would not be permitted to
proceed. One of the secretaries, an
ugly looking fellow from Duluth, ad-
vanced to the front Of the platform,
and, standing alongside of lis, insisted
on reading some paper. The crowd
yelled and hooted at him to sit down,
but he would not, until the chairman
advanced, and, Rarey-like, whispered
some cabalistic words in his stallion
ear, whereupon he skunk to his seat,
with a sickly smile on his God-hranded
countenance.
Gentlemen" we said, "the first in
stinct of an American is love of fair
play. His first demand is that the ac-
cused shall have a fair hearing"
At this the crowd quoted down.
"Gentlemen, no one can regret this
scene more than l do: l did nothing
to provoke this attack. did not, d.
rectly or indirectly, refer to S. M. Owen
him in my mind. l plead for peace
and good will and harmony; and l am
answered by this tremendous assault.
l sought to save the party and I have
had my reward.
"Mr. Owen goes back the long period
of ten years to find charge He says
I supported the Republican ticket in
1888. True; and he supported the
Surely cannot be condemned because l
did not support the Alliance party two
years before it was born, the Peoples
party four years before it was establish
I'D OF ho fn6 fnr
governor in 1888 by a farm and labor
party. I refused to run unless $4,000
was raised to canvass the state! we had
to print our own tickets then, and the
tickets alone would cost $1,000 l went
off speaking for the party, for two
weeks. When 1 returned l found
there was no farm and labor
party; it was a myth; l spent
$3.50 Of my own money, and I returned
to find that instead of $4,000 for cam
paign fund they had raised $50, $40 of
which l had myself contributed. The
state committee of the party, Eric Oh
son was chairman Che is here presently,
withdrew the ticket. l then had to sup
port the Republican ticket or the Demo-
cratic ticket. l was an old Republican,
and between the two preferred that
ticket
A voice: why did you oppose
Charles Canning for the legislature in
the Red River Valley
Mr.. D.: Il never uttered word
against Charles Canning, and we re-.
NAMED friends until the time of his
DEATH"
Mr.. Owen charges that l supported
the Republican party in 1855 for money.
That is false. If l wanted money L
would have stayed with the Republican
party They would pay me $500 d
night to speak for them in their great
campaigns. l have spent thousands
of dollars for this poor, I'M
poverished, God-forsaken party, and
never received a penny from
them. If money had been my
object 1 would go where money is; but
for Is years 1 have fought for reform
principles without compensation. And
now this man says l am controlled by
sordid considerations.
What are you to think of man who
will make such serious charges without
a scintilla Of proof to sustain them,
and will go back ten years to find an
event to hang his lie on?
Whatever opposition l have made to
Mr.. Owen has not been personal.
have simply defended the life of the
Peoples Party against his evil advice.
III 1890, when running for governor,
he refused to permit Capt. Nelson, of
this city, to go and speak for the AIli-
ance the Peoples Party was not yet
bOrn), because the captain was an advo-
cate of greenbacks. The captain is
here, and will take the stand if Mr..
Owen denies it.
In 1892 the Peoples Party was found
ed at Omaha. Owen refused to go as a
delegate to that convention, after being
elected, and did his utmost when we
came back to prevent the Peoples Party
being established in this state. He tried
to perpetuate the alliance party as
hostile organization; he and his fol-
lowers held a convention, and put up
an Alliance ticket, with Gen. James II.
nO1 bow, o. h. hoo IS