Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1898-11-03

! democratic majority was more Than
souo'eu' u out of thirty-two coun-
.ss carried by the Populists two wears
aso' Inc democrats carried tw~enty-four.
ne Populists will only have ten MEM
Ders In the next house. and not one in
- senate. The Peoples Party paper.
% iong and ably edited by that prince
- staiwart reformers Tom Watson,
mas suspended, and the Augusta Tri-
pune the only Pop daily in the state,
now ADVISES abandoning the Peoples
party n returning to the Democratic
LOT the following reasons:
II the Populist party is dead ma
tionally, 1t would be useless to keep up
a state organization. The reforms for
which Populists contend can only be-
accomplished through national legisla-
ION; and unless the demand for them
Is in the declared principles
OF q national party, having a prospect
at some time. sooner OF later, to obtain
national control, it were Idle to keep up
tnls party organization and engage in
local contests In q few separate states.
We must face the situation as it is
49, "S Woolu aNSIIc IL " DS. dHu
that situation appears to be that the
fuslon deal OF 1896 has caused the dis
ruption OF the Populist party in the
west, and deserted by these western al
lies national success is impossible.
There Is a possibility, very slender. 1t
is true, but the last hope of the party
nevertheless, that in time for the next
election Butlerism will be killed and
the party revivifed and reorganized,
but unless this is done the Populist
party is dead nationally, and it would
be worse than folly to maintain a state
organization and make state contests"
So discouraged are the Populists OF
Georgia, that they have not nominated
a single congressman in the state this
year. The pending elections will show
the utter rout OF the party in several
other southern states. Perhaps the
most important factor in the demorali-
zation of the Peoples party in the
south was that infamous agreement
which / published in the Ruralist
March 10 last; copied from the Silver
knight Waterman. 1t is as follows:
The silver men in congress agree on
a plan of cooperation the numerous
conferences held recently by the silver
men in congress have eliminated In an
agreement on a plan for cooperation
with respect to the election to the next
congress, both house and senate. The
silver Republicans and Populist3 held
a conference Friday night in the COM
mittee room OF Senator Allen OF Me-
braska, and agreed upon a plan. Every
silver Republican and every Populist,
senator and representative, was pres
ent, and the conference was entirely
harmonious and unanimously in favor
Of cooperation with the Democrats in
elections next fall, looking to a general
cooperation in the presidential cleo
ton of 1900. There was no opposition
manifested to the plan which was pro-
posed and adopted. This plan is for the
three parties to cooperate in support
OF the candidates OF each for election
to the house and senate, to fill places
o held by each respectively.
There was also a unanimous express
sion of opinion during the informal
discussion that Mr.. Bryan was the log
ical candidate for the presidency of tho
cooperating silver forces. Corpora
ton will be encouraged in all sections.
Ex-Representative Towne, the chair
man OF the silver Republican national
committee, II was decided, should go
to Oregon for the purpose or assisting
to a cooperation between the Demo-
Gratis, silver Republicans and Populists
OF that state for the election of two
Populist nominees for congress. THE
PLAN OF COOPERATION CONTEM-
PLATES THAT WHERE SEATS IN
EITHER HOUSE OF CONGRESS ARE
NOW HELD BY A SILVER MAN IN
EITHER OF THE THREE PARTIES
THE UNITED ASSISTANCE OF THE
THREE BODIES SHALL BE GIL EN-
TO ELECT TO THAT SEAT A MAN
OF THE SAME PARTY AS THE ONE
NOW HOLDING IT."
1t will be noticed that ALL THE
SILVER MEN WERE PRESENT. SEN
ators and representatives. That they
all agreed to 1t. or course 1t was a
very nice thing for the ms, but death
to the party. 1t would be utterly i'm
possible 10 build up q national party
on such a policy. Think OF it. In Texas
the Peoples party polled In 1896. 234.-
SIS votes, but elected no congressman.
Now according to this agreement our
representatives In congress, SENA-
TORS AND REPRESENTATIVES;
pledged themselves to support for re-
election the present Democratic repre-
scntatives as against the Populists.
This is why there are no Populist eau
didates in Georgia this year. and why
they give up the battle for the party.
The men who agreed to that co-op-
eration cannot we'll be classed as Pop
ulists. They are Democrats in fact. 1t
was a gross betrayal OF the Peoples
party, and our comrades in the south,
for the selfish purpose Of securing their
own reelection. Can true reformers
afford to endorse their action by vot-
inc FOR their reelection?
Under these circumstances Is 1t any
wonder that so shrewd a man as Chair-
man Kidd should have said before the
Brown county convention that II tell
YOU the Peoples party has accom-
plished It's purpose. and it is immater-
ial whether it lives or dies" What
hope is there for. the party In this
state. when the state chairman feels
like that?
Mrs. Lease, the ablest speaker the
fusion.sts were able to procure. adj
mittod to the writer when at Clear
Lake that there was no future for the
ponnla's Marty that 'itS destruction be-