The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-06-15

Gaining the cOnVentlOn at the place he did
and under circumstances calculated to sup
press free expression of sentiment on
the part of true delegates, ombining and
conspiring to have our deliberations flooded
by masses of Democrats and free silver
Republicans, who held their conventions at
the same time: 4g
Fourth-When the convention assembled
at Normanna hall yesterday and it became
evident that in spite Of xll their tactics the
true POpulists were in a majority then
Chairman Gibbs arbitrarily admitted con-
tested delegations to vote to capture the
convention, while excluding those who
contested their seats, thing unheard of
in parliamentary law, which holds that
both should be excluded or both seated
until the question at issue between them
could be determined by the convention on
a report of the committee on credentials;
F1fth-When it was distinctly shown In
our convention yesterday that Mr.. Dobbyn,
chairman Of the national committee, was
opposing in his paper our candidate for
congress in the Fifth congressional dis
trict, Prof. Cation, and was supporting the
Republican candidate, Hon. Loren Flet cher,
the convention refused to remove him, al
though it had full authority to do SO.
Sixth-During the proceedings Of the con-
vention no semblance of parliamentary
rules were observed, but the chairman ar
bitrarly declared motions lost that were
carried by large majority, and refused to
entertain motions that were clearly in
order, and to cap the climax, denied an ap-
peal to the house from his rulings, and
when delegates insisted upon their right
to be heard, as men and Populists, re-
sorted to his hireling sergeant-at-arms, and
the police of the city, to OVeraWe the
convention.
Seventh-That when all these tactics
failed to deliver the Populist's convention
into the bowels Of democracy, then Mr.. s..
he
raise q preconcerted personal row, to dis
tract and break up the convention and di-
vert the attention of the delegates from
principles to factional strife.
Eighth-By these means the convention
was forced into the attitude Of nominating,
as one Of it's candidates, Hon. William
Mitchell, of Winona, member Of the su-
preme court, well known to be one Of the
leading single gold standard advocates of
the state, and who voted against US at
the last election.
We were also forced to nominate two
other Democrats Messrs. Canty and Buck,
who, as members of the supreme court,
united with the three Republican members
of the court. to declare unconstitutional the
act of the legislature authorizing the erec-
ton of a state elevator at Duluth, with the
money obtained from the farmers for in
specting their wheat. BY this act these
men killed a measure that would have been
worth millions Of flCllars to the grain
growers Of this state, and they did this
on specious and ridiculous pretenses, to
permit the elevator r4ng to continue to
plunder the people, as they have done to
this hour.
Now; therefore, IN view Of the above
facts and many ne CT Q similar char
acter, contrary not simply to ORDER
decency and common sense, but constltut-
ing an outrage on humanity, traVesty on
Justice and reform, and a foul blot and
o1ovn hot MO
repudiate- the whole proceedings of the
convention, and declare to the state and
nation that the result of the Peoples Party
convention yesterday does not express the
sentiments of the Populists Of Minnesota,
and we pledge ourselves, by our sacred
honor as men and Populsts to redeem our
party from the control OF the Democratic
schemers and politicians.
We put forth, therefore, the following
declaration of principles, and to it's sup
port we invite every honest man in the
state:
First-The Peoples Party was born to
live; and with the help OF Coo 1t snail
not die.
Second-We regard the shortening OF the
distance between the voters and the legis-
lators, by means Of the initiative and
referendum, as the great issue OF the age,
and as the only thing that Will save this
republic from sinking into universal sea
SONAA
bines have inflicted upon our legislatures
and congress.
Resolved, That this convention endorse
the referendum plan as substitute LOT olu
party conventions and instruct our state
central committee to arrange the detalls
for the future nomination or candloates
and making Of platforms OF our People
Party, according to this method
Resolved That we believe that the
adoption of the initiative and referendum
would furnish means whereby all the
great moral and social questions OF the
age, such as temperance, could be placed
before the people and settled by popular
vote.
Third-We demand most emphatically the
recognition of silver. upon the basis OF
sixteen to one, and the restoration OF the
value of labor and its products 10 the
level they held previous to 1873 we look
upon the demonstration as a result of
gigantic conspiracy Of the money-lenders
of the world, to put up the value of the
dollar and put down the value Of the man.
It is plunging the whole world into bank
ruptcy and has inflicted incalculable suf-
fering and even starvation upon the pro-
ducers of the country. Our cities are dwind-
ling in size and the more real property
a man has in them, the poorer he Is. We
cannot look to the Democratic party for
relief because in the past twenty years
their representatives In congress nave
killed fifteen bills for the repeal of that
act of 1873 The eastern end of the Demo-
cratic party is for gold; the western end
for silver: and no man can tell which will
be uppermost in the convention or l9Oo
We cannot afford to. scuttle our own ship
when it is uncertain whether the old ves-
sci is a friend or a pirate. The continued
existence of the Peoples Party is today
the first necessity Of continued civiliZ-
ation The whole destiny of mankind is
wrapped up in it's fate. To abandon 1t for
q few petty offices would be simply hor-
rible and crime against the human fam
ily We have no hostilities against the
Democrats or Free Silver Republicans, in
dividually; many of them are our best
citizens and we earnestly and cordially
invite them in the name of God and the
suffering world to come in and help US
right the wrongs OF mankind.
Fourth-We demand, with equal emphasis
that the people, as in most of the nations
of Europe, shall own the railroad and
telegraph lines. ALI other reforms will be
useless If the great corporations are al
lowed to decide, without counsel or
consent, how much Of the peoples earnings
they will take and how much they will
leave them This is, In that respect, gov
ernment worse than that of Russia or
Timbuctoo. We demand that all public
utility shall belong to the public.
Fifth-We demand an issue of greenback
currency, fully adequate to the necessities
of the business of our country, and we
point to the fact that during the civil war
those greenbacks which were legal tender
for all debts, public and private, kept at
par with gold all through that great strug-
gle, while those what were not full legal
tender fell far below the price Of gold. We
declare that the greenbacks are the best
currency this country has ever had, and we