The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-08-10

provincials scattered along the Atlantic
coast. l. D.
THE FOG CLEARING AWAY.
The Minneapolis Tribune said last
week:
"A few days ago The Tribune mentioned
the fact that the midroad Populists had
been successful in capturing the party Or
ganiZatfon in Marshall county. 1t seems
there are many others. In Lyons county
they were also successful owing, it is said,
to disagreement as to methods of proceed
ure between Messrs. Spurgeon, Odell and
Senator E. II. Reishus, the fusion leaders
of that county. Odel wanted to put up
a fight, but Reishus thought the midroad-
ers were pretty good fellows, and they were
allowed to walk off with all the war tro-
plies. In Renville county, according to the
most reliable information, the regular Or
ganization of the Populist organization is
in a lamen.able state, and fusion leaders
from there admit that the midroaders have
them the hip This, too, in the home of
Major Bowler the fusion nominee for lieu
tenant governor.
The Populist primaries for the selection
of delegates to the judicial convention Of
this district will probably be carried by
the midroaders unless a strong effort is
made to defeat their plans. The local fu-
siOnists, however, are either Indifferent or
else respondent, for they decline to take
any steps to head off the possibility. Some
of them say they do not care. while others
say they intend sticking to the Democracy
hereafter and there You are
These statements are confirmed by
the advices which reach us from all
parts of the state. Even those Pop,Ilists
who were temporarily misled by the cry,
I'VE all think alike" are beginning to
perceive that it is not true.
1t is much easier to pack caucuses than
to humbug the people. The ofice-seeker
is very different man from the ordi-
nary voter. He is like the fellow who
was digging out the woodchuck, and
who accounted for his extraordinary
energy by the fact that the family is
out of meat, and l must have him.
James M. Bowler is type Of this class
of men. He remained Democrat long
after the Peoples party was started.
He did not understand the financial
question, but continued to howl tariff:
tariff" while the thoughtful people Of
the country had realized that the con-
test over the tariff was, as the Omaha
platform said, "a sham battle" to divert
attention from the real issues. To him
the Peoples party was not great Or
ganization to lift up the human race, but
simply represented so many votes to be
attached as soon as possible to the tail
Of ho norn0orofio no
thought, grand opportunity for the
defeated Democracy, disgraced and dis
honored by Grover Cleveland's efforts in
behalf of the plutOcracy, to once more
renew it's youth and resume possession
of the country He never burned the
bridges behind him, and had scarcely
landed in the Populist camp before he
began to form the troops into line to
march back into the fold of his old
party. And for any man who thought
there was as much need for the Peoples
party in 1893 as there was in 1892, he
had nothing but abuse and loud-mouthed
insults.
There were hundreds of Populists in
Renville county who were more intelli-
gent and honest than Bowler, but they
were not candidates for office. They
were not as rich as he, and they had to
work harder to make both ends meet.
But while they were toiling in their
around the country in pursuit of that
woodchuck "a state office, pulling wires,
packing caucuses, lying and bowling
Jim Hill at every man who differed
from him..
These tactics were overwhelming until
the people had time to think for them
selves Then they said to themselves:
"Of what interest is it to us that Jim
Bowler should get an office? We will
obtain none of the pay, unless we bor-
row it on a mortgage on our homes.
The honor, if there be any, will not be
ours, but Jim's. The last time Jim held
an office he was secretary to Speaker
Champlin-a Democrat-whO signalized
himself by making an unparliamentary
ruling in favor of the railroads, which
ended reform for that session. If Jim
is elected Acknowledgements, to pre-
side over the senate, what assurance
have we that he will not make similar
rulings in the interest of Jim Hill?
But even if Bowler did his duty, why
should we destroy the party we helped
to create in 1892, at Omaha, to put his
fice?'
These are the thoughts that are
spreading everywhere, and everywhere
the disaffected are coming back into the
Peoples party. l. d.
COMING TO 1T.