The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-08-24
FusiOnists Then and Now.

Editor Representative: In response 20
your kind invitation. l furnish herein an
other chapter from the history Of the men
who. for their own glory, have undertaken
the task of blowing up the good Peoples
party ship and stealing it's gments with
which to patch the rotten hulk which was
scuttled while sailing under the black flag
of Grover Cleveland.
AS l look over the record of these audac-
fOus buccaneers and consider in totum the
number and character of their attempts to
down the Representative and malign its
indomitable interchangeable and self-sacrifi-
fcing editor my blood grows hot With
Robbie Burns / cry out
See him, the poor mans friend in need,
The gentleman in word and deed.
An shall his fame an, honor bleed
By worthless skellums,
An no a Muse erect her head
To cove the blellums?
20 Pope. had l thy Satire's darts,
To gle the rascals their deserts,
I'd rip their rotten hollow hearts.
An tell aloud
Their jugglin', hOcus-pOcus arts
To cheat the crowd
In 1894 Mr. Owen selected for chairman of
the Populist state central committee one
John l.. Mcdonald Up to that hour the
Representative had said nothing but kind
words for Mr.. Owen and had performed a
great service for the party which had put
him in nomination for governor. But Nc
Donald Immediately proceeded, secretly and
treacherously to establish a daily paper,
although there was at the time a daily pa
per being published in Minneapolis which
was more in sympathy with the Omaha plat
form that is the Minneapolis Times today
the organ of the fusion mOnstrosity. Mr.
Donnelly denounced McDanald's scheme as
an attempt to injure the Representative,
and consequently the Peoples party After
wards 1t was proven hat the capital neces-
Sary to support the scheme n he fir
nshed by a Chicago capitalist entirely UNI
known to any true P0pulst in Minnesota
But, nevertheless, the eepemies of Mr.. Don
nelly and the friends Of fusion today eulo-
gized Mcdonald and assafied Mr.. Donnelly
for opposing the plutpcrat daily. Now 1
hear some deluded fusionist say Il have
heard all that before" Very we'll, but do
you know where Mcdonald is today? Let
me tell you. On the tram going to our late
lamented state convention l carelessly
picked up copy of the ST. Paul Dispatch
and behold! the first thing l saw on it's
broad pages was an open letter from this
same Mcdonald, in which he stated that Nc
Kinley's war policy had captivated him COM
pletey, and he intended to support the Re-
publican ticket this year. Pretty good Pop
uist, Ell? Bonds. more national banks. no
greenbacks alliance with England, Roths-
child imperialism-afl Endorsed by the man
Owen made chairman Of the Peoples party
state central committee four years ago.
God save the mark! By the way, 1 notice
Owen indorses the Anglo-American alliance
scheme in the last number Of e., 8. and
H.')
CHANGING over my scrap book l find that
In the Penny Press of Dec z, 1886 f. r.
Lynch said that in response to the letters
he had written to Populist leaders all over
the state came the answer, Fusion will
never again be successful it was
this time and we all know that Mr. Lynch
and his cotere went right on bowling and
ham Vino for f,,St
BILE co-opera tion''-just as if the leaders Of
the party had never spoken. Lynch was
Mr.. Owens choice for secretary Of the Peo-
pies Party state central committee in 1896.
In addition to this. allow me to call at
tention to the attitude of the present fusion
press during the past year. Did not nine
tenths of them continually declare that
there was no scheme for fusion on foot
and that they were opposed to the idea?
And did they not denounce Mr. Donnelly and
the Representative for telling the truth
about the fusion scheme? How enthus-
iatStic the fusion followers must be in view
of these facts.
Now in conclusion. my fusion brother, Gf
any such read the Representative let me
ask you how you expect to attract votes
from the Republican majority in this state
if you pull down the Peoples Party banner
and run up the old Democratic flag with all
Of its history clinging around it? If the
Democratic leaders really in earnest for
reform would they not gladly enlist In the
new cause and under a flag with no sug-
gestion of Grover Cleveland or Dave Hill
about it? And especially in a state and local
campaign?
Again. how the fusionsts going to
meet the loyal Populisis of the South for
the great national campaign in 1900? You
know we Iabored four years for the purpose
of uniting the West and South in the Peo-
pies Party on the Omaha platform.
But l forget. The Peoples Party still lives
(by the heroic labors and sacrifices of the
uch-abused :"mid-roaders'D and the hon
est but deluded followers of fusion this year,
will soon see their folly and be ready to
rally under the Peoples Party flag with
their brethren of the south as they did in
1892
W.. CUMMINGS.
Preston. Fillmore Co. Mimi, Aug. II, 1893.