The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-10-19


themselves to support the ticket named un-
less the true Popuists of the country shall
express their dissatisfaction and preference
for some other ticket, an expression of pref
erence that the convention instructed the
new national committee to give to the rank
and file full opportunity to show through
referendum vote the organization Of the
party being at once so perfected that such
vote may be fairly taken through the agency
of the precinct club.
And now one word more as to the
ton that the convention was not regularly
called, and had no right to speak for the
Populists of the United States. We answer
that 1t assumed TO speak for them only SUBJ
ject to their ratification If they approve
the action of the convention it's action Ne
comes their action. the declarations of that
convention, stamped with the approval of
the rank and file, become the declarations Of
the party. And the work of that conven-
ton must pass as the work of a regular
Peoples party national convention wherever
it is accepted as such. The Popusts of any
state can give to the work of the conven-
ton the stamp of regularity. AS the Pop
ulists of Georgia stamped that convention
as regular when in state convention they
declared the craftsmanship of the Peoples
party national committee to be vacated
holding that Mr.. Butler in giving aid and
comfort to the Democrats had vacated his
position as head of the Peoples party and
absolved Populists from all duty to recog-
nize his authority, and when they chose
delegates to represent them at Cincinnati
so can the POpulists of other states, so did
the Populists of other states in choosing
delegates to Cincinnati. And here let it be
mentioned that nearly all the Popuists who
met In convention at Cincinnati, save those
from Ohio and those from Illinois who bolt
ed the convention were regularly chosen in
state or congressional convention as dele
gates to Cincinnati, and as such duly au-
tn l.
Populists of their respective states and dis
tricts.
There is a disposition among some earnest
Popullsts to regret the action of the Gin
c1nnati convention as calculated to involve
the party in further confusion and so bring
weakness. But this we cannot but feel is
mistaken view, a fear that is groundless
Those who took part in the Cincinnati con-
Nentlon solemnly announced that they
would no longer follow the leadership that
mad well nigh destroyed the party that for
their part they had cut loose for once and
all from the forces of disruption, that hence
forth they would devote themselves 10 the
work of upbuilding the Peoples party and
holdlng 1t to its mission. the mission of
overthrowng the growing power of the
moneyed oligarchy and re-esta blishing gov
ernment by the people, a government where
men will count for more than money. where
man will be exalted and the power of NAM
mon destroyed.
or course in those states where Populists
are not all united in favor of the course
pursued by Cincinnati convention. as thev
are In the three states just named there
may be, and will be, an effort Of those op-
posed to cutting loose from the Butler COM
mittee and the fusion ties that have we'll
nigh crushed the life out Of the party to
mold on to the party machinery and where
they are in the majority or in the saddle
they may succeed in this. But in such states
1afr fAr
who would save their party but to start
from the foundations and build up a partv
organization anew, as the PopuliSts of
Michigan and Iowa have succeeded in do
ing, as the POpulists of Minnesota and Mis-
souri, are now doing. Unless such organi-
cations are built up in such states the Peo-
pies party must having abdicated to the
Democratic party, disappear, and the ac-
tlon OF the Cincinnati convention in creating
national organization free from the con-
tamination of fusion cannot fail to give
encouragement and aid in the building up of
such organization
Again there are earnest PopuliSts who be-
1eVe that Chairman Butler will call a ma
lonal convention of the Peoples party to
meet one month before the convention of
the Democratic party, and that they can
control the Peoples party convention So
called; prevent it from declaring for fusion
prevent II from nominating Mr.. Bryan or
some other Democrat who does mot sub
scribe 10 the principle tenetS of POpuliSm
and VINO, so believing regret the action of
the Cincinnati convention But why should
they regret? In the event of failure to nre
vent the convention held under the auspces
OF the Butler committee declaring for fusion
they earnestly declare that they will NOT
apide by the resolutions of that conyen-
ton, that they will remain true to POpu-
lism whether that convention does or does
not. And to these men, in the event of
tnelr discontinue in such convention the
movement for building up the People's
party and the foundations for which were
nrmly laid at Cincinnati will offer haven
OF refuge. Therefore, they should welcome
such movement. In the absence of such
movement. and in the event of their dis
comflture in the convention which Senator
Butler promises to call before the Demo-
cratic. and which they hope to canture
their position would be quite hopeless. for.
they would have but six short months to
build party organization with which to
contest the presidential election. And in
such short space Of time all their efforts to
puiid an effective organization would prove
impotent. Indeed, the Populist forces
would be SO disrupted that it wo,ld he
quite impossible to marshal them, let alone
gamer recruits from the dissatisfied in the
ranks Of the old parties. Therefore. they
should welcome the results of the Cincin
ndu convention as Offering them a rallying
point, a refuge alone capable of saving them
from annihiation and the PeOple's narty
from death in the event of the niscarriau o..
OF their plans
mus have the few been ORGANIZED nj tho
expense OF the many, for the dollar of TO-
u'y Is Wofth TOUR times what the dollar Of
the ClVll war. and in which much of our
national dept was contracted, was worth In
snort tne oOndhOlder gets four times the
'alue OF the property he loaned, is repaid
dt the rate or four to one, so that our ma
uonal debt OF today. much reduced as if ;s
would necessltate greater sacrifice to nav
than would nave been required to paw the
much greater debt at the close of the Civil
War. Thus have the bondholders the hold
ers not only of national bonds bur of all
bonds. been greatly favored until they have
become possessors in very considera Bile 6e-
gree of the property of their debtors. And
so they want to sell, and wanting to sell
they want to reverse the policy that as
deprecated the property, reverse it Just for
a little time until they can sell OUT,
So comes the demand for bank currency
which they may expand and contract at
will, and so establish a see-saw in prices
AND to oppose the establishment of such a
currency, that 1T is calculated would prove
very efectual instrument in the despoil-
ment OF the multitude and aggrandizement
OF the rev. and to establish a currency that
VIII prevent any see-sawing of prices at the
whim or the speculative cliques and so des-
poling OF the producing classes. is the mis-
sion OF the Peoples party. And as such
currency cannot be established by remone-
tizing silver. as it can only be established hv
the creation of governmental paper cur
rency the volume of which can be freely ex.
panded by the government in response to
the demands of gr0u,np troca ord