The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-03-30

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for governor, or the vote he expects to
get will split into warning factions be-
fore the campaign opens
It is useless for the Lind shouters to
say that his record and character Is SUI
ficent. Linds administration, If elected,
would be what his surroundings would
be. And that would be Democrats, sill
yer Republicans and Owen, Dobbyn,
Lynch & Co., OF the Populists and their
faithful followers. This combination
would give color to his administration.
and in view OF its past influence over
him. would shape it from beginning to
end.
Now whether the Peoples party can
afford to help elect such an admisistrar-
ton Is to my mind a grave question.
And l wish now to emphasize that 1t Is
beyond the power of regular Peoples
party convention to bind any Populist
to support such program. A Peoples
party convention can and does bind every
member Of it to support the ticket 1t
dominates by fair and honorable pro-
cedures as long as the nominees are
Populists and stand on Populist plat
form. But it cannot bind it's members to
support nominees who are not Populists
and who do not stand on q Peoples
party platform.
I hope every cooperative Pcpulist
who reads this will remember the above.
I hope they will not be carried off their
feet by those rabid fusionists whose only
object is to carry out their part Of the
programme nomination of the ticket of
two years ago-and thus give the oc-
casion for splitting the party in twain.
Owen, Dobbyn and Stacy are the three
Lind champions in the Peoples party.
They are ever and always assuming to
speak for Lind, and as Lind says moth
ing, we must suppose that they are his
representatives. Owen is the only one
of them of any standing in the party,
and he is at best Republican office
holder. He has for years been regent Of
the university and has sat still while
that institution has bled the state right
and left. He is we'll known to be the in
spring genius Of Dobbyn and Stacy, and
for the last two years all his effort has
been expended in killing off and heaping
contumely on Donnelly.
I am not a Donnelly worshiper, and
have time and again taken issue with the
latter. But when Owen and Dobbyn and
Stacy played their dirty tricks on DON
I would be less than man not to SYM
pathize with and stand by him. And I
know this to be the feeling Of the best
and purest Populists in the state and
men who before were not at all friendly
to Donnelly. I say this personal fight
on Donnelly by Owen & Co. Is a disgrace
in the eyes of all decent people. And it
is kept up right along. Now Dobbyn
and Stacy are claiming that Donnelly Is
in favor with the Republicans because
his father-in-law has obtained a po-
ton. Whether this is so, or whether it
is simply Dobbyn's lies 1 do not know.
But 1 suggest that Dobbyn and Stacy
now tell the public what pull Owen has
on the Republican machine by virtue of
his position as regent Of the university,
member of the forestry board and pos
sibly other fat jobs.
Understand this personal fight has in
the first place been forced into the Peo-
pies party by the Owen crowd. and now
let us know the whole story. And the
public shall know the whole story, as
the Crookston correspondent intimates.
If we are forced to produce it to protect
ourselves and the party from hyprocriti-
cal mountebank politicians. l know
something about this gold mine also.
One of my intimate friends was, or ia,
party in the company. A word to the
wise ought to be sufficient
Now I say in all kindness, and for the
purpose of preventing this washing of
our dirty linen before the public, to you
fellow Populists, you fusionists, cooper
ationists, or whatever views you may
have, say in the name Of peace, har-
mony and justice, do not listen for one
moment to this rabid fusion crowd as
represented by Dobbyn and Stacy. II
you do it is the end Of all reform in this
state
I say to John Lind, and say it as his
friend, step out OF the meshes Of this
Demo-Pop-Re coterie who are using
you, and your personal popularity to
hoist themselves into prominence, to the
ultimate ruin Of the reform cause Of the
state as we'll as your own political down.
fall. Step out Of the gubernational race
at this time, and retire McCleary to
private life this fall. You can do that
and you can thus earn the everlasting
gratitude of all true reformers Of the
state, and with you out Of the way for
governor at this time the Peoples party
will be reunited on its old lines. Owen.
Dobbyn and Stacy will then have to
stand on their own bottom and will not
trouble the harmony Of the Peoples
party in the least.
DR.. CHRISTIAN JOHNSON.
Willmar, March 20, 1898.