The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-11-09
A MISLEADING CIRCULAR.

POpulists of Minnesota from the organ
ization committee of the mid-road Pop
ulist Party of Minnesota. Across the
top Of the circular appears the names,
L. D. Foster, chairman; e. A.
Twitchell, H. A. Swain and C. B. Maben,
tee
The circular is entitled, Shall We
Have an Official Organ?" and is signed
by c. B. Maben as secretary.
To all readers of the Representative
we wish to say the circular above re-
ferred to was printed and sent out
wholly without our knowledge or con-
sent.
1t does us gross injustice by placing
us in false light before the Populists
of the state. POpulists of Minnesota
would regard our connection with any
such circular as a treacherous, mean
and dishonorable act, and we protest
against being placed in any such
light. 1t is an unauthorized and
NAAANAh UoS VI Jul ud1hC. IL 10 dlSO Ill
direct and plain violation of Section
Article 1 of our Minnesota plan of or
ganizatiOn, which is as follows:
Section 5. No officer of any committee or
club can publish anything purporting to be
the policy of the committee or club unless
so directed by a majority vote of his whole
committee or club,
The whole scheme, to call it by no
more opprobrious name is project to
sell to the Populists of Minnesota the
remains of the defunct Eagles Eye and
furnish its former editor an editorial
job at the party's expense. No such
scheme was ever mentioned to us in
committee and we do not believe it was
mentioned to Mr.. Swain and under our
rules neither Foster or Maben had any
right to put out such a circular as the
voice Of this committee. The circular is
prefaced by these words:
1t is the opinion of the majority of the exc
cutive committee of the state central COM
mittee that the MID-ROAD POPULISTS
need official organ to successfully carry
on the work Of organization in Minnesota.
IL eAio oCotCAAOuC ID Il uS lIdL d ma
jority of our executive committee of the
state central committee have conferred
in meeting or by letter and expressed
themselves as above then why not have
placed the names of that executive COM
mittee at the head of the circular as its
author.
We do not believe they have so ex-
pressed themselves. But let us look at
this circular again-near the top we
read Headquarters, Fl High street."
Here is the track of the cloven foot.
eve smell the blood of an Englishman."
21 High street is the Office of the In
dependent Eagles Eye
While Section above quoted provides
that majority of a committee shall
rule, any fair construction would imply
that each member of the committee be
at least consulted on important meas
ures except possibly in emergencies. We
regret that among those who seem to
be earnest Populists there should be
spirit or disposition to build upon
others ruins.
This circular is particularly exasper-
ating to us from our connection with
the Representative. We have each week
for over a year through it's columns
reached the true Populists of the state
and we do not feel that the party or its
interests or the cause of Populism could
have been better served by a so-called
Official organ. We have been entirely
satisfied with our opportunities to do
good, the Representative has from its
inception been in fact if not in name the
official organ of our party. We have
often called upon Populists to suggest
any plan by which we could enhance it's
usefulness. It's columns are barred to
no member of the party within reason
able limitations. All Populists are and
always have been cordially invited to
cooperate in making it more accept
able and more useful to the party. Sug-
gestion is more useful to the party than
dictation could be in such case. We
believe in cooperation. We are oppos-
ed to bosses and bossism, but in Jour-
nalism we believe in individuality. in
dividuality or personality makes a pa
per. A dozen minds may by suggestion
aid in formulating a code of rules, or a.
platform of principles, but one hand one
brain should stamp it with the seal of
individuality or it will issue from the
hopper a disjointed, illogical and otter
times an unintelligible screed.
'Editorials under the supervision of
an organization committee" is a dream
and paper so edited would not survive
13 issues.
We do not wish to harshly criticise
what may have been in part blunder
but we have a right to serve notice
that such unwarranted acts will not
again be treated as 3 possible slop over
If there is prevalent yearning desire
for an official organ let those so af-
fected help to make The Representative
better paper. 1t has start and a
foundation to build upon. Why tear
down and start anew? Let the whole
power of our organization back our pa
per as Republicans back their organs
and in 1900 we would sweep the state.
Let precinct clubs and ell the commit