The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-09-14

On Monday, Sep. 9TH, the Peoples
Party National convention met in Gin
cnnati pursuant to the call OF Milton
Park as chairman of the National organ
ization committee.
In two days session; it cut loose
from all entangling alliances with either
of the old parties; it renounced the lead
ership of Chairman Butler and others
who would lead us into the Democratic
camp in 1900; it declared the Peoples
Party was born to live, not to lie; it is
sued an address to the American people,
the greatest and most important ever
put forth by political convention; it
reaffirmed the cardinal tenets of the
Omaha platform and prefaced those
tenets with demand for direct legisla-
ton under the initiative and referen-
dunn system as the keystone upon which
must ever rest the whole structure of
successful popular self-government; it
stepped abreast of the most advanced
socialistic thought of the world in the
platform declaration that we believe in
the collective ownership of those means
of production and distribution which the
people may elect, such as railways, tele-
graphs, telephones. coal mines, etc."
recognizing the evils of the representa-
tive system, party machines, party
bosses, states, caucuses, conventions,
and one man power. The convention pro-
vided remedy for all these evils by
adopting a plan of organizing our party
and nominating candidates based upon
the three essentials of self government,
the initiative, :he referendum and
the imperative mandate and finally to
carry out the will of the rank and file
and enforce the edicts of the party the
convention placed in nomination as can
didates for president and vice president
respectively to be voted for in 1900 the
Hon. Wharton Barker of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, and Hon. Ignatius Don
nelly of Minnesota.
The convention met Monday morning,
Sept. 5th, in Lyceum Hall and was called
to order by 10 \. Parker, secretary
of the organization committee, WHO
briefly outlined the purposes Of the con-
vention and called for nomination of
temporary chairman. Chairman Milton
Park of Texas, was sick and unable to
attend but in another column will be
found a letter from him sent to the con-
ventiOl which has the true ring to it,
and did it's full share toward shaping the
action of the convention.
Mr. Donnelly was unanimously chosen
temporary chairman of the convention
and W. l.. Merritt of Tennessee, was
chosen secretary, and pursuant to in
structions of the convention the chair
man named the following committees:
ON CREDENTIALS
j. o. label, of Michigan; Wharton
Barker, of Pennsylvania; Jas. H. Ferris,
of Illinois; 10 A. Parker, Of Ken
tucky ]. w Prcuge, of Miss ssippi S.
NJ Fairchild, of Minnesota.
On Permanent Organization and Order
of Business-W. .. AtkensOn, Of Mis-
souri,; Jas. A. Hoff, of Illinois; l.. D.
Foster, of Minnesota; c. N. Smith, CT In
diana; E. T. Brewer, of Mississippi.
A recess was then taken to the Mon
day afternoon session of the convention
to give time for the work of these COM
mittees. On reassembling at 2:3O
O'Clock Monday p. m. the credentials
committee was not ready to report and
the convention listened to spirited and
interesting addresses from Bridgeford
of Kentucky, Atkinson Of Missouri.
Burkitt OF Mississippi and Haughawaut
of Missouri.
Following this intellectual menu the
committee on credentials made its re-
port recommending that proxies of all
delegates duly chosen be recognized
whether held by gentlemen from their
own states or delegates from other
states, and that each state represented be
allowed to poll the full vote to which
the state was entitled. Upon the read
ing of this report it was Immediately
remembered that in prior conventions
much mischief had been done by Chair
man Butler and Others with a pocket
full of proxies. &,
Proxies were recognized as a source
of danger, and Mr.. Palmer, of Illinois
moved that no proxy be voted unless
held by citizen from the state of the
delegate giving the proxy, and the com
mittee report amended as moved by Mr.