The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-09-14
VIRGINIA ORGANIZING.

The Populist state committee held a
meeting Friday night at the Arlington
hotel, in this city. All the members of
the executive committee-Messrs. J.
Haskins Hobson, of Powhatan, chair
man; w. e. Grant, of Richmond, secre-
tary; w. H. Gravely, of Henry; State
Senator w. H. Hale, of Franklin, and
DR.. T.W. Evans, of Campbell, were pres
ent, together with eight other members
OF the state committee.
The meeting continued until some
time after midnight. An address to the
voters was adopted, and the committee
then began work on plan of action for
the coming campaign
The address as adopted is as follows:
The state Of Virginia is overburdened
with taxes upon all kinds of property.
as we'll as upon every conceivable class
of business and industries, including in
tellectual and professional pursuits: in
part brought about by too many bungle-
some and Anticipated laws allowed to
remain upon the statute books, along
with multiplicity of unnecessary Of
fees, in many instances retained for the
purpose of maintaining large number
OF favor1tes and old fossils in Office.
Heavy taxation naturally paralyzes in
dustries, impoverishes the country, and
stills the arm Of prosperity in the fields
and in the shops.
The true patriotic sons of old Vir-
ginia have determined to rehabilitate
the state and again place it in the fore
most rank along with the other pro-
gressive states of the Union, wipe out
the unjust laws, and invite capital to
come among us and build up the wasted
and deserted places, that the spirit of
reform may sweep over the old COM
monwealth again.
The Democratic party was once the
proud party of the people, but for years
it has deteriorated until it has COM
pletely lapsed into, and is dominated
over by the professional political black
leg. When the voice of the people went
out for the knightly cavalier, Fitz Lee,
for United States senator, few years
since, the adroit ringleaders, who mas
ter the polls and ballot boxes manipu-
lated the votes of those they placed in
the general assembly and said, mo;
Tom Martini"
When the Independent and intelligent
people of the state recently looked over
che political aspect of the common
wealth, and turning aside in shame like
many other states of the Union, de-
manded that something should be done
whereby the people might choose the
senator of the United States, sneering
Hiss was sneezed out by the gang whose
profession was about to be molested.
and they set to work to muff1e the voice
of independence, whispering among
themselves, tom Martin must be again
chosen"
For the same reason, when the cues
ton of constitutional convention was
las laws and her government were an
tiquated, perhaps so years behind in
modern laws and usages, the popular
will was for it; but the horde of Of
fetal "ins," for fear of losing their
heads, cried out against it, until the
Populist party alone advocated it, and
1t was lost. So that the will of the peo-
pie cannot longer be done through the
machine Democratic party.
The Republican party cannot hope to
control the state Of Virginia.
The laboringd ,people-the bone and
sinew of the land-band themselves to-
gether for mutual protection from the
exacting ana oppressive hand of COM
binations and trusts, and demand the |
enactment of lust laws to protect the |
laborer as wen as the capitalist; but |
they are ridicuIed and derided because |
of their independence and departure
from the debapched, old party; hence,
the labor unions have not hitherto been |
able to secure relief.
There are thousands of honest. indie
pendent, thinking men belonging to
all parties, who realize that the old
state Of Virginia is in deplorable con-
dition, and grows from bad to worse:
that she needs to be taken up out of the
present political Quagmire and cleansed
by the hand Of reform; but how shall It
be done?
The Populist party in the last ma
tional campaign found its principles
spread upon the Democratic platform,
and rather than divide its forces, was
generous and noble enough to hold its
party name in allegiance, and fought un-
Ter the Democrats banner. The Popu-