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

OREGON.
Address Of state Organiser Holt ia
the Porulists.
ASHLAND. Ore. Aug. %, 1899.
To the Populists of Oregon:
Hon. John o. label, national organ
izer of the Peoples party, has asked me
to take charge of the work OF
reorganizing the Peoples party in
this state. have accepted
the appointment as state organizer
rendered to me by Mr.. label, with full
understanding of the chaotic, disorgan-
lied state of our party in this state. I
hope and believe that every true Popu-
list in this state will heartily cooperate
with me in this much needed work.
There Is no longer any doubt as to the
course the true Populists will take in
our next campaign. We will have anti
fusion Peoples party tickets, national
and state. and we should lose no time
In placing Oregon in line with this
movement. Kentucky has recently held
an enthusiastic Peoples party state
convention and nominated a straight
Peoples party ticket, and other states,
both North and South, are reorganizing
their clubs on anti-fusiOn lines. and
Oregon, one Of the strongest Populist
states in the Union should not lag be-
hind. Let us organize, and, as of yore,
be ready for the battle. While the true
political reformers in this country have
not accomplished all that was desired,
all fair-minded men will admit that
they have done much toward checking
the many public abuses that have crept
into our governments, national, state.
county and municipal. BY persistent in
vestigation and agitation they have
aroused millions of our citizens to a
sense of the dangers that menace our
inherent rights and liberties. A few
short years ago only a very small per
cent of the great mass of our useful citi-
zens appeared to have any knowledge of
the corrupt class legislation that was,
and is today, SO oppressive and unjust
to the many, and in the interest of the
few. They had not discovered these
great wrongs, they appeared to think
that the all-important political question
was, shall Republican politicians enjoy
the emoluments of Office, or shall it be
the Democratic politicians? and they
(the great common people,, plodded
along, voted 'er straight, and paid the
taxes; but change is coming over the
minds of the people. Today millions of
these same great common" people are
relief from the effects of
corrupt systems and class legislation
boosted upon them by these leading
Republican and Democratic politicians.
They are demanding that the control of
our finance, transportation and land
systems be taken from trusts and cor
porations, and placed in the hands of
the people. They are demanding the
privilege of electing United States sena-
tors by popular vote. They are de-
the legal right to control pub
lie affairs by direct legislation 1.-THE ini-
tiative and referendum). They are de-
the abolition of all trusts and
These demands are all
principles Of the PEOPLES
party, and the people will unite with us
so soon as they are convinced that we
have party organization that cannot
be bartered away to our political enc
mics by place-hunters and ofice-seek-
ers.
The Republican and Democratic par
ties will doubtless declaim against
trusts at their coming conventions, but
Why should they put themselves to this !
trouble? The Republican
party is in control of the national gov
and every state government is
N the hands of either Republicans or
Democrats. Why don't they protect the |
public against the trust and corporation
'obberies? The answer is easy. The |
trusts and corporations were encour- |
lged by class laws enacted by those par
les. The trusts and corporations con-
,ributed heavily to their campaign |
'unds, and many of the great leaders of !
10Th Republican and Democratic parties |
ire officers in the trusts and hold large
of stock in these concerns. |
Hence there is no hope of relief from
either the Republican or Democratic
parties. They will never destroy their
own corrupt creatures. Neither will |
either OF these parties ever give us d.
ect legislation in national affairs This
would be death to trusts and monopo-
les. No political party has ever puri-
led or reformed itself, and all parties
organized and managed by present party
must soon fall into the hands
# selfish, corrupt leaders; hence our
'nly hope of relief by means of a party
organization is in placing the entire
ontrol of the party in the hands of the
'oters composing the party The shap-
ng of the party policy, the making and
.dopting of platforms, and the nomina-
ion of candidates must all be done by
'ote in the precinct clubs or organiza-
ions. The last national convention of
he Peoples party, held in Cincinnati in
september, 1898, adopted the above plan
or the reorganization of our party and
or the purpose of insuring to the peo-
In OF afYf y~tr - i