The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-01-04

district? Undoubtedly it is. but it is
a work that must be done If the Peoples
Party is to triumph, and through its
| agency the defeat of the moneyed dig
archy be accomplished and rule of men
instead of money, Of the people instead
OF pultocracy be established for all time.
| This is grand work and to accomplish
1t will take great effort. The question
is are Populists courageous enough, pa
triotic enough to make such effort? If
not they will not triumph over pluto
cracy, they will not succeed. The cause
Is worthy of such sacrifices, if Populists
are not ready to make them they are
not worthy of the cause, not worthy of
success.
| How, then, to organize each precinct
clubs and enroll the Populist voters?
The rules adopted at Cincinnati pre-
scribe that amy voter may become a
member of the precinct club of any pre-
cinct by subscribing to our national
| declaration Of principles and our rules
on organization; that Is the platform
and plan of organization adopted by the
Cincinnati convention. No one not en-
rolled in such clubs-and anyone can be
enrolled who believes in the principles
of Populism as expounded by the Gin
cinnati cOnvention-can take part in the
| government of the party, vote on shap-
| ing it's policy or the selection of candi-
dates. Only members thus enrolled as
members of the Populist party will be
permitted, under the rules. to have
voice in party management, to take part
in the referendum votes or initiate
changes in party platform or manage
ment.
| Such enrolment Is necessary to secure
the fair and prompt taking Of refer
endum votes, is condition precedent to
| giving practical effect to the rules Of the
referendum and initiative in the party
| government. Once enrolled as member
| of a precinct club anyone can vote on
| questions submitted to the vote of the
rank and file or propose any question
for submission to the rank and file
| save one, fusion. From this members
| are interdicted, for when a member
judges any other party more worthy cf
support than his own it is time he cease
/ to call himself Populist and enroll
himself as member of that other party.
The precinct club is then the very
basis of organization and into such the
enrolment of the Populist voters OF
every precinct is imperative. And, we
repeat, the enrolment of the Populists
into precinct clubs is work that the
rank and file must do or it will not be
done. If the rank and file will not do
this the whole movement will! collapse.
Therefore, to make this new and most
worthy departure in party government
success, and the Peoples Party a power,
the active Populists in every voting pre-
cinct must confer, from the nucleus of
club and choose a chairman and secre-
tary who will make it their business to
enroll the Populist voters
Some Populists, who we fear are not
altogether in sympathy with the Gin
cinnati movement, are now urging the
taking of referendum vote for the
choice of presidential and vice-presioen-
tial candidates in way not contemplat-
ed by the Cincinnati convention and re-
/; gardless of the rules adopted by that
convention. Unless their effort is to
create discord it is misdirected energy
Great steps must be taken in organiza-
| ton before the referendum vote to de-
termine the acceptability or non-accept-
ability of the candidates of the Cincin-
natl convention to the rank and file, and
in the event of non-acceptability to de-
termine the choice of the rank and Tile
for candidates, can be taken with any
degree of fairness or accuracy. There
| is now no machinery for the taking OF
such a vote. To order that vote before
the organization of precinct clubs and
the general enrolment of Populists
would be an act of unfairness; to at
tempt to take such vote without such en-
rollment and through other means than
the precinct clubs will offer, would be to
| make d 1dICC VI IuC NOCO, "
| bring a great reform undertaken in
party government into ridicule.
When the precinct clubs are generally
organized, the referendum vote to finally
determine who shall be the party presi-
Dental and vice-presidential candidates
to be voted for in 1900 can be taken in
! orderly and thorough manner. Then It
will be possible for the Populists of any
state preferring some other candidates
| to those now in the field to present by
majority vote of the precinct club
| membership of their state such preferred
candidates to the Populists Of the coun-
| try. Then to the rank and file will be
referred the candidates of the Cincinnati
convention and the candidates presented
by majority vote Of the precinct men,
bership of any state, the choice between
such candidates being determined by the