The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-08-24

not the Republican party alone. but
against both old parties. He would
probably concede that Democracy fur
nished this country the two meankst
presidents we ever had, Buchanan and
Cleveland. We presume. also. that Mr..
Paddock would concede that it was very
illogical to talk of marching against
our enemy, and at the same time join
ing or fusing with that enemy.
We believe that much of what Mr.
Paddock says about the two factions of
our party working in harmony against
the common enemy is good sense and
good advice.
However, we would insist that he stick
to the Omaha platform for his definition
of enemy. That platform declares both
old parties alike to be enemies of good
government.
When Mr.. r. says the Mid-Roaders
| made mistake in Withdrawing from
the 1898 state convention and nominat-
ing full Populist state ticket, and that
we should have submitted to the fusion
majority, we are surprised. We do not
believe such statement is logical or at
all in harmony with the rest of his let
ter
It seems to us that if we had all
gone with the fusion majority we would
by that very act all have become Demo-
Gratis. The Peoples party would have
completely surrendered and been lost
as an Independent Peoples party.
AS the situation now stands, half the
| delegates to the June convention of
| 1898 went over to the Democrats. These
fusion Populists declared there was no
longer any casus belli between the Dem
| ocratic and Populist parties. They de-
clared that they and the Democrats
were of mind politically, and that the
Republicans and Mid-Road Populists
were the enemies. In brief, they de-
serted their own party and allied them
war on those Of the Populists who re-
fused to desert with them.
Mr.. Paddock pleads for reunion and
reorganization of the two factions.
None more devOutly desire this than the
Mid-Roaders, but not one of us would
ever for a moment consider any such
reunion within the Democratic lines,
and under Democratic commanders. If
any reunion ever takes place, it will be
when the voters who went over to
and '98 come home to the Omaha plat
form, and our tried and true Populist
leaders.
In 1900 Bryan and Croker will fuse
Study we'll the cartoon on our front
page. Tammany, as in the days Of
Grover, will be the whole cheese, and
Bryan will be the puppet. 1t will be
Mark Hanna and Bill Mckinley dupli-
Gated under another name. Wall street
has for 20 years alternately used Re
publican and Democratic tools.
The action taken at Cincinnati was
notice to the nation that in 1900 there
would be in the field Populist ticket,
Independent and separate and distinct
from Democracy. 1t was a guarantee
that no Populist against his best judg-
| ment should be compelled to vote for
| Tammany's candidate, and by the eter-
| nal, that guarantee will be kept good.
| The Populist recruiting stations are all
| open to Republicans, Democrats and
| fusionists alike who will renounce al
| legiance to both old parties and stand
on the Populist platform. If Mckinley
or Bryan are still their candidates, and
| they stand on the Chicago or St. Louis
| Republican platform, we insist that a
| voters politics is and must be deter
mined by his candidate and his plat
form. We repeat, Mckinley is an
avowed Republican,, standing upon a
Republican platform, and any man who
supports him is a Republican, and to
| their credit let us add, most Of them
are manly enough to admit it.
Bryan is an avowed Democrat, stand
ing upon a Democratic platform, and
any man who supports Bryan on that
! platform is a Democrat and should
have the manliness to admit it,
To those fusionists who still claim
to be Popullsts, we would put the ques-
ton, Why is a Bryan supporter any more
Populist than Mckinley supporter?
! E. A. T.