The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1900-01-04
SOuthwick, Idaho, Dec. Z, 1899.

Co., Ill., .s,-
Southwick, Idaho, Dec. 7, 1899.
DR.. H. B. Fay, Minneapolis, Mimi.
Dear Sir, Willubriefly answer your lis
of questions irbthe Representative q
Oct. &C. as follows:
1. Yield OF farm products in this sec
ton of the country, on the whole, moi
very satisfactory, Prices away down
wheat about 35 cents per bushel; wages
about the same as last year, rather low.
er, though. s@
2. Most of the things we have to buy
are higher than a year ago. especially
manufactured goods.
3. No profits over and above the
needs of very scant living
4. Office holders, professional men
money loaners and those who do no
actual work, but who are kind enough to
allow others to work for them at the
lowest possible wages, g
5. From IL to IA hours a day for
work; for pleasure-the time needed for
taking their meals and for short
enough nights rest. T..
6. At the age of IA to Is, without re-
gard to how far they may have advanced
in their studies. Only a small minority
of them can be said to have attained to
a fair common school education !,
?. Z. Me, not all, and very few, if any,
OF the people here, but the great major
lily do not realize where they are at
and this happy Inconsistencies"
causes them to toll along without giving
much thought to the conditions under
which they live. They will come out
on election day and vote for their party
that is, the party that owns them
and having thus done their duty as citi-
zens, they 60 s,on again-toiling, grumbl-
ing, dissatisfedrbut still not realizing
that they lost IAN opportunity to do
something to hetter their own condi-
ton, and thCsedof their children, when
they cast tfatv6te for their old, decayed
party. d,,,a
Improve 6y supporting the Peoples
party and advocating it's principles until
such time when,they shall triumph, and
the old parties BE buried uaoer al. ava
lanche of trlse reform votes.
8. Yes. Ia"
g.. None of the papers published in
this vicinity ARE fair, from our point of
view. '''
10. Bryan will hardly lose any votes
here, except in so far as he shall be able
to convert those who voted for him in
1896 to true populism
II. AS an old .Minnesotan, will say
that hope you-Minnesota Populists will
be sure to knock Mr. John Lind clear
out of sight if he is going to try for an
other term>of office. Even those of his
own nationality ought to have found
him out" by this time. Honest John
Lind is thing of the past, if ever he did
deserve that sufix to his name ~
II. Different Protestant denomina-.
tions; mostly native Americans; Repub-
licans and Democrats almost equally
strong; true Populists scarce.
13. Old party leaders very numerous
on both sides, "too numerous to men.
tion,'' mostly small fry"
IA. The Peoples party; ticket: Bar
ker and Don4elly, unless changed by
the referendum vote
Is: Yes, !, prefer the direct referen-
dunn vote rathen than conventions. You
cannot fool all She people'-nor all the
members of ltha Peoples party-but it
seems quite easy to fool comparatively
small number OF delegates to conven-
ton, even though a majority of them
may be ever so honest. Experience has
taught us that over and over again,
and the American nation ought long ago
to have learned "a lesson therefrom; but
it seems that mp to this time only a
small numbet IF individuals have had
their eyes opened up sufficiently to en-
able them to comprehend the grave dan
ger involved in the old convention sys-
tenn. Let us now get away from it, and
never go back to. it again.
Yours fraternally,
Johannes Hansen.