The representative., 1900-05-03

Organization
] Department., e:,'l1 !,
ls'. THR .RDFERBNDUM ONLY. =
DON'T BITE OFF MORE THAN YoU
s.. CAN CHEW" OR.
WHAT SHALL WE DO AT CINcIN-
- .NATI?--. 3
The. New Era, of Springfield, Ohio,
organ of the one-plank referendum par
". April n, gives argument against
adopting any planks plus the referen-
dunn, on the ground that they are two
opposite. self-contradictory propositions
that would kill each other. II you say
you believe in certain planks and also
the referendum, then what is to prevent
any one opposed, let us say to the money
plank from starting. q referendum. per-
haps. securing enough votes to discard
that plank? Another could do likewise
with. the plank on government owner
ship of railroads. and.so on. until per-
haps. within few months the original
platform would not be recognized. So.
again; suppose such party elected
congressman. Such a composite plat
form. would give them many excuses for
not enacting into law the referendum
or any of the other planks. Such q
to congress for two purposes, to let the
people, through the referendum, rule,
but also to rule myself so far as enact
ing into law your money ideas or gov
ernment ownership plan. Now I have
done the best could to do two opposite
things, to rule and to let others rule.
found too much opposition in our own
party to enact the money planks; only
partially succeeded towards government
ownership, and, owing to time thus con-
sumed, trades to get that much, etc., etc.
we will have to wait until next session
to get the referendum enacted" Final-
ly, the New Era concludes by saying all
these dangers would be minimized by the
one-plan referendum party. Or, in the
words of Judge Canty, Don't bite of
more than you can chew" This is the
logical "one step at a time," idea. Let
us have first government of the peo-
pie. through the referendum system,
the New Era says, without making it in
the start nonsensical by telling the peo-
pie in the same breath that they must
believe this, that or the other PROPOSE
ton.
COMMENTS.
The strength of this argument is
based on the proposition that our party
would be composed of men, all of whom
were not united in believing all of our
planks. 1t will not remove the difficulty
by allowing our men to say, 1--WE be-
lieve the majority, or even nine-tenths
OF the planks." They must sign belief
In them all, or else be out of the party
as active, responsible members.
The strength of party con-
sists not in the number of
votes 1t receives, but in the intelli-
gent oneness of purpose of all it's men,
bers. II we cannot build such a party,
we are weaker than the Socialist party,
and would spend energy to no purpose.
JUDGE CAVITY ONE-STEP HUMBUG.
To settle this question right at Gin
cinnati we must consider the difference
between Opportunities" like Judge
Canty, and extremists" like DE Leon
Socialists "Opportunists" and one
plank referendum men" are lone step at
time" men pure and simple. Their
main object is to get votes-a quick,
short road to the public crib. The De
Leon Socialists, on the other hand, are a
small band Of extremists" building the
regime of the dim, uncertain future.
The ideal "opportunist" is the Republi-
can. for there is no doubt of the success
of that party this fall.
The Democratic party is, as at present
constituted, a nonentity, a negation, of
Quarrelling factions, none united in any
belief. without any program of any use
to any class. The Democratic party is
deaths swamp. which will bury Bryan,
II nominated, deeper than any candidate
for many years.
The fusionists are "out of sight" inI
the Democratic party. The old Peo-
pies party is killed by traitors.
Now what shall we, the survivors of
the true Peoples party, do at Cincin-
natl? We must not continue the "op-
portunist methods" of the past centuries.
The referendum system, alone, is proved
by its practice in Switzerland, to be
worse than useless, because it has been
the very means. Of blocking necessary ad-
vonce In reform. Zone step at a time"
has given to England government own
ership of railroads, with the sad result
that even the railroad employees are a
vance in reform. ,4"One step at a time"
time" has NOT freed. Ireland, Judge
Canty to the contrary.
"Opportunist" methods to harmonize
conflicting interests have reduced the
laboring people as a whole to a worse
condition as to food. housing and cloth
ing than any but the extreme fringe of
the corresponding class in the middle
or dark ages Such methods COM