The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1900-06-21

/ <NA1e A1OMACAAy0 ACttCE VI ACCGVt0mCG
Hon. Ignatius Donnelly has issued
singularly able letter accepting the Pop
ulist nomination for vice-president. l
Is probably the ablest letter OF accept
ance ever written, and it is safe to sa,
that nothing eQualling it In ability ant
scholarship will be published for man,
year to come.-Fergus Falls Globe.
Ignatius Donnelly, Of Minnesota, th<
nominee for vice-president on the Mid.
road Populist ticket, has issued his let
ter OF acceptance. It is document Of
characteristic pith and vigor, unged
with the Donnellian eloQuence.
The first half OF it is devoted to q
discussion Of the financial question, and
here It is to be noted that Mr.. Dom
nelly virtually repudiates the is to /
theory-although he admits that IL we
are to have metal money at all. he pre-
fers both gold and silver to gold alone.
But his ideal Of proper currency for
the country is paper money issued by
the government He contends that con-
gress, which by the constitution is
given the power to coin money and reg
ulate the value thereof, has no more
right to delegate this power to q bank
ing corporation than it would have to
authorize private corporation to de-
clare war. which is also one OF congress
constitutional prerogatives. It is hard
~ necessary to say that Mr.. Donnelly
construes the issue Of paper money as
essentially the coming Of money within
the meaning OF the constitution. Mr..
Donnelly is. therefore. Greenbacker.
He says that "in our civil war govern
ment paper money. without bankers,
saved the nation: and its life can be
maintained in time Of peace by the
greenbacks."
The remainder of the letter is devot-
ed to denunciation Of plutocracy and
discussion Of the question as to
whether the Democratic party is COM
petent to effect the reforms desired. His
conclusion is that the old party has out
lived its vitality and it's usefulness and
that q new party must come forward
and perform the work OF regeneration,
If the country is to be saved. He asks
If the old Wing party, instead Of decent
~ dying in 1856, had fingered superdous
on the stage. could it have been used as
the instrumentality to destroy slavery?
He answers emphatically that it could
not Slavery. he says, was destroyed by
a party every member OF which was op-
posed to slavery. and "plutocracy will
never be overthrown by the Democratic
party with its head in Wall street and
its tail in the Mississippi valley"
Mr.. Donnelly is the first of the Pop
ulist candidates for vice-president to
score. The other Populist nominee
also a Minnesotan-seems to be back
ward about coming forward and letting
the country know his views. He has
not vet issued his letter OF acceptance.
Is It possible he Is waiting for Mr.. Bry-
an to give him a lead? The brilliant
Mr.. Towne surely ought to have more
independence than that-Minneapoli
Tribune
Mr.. Donnelly's letter accepting the
nomination OF the Middle-of- Road
Populists for vice-president is Donnel-
Han throughout and therefore interest
ing. He indorses every word OF the
but devotes the greater part
Of his letter to the money question. He
declares that gold and silver money are
q relic Of barbarism, but II we must
have metallic money, let US have both,
freely coined at the ratio Of 16 to 1.
He condemns the bank note currency
as unconstitutional. Congress has
power to establish postofices and post
roads, to coin money and establish the
value thereof and to declare war. Mr..
Donnelly declares that 1t Is just as
great violation Of the constitution for
congress to delegate its incorporating
power, or share thereof to the national
Oe1An0 % ~ WOuAU OC W give pIlVdI0 COT.
porations the right to conduct the postal
system or declare war.
Shall wealth or manhood rule hu-
manity?" asks Mr.. Donnelly. He be-
ieved both the Democratic and Republi-
IAN parties are committed to wealth and
says: "Plutocracy will never be over
thrown by the Democratic party, with
ts head in Wall street and its tail In
he Mississippi river"
Mr.. Donnelly's deliverance is much
lh0rter than Mr.. Barker's. but It II more