The representative., 1900-10-11
DISFRANCnISED
THE TWO OLD PARTIES HAVE Leg
ISLATED MINNESOTA POPULISTS
OFF THE NATIONAL TICKET,
Minnesota POpulists Are Disfranchis-
Ors Left on the Ballot without
Warning and without
Redress.

A"AANAO O&AA ORu0oIo WILL O0 0U1 ~ 16Cu al
the announcement in the daily press that
Minnesota has no Midroad electoral tick
ct in the field.
Old party papers have purposely
paraded this statement in big headlines
and plainly glory in what they regard as
the death of the Peoples party.
Populists have many times before been
confronted by the greatest legal difficult
ties and complications.
In Minnesota the two old parties 50
legislated that in 1898 we were as party
compelled to abandon the name "Peo-
pies party" and adopt a new name
Midroad Populist-or be disfranchised.
The same old parties passed laws COM
pelling us to go on the state ballot by
large and expensive petitions or be dis
franchised.
They have compelled our candidates
for state Offices to pay fee of $50 for
place on the ballot and congressional
and county officers are forced to put up
corresponding sums in cash.
The object of all these laws is to kill
reform parties and disfranchise reform
voters and, to very great extent, these
laws are responsible for the defeat Of
reform and the triumph of old partyism
and the renewal in this year, 1900, of
the sham battle between the two old
frauds. Democrats are guilty equally
with Republicans in passing laws de-
signed to perpetuate fraud and corrupt
partyism and prevent the success of any
new movement or third party.
Bryan, the champion of so-called re-
formed Democracy-save the mark-in-
dorses Goebelism in Kentucky and the
wholesale disfranchisement of voters In
North Carolina, Mississippi, and other
Southern states.
Throughout the South where Demo-
Gratis are in power half the population is
being deprived OF the ballot by that par
ty, that claims to stand for the people
and reform.
In the North Republicans are doing
substantially the same thing by their
iniquitous and outrageous statutory re-
requirements as to fees, petitions and in
some states property qualifications.
The trend of all this is to perpetuate
the rule of the wealthy class and bar the
poor from any voice in governmental at
fairs.
Both old parties see kto give the power
to the dollar and take it from the man.
Bryan denies this, but his party. from
Kentucky to the Gulf and from the
Atlantic coast to Texas, are every year
legislating against the ballot.
In conclusion let us say that the names
of the nine Barker and Donnelly electors
from Minnesota were not filed as requir-
ed by Minnesota laws because our Mid
road state central committee did not
have the $3.50 fee required. For the
same reason only portion of our state
ticket was filed.
This is the most stealthy and BASTARD
ly blow ever struck at the popular bal
lot. It is more pernicious than Goebel-
ism. 1t forces every Populist to vote for
the old party presidential candidates or
stay at home.
Under the old law before this refined
cursedness found place upon our statute
books, voters could use stickers or write
upon the ballot names not printed there.
We understand that the Prohibitionists
and Social Democrats each have one
elector in the field. These two parties
like the Populists, could not put up
$3.50 cash for full electoral ticket and
so they raised $50 and filed the name OF
one elector.
Next session Of the legislature it
may be expected that the two old parties
will pass law that not less than the
full number of electors to which the
state is entitled stall be filed by any
party.
This will fix all these mushroom -e-
form parties good and plenty.
These old parties have by this law
disfra3chaeed Populists of Minnesota.
In the main, Republicans are responsible
Tor this outrage and every Populist
should remember it. Thousands of our
members who would not vote for Bryan
under any circumstances will vote for
Debs rather than help the Republicans
who have deprived us of our ballot.
This is the crowning act of political
infamy. A party with, 10000 to $4,000
votes legislated of the ballot by a con-
spiracy of the two old frauds. This act
will bear its bitter fruit. Already the
signs appear. Roosevelt lis mobbed in
Hanna is struck with a r.
pound cake of ice in Chicago; Nc
kinley dare not make campaign SPEECHES
even from his own front porch and
himself with private detec-
lives. Several hundred workmen strik-
ing against starvation wages while che
Did parties are disfranchising the poor
and the leaders are talking prosperity,
s an imposition that sooner or later will
be atoned for in blood. 1t will not be
much later. Talk to the workingman
about full dinner-pail when. he has
his pail full Of sticks and Cups gathered
from the roadside and fence corners for
'uel because he Is too poor to pay, the
rust prices for coal and 1t should sur
prise no one to zee him hurl 1t the of-