The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1900-03-01
AGRAND ADDRESS
REAL. POPULISTS OF THE UNITED
STATES PRESENT THEIR CASE,
AND CALL UPON PEOPLE
TO SUSTAIN THEM.
The Horrible Crime of q Few ScOun-
drels Who Propose to XIII Our
Party and Turn Over Our Member
ship to the Democracy Vigorously
Denounced.
READ! READ.

To the Peoples Party and Independ
ent Voters of the United States: Fol
many months it has been evident tha,
designing persons were determined tt
ruie the Peoples party in the interests
Of the organized Democracy; that thu
chosen leaders and officials of oul
party thought more of the success OF
the Democratic party than they did OF
our own, than they did OF the welfare
and upbuilding of the reform party
While we have in the past been 10th tc
take this view of the matter, recent
events have been such that there is nc
longer any doubt of the aims of these
false leaders, and that If the Peoples
party is to live 1t must be taken in con-
troll by the people Of the party, and the
disloyal leaders turned out of it's coun-
ellis.
We have hoped that this matter could
be postponed until the meeting of a ma
tiOnal convention, but the occurrences
Of the past few hours at this city, Lin
coin, Neb., during the meeting of the
national committee of our party have
made 1t imperative that the people delay
no longer, but act before their party is
destroyed.
There come times in all ages and un-
der all conditions when men who have
been associated together can no longer
agree, and in the national committee Of
the Peoples party that time was reach
ed on February 10, when by arbitrary
and unjust ruling certain Populist Of
ficials who had been by the people en-
trusted with leadership and control
sought to repay that trust with perfidity
and political chicanery unheard Of in
the course and management Of reform
parties heretofore.
Before entering upon detailed state
ment of these outrageous proceedings
we consider it well to recount certain
matters leading directly up to the points
at Issue.
In December, 1899, several members
Southern states, met at Memphis, Tenn,
to consider the best plan of procedure
to secure action by the national COM
mittee. The result of the conference
was that committee consisting of w.
S. Morgan, of Arkansas; M. w. How
ard, of Alabama, and 10 A. Parker. of
Kentucky, were appointed to correspond
with the members OF the national COM
mittee and ask them to sign a request
upon Senator Butler that he call meet
ing OF the committee at Chicago, Ill.,, on
Feb. IL. 10 A. Parker was selected as
secretary of that committee and sent to
all the members of the committee blank
forms addressed to Senator Butler as
chairman of the national committee and
embodying the proposition to meet at
Chicago on Feb. II. On December q
Mr.. Parker in person presented to Sen
ator Butler at his residence in Wash
ington SO OF said petitions, embracing a
majority of the committee The SEN
ator refused to recognize these docu-
ments, saying that he had already sent
out to the members of the committee a
letter asking their votes on the time
and place Of holding meeting. How
ever, this communication did not reach
many of the members until late in Jan
uary; some did not receive it until after
the formal call had been issued; while
many members of the committee never
received it at all, nor did they receive
any notification whatever of the meet
Zig. of the~ eommittee. When the date
and place of holding a meeting of the
con mittee We're fixed, the wishes of the !
50 members who had petitioned Senator !
Butler were utterly ignored, and on the |
vote Of a small minority of the COM |
mittee the meeting was called for Lin |
coin, Neb., Feb. 10.
So unfair was the location of the |
meeting at this point regarded by many |
members OF the committee that thew |
resolved to stay away, as it was plainly |
to be seen that the meeting was placed |
at Lincoln for the purpose of giving the |
Bryan faction of the committee control |
IN its organization. 1t must be remem-
cred that there was rule in the COM
mlttee by which no person could vote
but one proxy. and that the holder of !
the proxy must be recognized Populist
by the authorities Of the party in his
own state. It was thought by the Bry-
antics that in Nebraska it would be i'm
possible for the mid-roaders to find men
to vote their proxies, and it was we'll
known that we were unable to bring
men from other states, so it was thought
reasonably certain that by locating the
meeting at Lincoln the minority of the
committee would be able to dictate its
actions In the interest Of Bryan and the
lsemocratic party. But whom the men I