The representative., 1900-10-11

nalst principles, but 4 meets N IN an
open. square fight The Demoutatic par
ty wUu@ destroy as by pretending to
be our trieads ana then Aetray sis.
OTHER ISSUES.
There are Other issues being pressed
by the Peoples party ef grave import-
ance to people of which would like te
speak at some length, but time will not
permit. Other speakers will present
those to you here, and It may be at
some time in the future shall have the
pleasure Of addressing you again. It is
unnecessary for me to say to you that
the greatest of these is the initiative and
referendum. A government Of the peo.
pie, for the people and by the people can
only be maintained in this way. II you
Will pardon me for referring to your
late unpleasantness in this state, would
suggest that much OF the trouble could
have been avoided had this principle
been Incorporated In your organic law.
Left to free and untrammeIed vote OF
the people as you leave to them an
amendment to your constitution, your
present election law would be over
whelmingly defeated AS proper sys-
tenn for voting. recording the win OF the
people, is the most important problem in
our government. the right to vote and
have that vote properly counted is the
most sacred Of our public duties It is
one that should be guarded with jeal-
GUS care and no sacrifice Is too great TO
maintain 1t In its purity. No party that
tampers with this sacred privilege or
condones the crime should be trusted
by the people. II there was no other
evidence Of insincerity and unfitness for
administering the government than tho
Democratic habit of tampering with the
ballot, 1t would be enough to condemn
that party forever. Direct legislation is
the purest form OF Democratic govern
ment, and that I presume is the reason
the bosses in the Democratic and Re-
publican parties oppose 1t. It means
that the people should vote on all i'm
portant measures just as they do on an
amendment to the constitution. It pro-
v1des that when a certain percent OF
voters sign petition for the submission
OF measure to the people, 1t shall be
submitted, and every qualified voter has
an opportunity to vote upon 1t. In this
way the people vote upon the measure
itself without being trammeled by party
ties or having to vote for a man they
Cont want In order to vote for a meas
ure they do want. The Peoples party il
In favor OF extending this system so
as to embrace every important measure
that becomes a law.
IMPERIALISM.
Since the Democratic party has de-
clared against Imperialism and labeled
It the paramount ISSUE" it is probably
expected that I should say something
about that question. It win be remem-
bered that when the peoples party was
organized. and at the Omaha convention
IL 1892. We set up the danger signal OF
!" Beware OF false issues between the tive
old parties" In every newspaper and
from every stump we uttered this warn
Ing. We realized and declared that the
fight over the tariff was a sham battle
between the two old parties and Popu-
lists everywhere took heed of this and
polled over a million votes. Then came
the memorable campaign of 1896. The
Democrats realized that is was useless
to thresh the tariff straw over again,
that they could no longer use it to de-
ceive the people. So they put it behind
them and made silver the paramount is
sue. In spite of the danger signals we
had set up, some of our people were
caught mapping and they dragged this
Trojan horse within our gates. We all
know how dearly it cost us. We remem-
Der the argument advanced by those who
justified fusion. It was declared then
of silver. as it had been declared OF the
tariff, that II the battle was lost and the
Republicans were successful, the country
would go straight to the demnition bow
vows. The Republican tariif is in force
and the country still lives. The gold
standard has been adopted and the sun
still rises. The predictions OF the Dem
ocrats In both instances have signa1ly
failed. And now silver has been side
tracked as a paramount issue and i'm
perialism brought to the front. 1t is
done for the same purpose that empha-
sized the tariff and silver questions. It
Will amount to no more than the tariff
or silver questions There is lust az
much imperialism In one old party as in
the other. 1t is not necessary to dis
cuss the merits of the Philippine ques-
ton. 1t Is sufficient to know that all
men in all parties are divided upon that
question. But the expansion Democrats
are supporting Bryan and the anti-ex-
pansion Republicans are supporting Nc
Kinley, just as men of different views
on the tariff question supported the same
candidate. It is simply a sham issue
over which the people are expected to
90 wild and by their votes perpetuate the
system OF partisan despotism that is a
Thousand times more dangerous than
any imperialism resulting from an ex-
pansfon policy. 1t is simply a question
as to whether the Populists will carry
swill for the Democrats and Republicans,
or whether they will let those people