Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1902-07-23
WHAT CAN We ACCOMPLISH

accomplish by maintaining its organ
ization and putting up a ticket this
year? That is the question that is fire.
quently asked nowadays. The man
who is in the habit of finding out what
is the right, and who votes according
ly without weighing the chances of i'm
mediate success or failure, does not
bother himself about this question.
He studies the platform and the candi-
dates, and if he believes in the prin-
ciples of the former and has confidence
that the latter will carry out the prom
Uses of the platform if elected, he votes
that ticket. But there are many timid
ones, who are always afraid of throw
ing away their votes. They want to
know if there is any show of carrying
the election, or at least making good
showing compared with the other par
ties. They hate to be in small min
GRITTY, and think that if reform cannot
be accomplished Immediately there is
no use in trying. For the benefit of
these doubling ones we wish to make
statement of what we consider the
outlook for the party.
There are in Minnesota about IS, 900
citizens who have at some time or an.
other voted the peoples party ticket.
That highest vote was recorded at a
time when the party was laying full
stress on the most radical things in it's
platform, government issue of money
and government ownership of rail
roads. These men therefore must
have believed in those ideas. In the
effort to accomplish a partial reform
through fusion these radical planks
we're not put in the foreground.
Thousands of the original populists
were disguised by what they consid.
cred giving up of principle, aud
either voted the mid-road or the re.
publican ticket or else stayed away
from the polls. These men are with
very few exceptions just as earnest in
their belief as they were eight years
ago, and from all parts of the state
come letters from such men, assuring
US that they will be with us again
now that we have taken the old stand
These men will infuse the old-time
vigor into the campaign in many
places where under fusion we have
had no organization whatever.
| There are thousands of democrats
who during the fusion period have
imbibed populistic ideas, and who viii
vote our ticket as soon as they be-
come convinced that the democratic
party has abandoned Organism
How many of them will realize it this
year is predetermined, but the democ
racy of the east and central states il
exposing it's position so plainly tina
we will have ample proof of the change
to present before the campaign is over
and we can reasonably expect re-en
forcements from this source.
The recent agitation of the railroad
question has shown many republican,
that something must be done to CHECK
combination or else we must come tt
the other expedient of government
ownership. They expected grea
things from Van SAINT. He has &C
complished nothing, and now leading
members of the party have openl,
characterized his effort as farce ant
something that should cut no figure il
the campaign. The agitation of tn,
question will be to the benefit of tn,
only party that dares advocate rem
edy instead of mere palliative
Here is good ground for an ACTIVE
campaign. We can ''carry the wa
into the enemies country" and use tn
ammunition they have provided VI
with.
The republican party cannot sug
gest any remedy for the trust evil ant
the railroad combination without. fac
ing the question, ''why did not you
party in congress or in the Legislature
do something for it?" The democratic
party can do nothing in it's presen
divided condition. The peoples part!
has clear.cut program; it faces TIL
issue squarely; it is now united ant
lean carry on an aggressive fight