Willmar tribune., 1904-09-14
the PoPuLlsr VOTE OF 1902.

The Populist party IN Minnesota will hold
Counties casting more han one populistic vote
at the last preceding election are entitled to
two odelegates-Mdway News.
When you ridicule the populists
who voted for their own candidates in
this state two years ago, you are dis
playing your assininity by poking fun
at band of brave, true-hearted patri-
ots-men who have convictions upon
the momentous problems that must be
solved in this republic, and who
would rather be right than hold any
Office in the state. The ignorant vote
all went with the large unthinking
crowd that follows the brass bands or
feel that they must have something
big to lean upon; the venal vote went
where there was a chance for spoils;
but the band of ten thousand citi-
zens who could see far enough ahead
of their noses that the necessity ex-
listed for keeping peoples party
alive, who were and are aware of the
fact that the corporate influences can
use either of the old parties of the
state as it chooses land your own at
titude upon the gubernatOrial situa-
tion confirms the suspicion that you
are fully aware of this tact) are po-
tent force in this state that must be
reckoned with, and, thank God, the
tribe is increa asing.
The basis of representation to the
state meeting is one delegate at large
and one for every hundred votes Or
major fraction thereof The total aver
age vote given for the candidates up
on the populist state tic ct two years
ago was 1886. When one takes into
consideration that great many pop
ulists still believed that Bryan would
continue to dominate the Democratic
party; that others believed that Van
SAINT was making fight against law
defying corporations and that he de-
served their votes; that trusted leaders
like Ex-Gov. Lind made special efforts
in all populist counties to convince
the populists that Rosing and his as
sociates were good populists in prin-
ciple; that the scores of former pOpu-
list papers were wandering after
strange republican or democratic
gods: that the campaign fund contri b.
uted by a few faithful and unselish
farmers did not aggregate to one sixth
OF what the prohibition state commit
tee had at it's disposal; that many
leading populists in various localities
were tied up by uncertainty and felt
indisposed to assert their views; that
the great ma jority of socalled popu-
list leaders who had sprung into
prominence during the fusion period
were only too willing to deliver the
organization into the hands of the
democrats in exchange for a little
prominence fattering to their vanity
when you take all these things into
consideration, you must admit that
the battle fought two years ago to ex
tricate the party and restore it's indie
pendence was not an entire failure
This year there is no uncertainty
The democracy has repudiated every
principle which appealed to the pop
ulist. The republicans of this state
have kicked out every leader who ever
made pretense of standing up for tht
rights of the people as against thu
''vested rights of capitalists. NJ
pOpulist who ever understood tht
fundamental principles of popular
government as written in the COnstitu
tion and as interpreted by Jefferson
Jackson or a Lincoln, can possibl,
vote the democratic or republical
national tickets this fall without do
ing violence to his convictions an,
conscience. Then again, grea
trusted leader has raised the standar,
of the party and is calling for volun
teers with an earnestness of purpos
and an eloquence of language that re
minds one of the great rally of 1896
The solid south is threatened. Tn
East is awakening, and enough vote
are promised Watson in the state @
New York to make sure that the grea
apostasy of the democratic party vii
come to naught, and in its we'll de
served and crushing defeat will prob
ably fall and disintegrate to max