People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 June 1896 — FROM TAUBENECK. [ARTICLE]

FROM TAUBENECK.

HIS REPLY TO THE JOLIET NEWS EDITOR. Th<- Position or the Popnliit Party Cle.irly and Patriotically Put—Fusion | With Old Parties Would Be an irnpossibility. ! National Chairman Taubeneck has cent the following letter to Jas. TI. Ferris, editor of the Joliet (Ill.) News. ! It speaks for itself: | fas. H.,Ferris, Joliet, 111. | My Dear Sir: —Ycurs of. the 20th insi., j enclosing clipping from the “Chicago ■ Record” containing.pr:ss dispatch from Indianapolis, dated May 19, giving what is supposed to be the proceedings of a conference between the Indiana populists, bimetalists and silver democrats, received yesterday. In reply will state, that so far as headquarters and the rational committee are concerned, there is not one word of truth in the report. It is a deliberate falsehood and fabrication from beginning tc end. if Indiana populists have gone into a combination of this kind, they have no taken anyone in other states into their confidence. No populist, bimetallist or silver democrat, has ever mentioned a sinele word to me about a combination as stated in t lie dispatch. You must accept, with much allowance, anything that comes from Indianapolis. Twice before, and within the last year, have fake statements and dispatches, in which populists have figured, emanated from that city. I repeat, as I have a hundred times before, that no u ion of the reform forces can ever be perfected in either of the old parties i ave spent too much time and iaboi o get people to leave the old parties ami I shall not advise them to go back -regardless of what their respective parties may do. Populist editors and populists in general must, realize that we cannot control the columns of the old party press. We have, no way to prevent them from publishing fakestatement. Anything that appears along ;hose lines, especially now when there stems to be a break-up in the ranks of Cue old parties, njust be accepted ’./ith much allowance. It matters wha: the democratic party may r! at Chicago, or-what the bimetallists may do at St. Louis, or whether they v. -t us at all, the people’s party will ho’i ;• u ional convention July 22, m;! c a ’c nn and nominate candidate for president and vice-presi-dent. ~ - c uvemion will be controlled by populists, and whatever is done at that convention, will be the word of the representatives of the people’s party elected by the members of that party throughout the United States.

This report from Indianapolis, in regard to the populists endorsing the nominees of the Chicago convention, is on a par with the statements made ai-rat ? one plank platform, or a single dvr: ui iK platform. There isn’t a no woin the United States, so far N i o j know vho has e ver advanced a ons -jo nk platform, sail less a single oi w • plank platform. I never did, and do not now, favor such a ; k-Ucrm. It is no credit to a gentleman or a popubst paper, to misrepresent the views of others. The talk of selling out, controlling state conventions ar.d state delegates, is a down-right insult to tv vy populist in the land. As though populists could be persuaded tu- do something against their convictions. It is humiliating to the people’s party in have populist papers publish such nonsense. If I had no better opinion of the average populist than these papers express, 1 would certainly give up ihe contest as hopeless. I know the populists are honest, and at our naticnal convention, they vl”- do that which is best for the party and our country. Every populist in the United States has a right to express his opinion as to what the platform should contain. He also has a right to work and vote to select delegates who will represent his views in the national convention. Anything short of this means to throttle free thought and free speech. The delegates to the national convention will do that which is best for the party and our country as the conditions confront us in 1896. That is, they will do that which is best for the people’s pariy, and not for either of the old parties. Whether the silver organizations threugout the United States meet with us at St. Louis or not, will not in the slightest degree deter us from pursuing some course as though they had not called a convention for the same date and place as ours. Nor will the people’s party ever surrender the principle that the government alone has the right to issue the money, whether is it gold, silver or paper, and that all money must be a full legal tender and not redeemable in coin. Let the populists throughout the United State? elect good, honest, true, cool and deliberate men as delegates to the national convention, and we need not have the slightest fear as to the result. The people’s party at its national convention will take care of itself regardless of the democrats may do at Chicago. I have no time to enter into a controversy with any member of our party; no good can result from this. Dissention In our ranks is the last argument to win recruits. I am axious that our national convention should be a success in uniting all the elements opposed to present conditions. We need every voter who is dissatisfied with the old parties. I repeat again, that so far as the national committee is concerned, this report from Indianapolis is a deliberate falsehood, manufactured for the purpose of creating dissention in our ranks. And, If it does create any dissention, the populists will be responsible for it. We ought not to let these reports interfere with what Is our duty towards our party and our country. Nothing would suit the republicans and democrats so well as dissention in our ranks: especially now

when they know we will receive a large following from their ranks in the south and west. Yours for our e: use,

H. E. TAUBENECK.