The People’s Party National Convention of 1900

BY WAYNE FANEBUST

Throughout the last half of the 19th century, politics had a mesmerizing grip on America. The end of the bloody Civil War found the nation deeply divided with partisan and corrupt politics on a rampage, making the era one of anger and hatred. It was a time when politics was like a contact sport with hard fighting that turned old friends into bitter and lasting enemies. The terrible financial Panic of 1896 gave way to the worst depression in American history, with suffering on a scale that exceeded any like event of the past. And yet, for all its pain and chaos, some men believed that politics was the key to ending the crisis and re-uniting the country. It has been said that in the midst of a terrible crisis, people with talent and leadership skills will emerge; they will take charge and lead. The Civil War saw great men like Abraham Lincoln and generals U. S. Grant and Edwin Sherman lead the Union army to defeat the Southern Confederacy and put an end to slavery. It took another hundred years to defeat the ideology of slavery, but in the end, the idea was dead and America is better for it.

Another momentous change took place during the final decades of the 19th century, resulting in political upheaval on an unprecedented scale. The Republican Party found itself a position of tremendous power following the end of the Civil War. The Democratic Party, having found favor with the Confederacy, was seen as almost traitorous. It was weak and vulnerable when compared to the party of Lincoln that favored creativity, invention, infrastructure and a growing middle-class that included homesteaders and veterans of the war. It was on the move toward the future while the Democratic Party was shoved to the sidelines.

Then in the early 1890s, an intervening force called Populism, or the People’s Party, emerged with a blast and purpose of its own. Its keystone belief was the coinage of silver money to compete with gold-based money that was preferred by Wall Street and big corporations. The People’s Party essentially settled into the shell left by the Democratic Party. Then a group of disillusioned Democrats, Silver Republicans and Populists came together, under a “fusionist” label, to challenge the Republicans who seemed to have forgotten the legacy of Lincoln.

The campaign of 1896 pitted William McKinley, the big business Republican against William Jennings Bryan, who had sworn to represent the working people of America. After a whirl-wind campaign when some workers were told not to show

Hon. Richard F. Pettigrew William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925)

up for work if the Populist won, McKinley narrowly defeated Bryan.

The election results were enough to cause the “gold bug” Republicans to feel unease and fear. Corporate America was now determined to put an end to the “rabble;” Populism must be defeated once and for all. This mood and strategy meant the campaign of 1900 would be one for the ages. The Republican Party had become the party of big business, having abandoned its founding principles, while the People’s Party, made up of a collection of idealists and political misfits, represented the middle class, main street businesses, farmers, the masses of unemployed and down trodden. Their message was one of hope to the hopeless.

The really big news, in the summer of 1900, was the decision by the People’s Party to hold their national convention in Sioux Falls, then a city of a little more than 10,000 people. Many a political figure was caught off-guard including U. S. Senator R. F. Pettigrew, who never expected his home town to host such a prestigious event. Pettigrew expected Minneapolis to be the site of the convention. The announcement doubtless caught others in big cities to reel back in surprise for it was always the metropolitan sites that hosted big events.

The surprising news sent heads spinning in Sioux Falls as everyone—Republican, Populist and Democrat alike—understood that a national convention would bring a lot of money to their town. Hotels, restaurants, and shops off all kinds envisioned unheard of profits and prestige for Sioux Falls. An estimated 25,000 people from all parts of the country were expected. For those old-timers who had settled in Sioux Falls in the 1870s and 1880s, and endured countless hardships, the big payoff was on its way.

When J. A. Edgerton of Denver, the secretary of the National Populist Committee arrived in Sioux Falls to prepare for the convention, he left town with a low impression of little city with big city pretensions. He declared the town’s population consisted of mainly Pettigrew supporters and real-estate boomers, and yet he could not help but admire the gall of the men and women who had the guts to go for the big prize. Let others lay on the satire for the people of Sioux Falls went to work. A large tent—dubbed the ”Big Wigwam” was erected at the corner of 9th Street and Summit Avenue, big enough to accommodate 8400 people. From the first ward to the sixth ward, the little city was swaddled in bunting, tied up in banners and ready for the national spotlight.

The first national convention of a major political party convened in Sioux Falls on May 9, 1900, with a ceremonial flourish. The opening prayer was given by Bishop Thomas O’Gorman, followed by a warm welcome from Populist Governor Andrew Lee. Other political heavyweights included Senator Pettigrew, North Carolina Senator Marion

Butler, General James B. Weaver of Iowa, and “Sockless” Jerry Simpson, the eccentric, leather-lounged orator from Kansas.

More than 50 newsmen from across the country were gathered together to report on the events of the convention. In attendance were many bearded hard-line Populists who mingled with Texans and their broad-brimmed hats. A surprisingly large number of women were present, but overall the number of people under the big tent was very small, and the city was left sorely disappointed; the big financial bonanza never happened. The Daily ArgusLeader, Sioux Falls leading newspaper, and a staunch supporter of the Republican Party, took note of the light attendance and lamented the poor turnout. Ordinarily, the editor would have turned the matter into hit piece on Populism, which was viewed as a dangerous concept, but this was no time to gloat for the city of Sioux Falls was the big loser.

Meanwhile, those delegates who were gathered there set out to do the work of the convention. One by one, the VIPs were welcomed with cheers. Senator Pettigrew was overwhelmed by the loud and warm welcome he received. Following opening formalities, the Bryan wing of the People’s Party went to work. William Jennings Bryan—who failed to appear — received his second nomination for president, amid wild cheering from the small but enthusiastic assemblage. Pettigrew’s friend Charles A. Towne of Minnesota was nominated for vice president.

Other than a near riot by delegates who disliked Towne, the convention quietly completed its business. Although the Argus-Leader mocked the convention, Pettigrew was very pleased for he believed that the delegates had selected the “greatest ticket ever nominated in this country….” Pettigrew was, as always, an optimist. But there were those who saw in the small crowd, a sense that Populism was losing its appeal as a national political movement. After three days, the first and only national political convention held in Sioux Falls, was adjourned rather quietly. And while it was not a complete flop, it has never risen above a curious footnote in history.

Populism, however, is far from a footnote as its agenda was essentially a standard for the future, forming the basis of the Progressive movement of the early 20th century. Such ideas as the direct election of U. S. Senators, a progressive income tax, the right of women to vote, the initiative and referendum, a national highway system, municipal ownership of utilities along with other so-called radical ideas, have all been adopted by the people of America.

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