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X AUTHOR'S PREFACE

platform of 1880, the speeches in Congress from
1879 to 1881 and from 1885 to 1889, the platform
of 1892, and A Call to Action are the documents
that form the basis of the Progressive party
platform of 1912.

The materials for the life of General
"Weaver are somewhat meager. A large scrap
book filled with clippings and a large letter file
form the greater part of the ^liWeaver Papers"
preserved by his family. Evidently Q-eneral
Weaver gave little thought to the past. By
nature and temperament an optimist, he looked
forward to the very end of his life. Fre-
quently urged to record his reminiscences in his
later years, he did nothing more than to put
together some "Memoranda" in regard to his
life down to tfea outbreak of the Civil War.
For his services m Congress, the Congressional
^Record furnishes ample material, since he was
an active participant in debates and from time
to time made extended speeches in which he
developed fully his policies and measures. His
one book, A Call to Action, published during
the campaign of 1892, contains the nearest ap-
proach to. a systematic presentation of his
views. A careful examination of this volume
will impress the reader with the number of
instances in which Q-eneral Weaver anticipated



	X AUTHOR'S PREFACE platform of 1880, the speeches in Congress from 1879 to 1881 and from 1885 to 1889, the platform of 1892, and A Call to Action are the documents that form the basis of the Progressive party platform of 1912. The materials for the life of General "Weaver are somewhat meager. A large scrap book filled with clippings and a large letter file form the greater part of the ^liWeaver Papers" preserved by his family. Evidently Q-eneral Weaver gave little thought to the past. By nature and temperament an optimist, he looked forward to the very end of his life. Fre- quently urged to record his reminiscences in his later years, he did nothing more than to put together some "Memoranda" in regard to his life down to tfea outbreak of the Civil War. For his services m Congress, the Congressional ^Record furnishes ample material, since he was an active participant in debates and from time to time made extended speeches in which he developed fully his policies and measures. His one book, A Call to Action, published during the campaign of 1892, contains the nearest ap- proach to. a systematic presentation of his views. A careful examination of this volume will impress the reader with the number of instances in which Q-eneral Weaver anticipated