The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-11-12
TOM WATSON HEARD FROM
HIS SUPPRESSED LETTER OF IC-
CEPTANCE AT LAST MADE PUBLIC.

1t Was Suppressed Because 1t Scourged
and Lashed the Democratic Party, Which
"Attempted to Anticipate the Victory of
Populism"-"It Was the Democratic
Party That Murdered Silver In 1899
Democrats Joined with Republicans in
Worshipping at the Shrine of Gold
Words That Scar Like yitriol-OnIy Ac-
cepted Because He Promised To.
Atlanta, Nov. 11--Thomas f. Wat
sons letter accepting the vice presiden-
tial nomination of the peoples party
has at last been given out. 1t was
written October IA to Senator Butler,
chairman of the notification commit
tee, and manager of the party's cam
paign, and was suppressed by Senator
Butler during the campaign.
Among other things Mr.. Watson, in
his letter, says:
1T is solely because of my promise
to do so that accept the nomination.
The unusual conditions confronting us
must be my excuse for submitting to
the public fair statement of the facts
touching this remarkable campaign.
At the time for beginning the presiden-
tial campaign of 1896 the democratic
party found itself in a dying condition
and it resorted to a desperate remedy
to save itself from dissolution. 1t re-
nounced the republican policies which
1t has already enacted into law and
espoused the populist creed which it
had assailed. Having closed the doors
of the mints to silver, having condoned
the issue of bonds in violation of law,
having acquiesced in Mr.. Cleveland's
contraction policy of destroying the
greenbacks, having helped to feed the
trusts by the passage of the Wilson
Gorman-Jones tariff bill, the demo-
cratic party, realizing that it had lost
the respect, the confidence and the pa
tience of the people, determined to an
ticipate the triumph of populism by a
public confession of political guilt, an
earnest assertion of change of heart, a
devout acceptance of popular principles
and modest demand that the peoples
party should vacate it's quarters and
surrender it's political possessions.
"A very staggering piece of political
impudence was this 1t was a majority
of the democratic party which mur-
dered silver in 1893. And the men who
\ committed the deed cannot now prom
Use more solemnly to undo their work
than they promised in 1892 to do it.
During the dreary years of 1S92-93-
1896, when republicans and democrats
We're falling over each other in an eff
fort to be the first at Wall streets feet
and lowest in the dust of political self
abasement to the trusts, the national
banks, the railroads, the bondholders
and the gold speculators, the peoples
party was the one champion of the
people.
"Since the bugle note Of Rhoderick
Dhu woke the Highlands there has been
no such spontaneous outburst of popu-
lar enthusiasm as marked the growth
of the peoples party and had we
sternly put temptation aside and nom
mated a straight populistic ticket at st.
Louis, one man from the west and one
from the south, we would have swept
this land from sea to sea.
"At Chicago the democratic mana
gers, having adopted the leading pop
ulistic principles, nominated for the
first place on the ticket a candidate
who indorses these principles
Mr. Watson recites the fight at ST.
Louis between the Bryan populists and
middle Of the-road men
He says: II was asked to allow the
use of my name to harmonic differ
enceS, and consented upon that condi-
ton. There is no doubt that among
the voters Of the democratic party,
south and west, there was an earnest
desire that the populists should be met
half way.
"The leaders of the democratic party
however, having secured populistic en-
dorsement of Mr.. Bryan, the conven-
ton determined to secure it for Mr..
Sewall also and for this purpose they
have resorted to the policy Of fusion.
by listening to the overtures of dem
ocratic managers our party has been
torn into factions, our leaders deceived
and ensnared, and the cause we repre-
sented permanently endangered, if not
lost. We are now told that we must
not say anything against Mr.. Sewall.
We must not mention the fact that he
is national banker, q bondholder, a
4 railroad magnate, a corporation mil
\ lionaire, an enemy of organized labor,
/ beneficiary of trusts, a seeker after
/ subsidies of the merchant marine and
\ a protectionist of the Mckinley variety.
| Haven't the voters the right to know
1 for whom they are voting?
/ He declares that fusion has disfran-
4 chised the populists in Kansas and Col,
| orado, and says that the terms of fu-
! sion in North Carolina show that the
populistic party has undergone dis
| astrous shrinkage or that the national
| ticket has been used for mercantile pur-
poses He asserts that he has no valid
| complaint to make. Populists cannot
now denounce the sins of the two
old parties and yet go into political CO.
partnership with them. Mr.. Watson
remarks that the democrats want his
reinforcements of two million voters,
but they do not want him to lead
them.
Mr. Watson then says: For this at
titude upon the part of the democratic
managers l believe that you, senator,
are largely responsible. You made no
effort to have me recognized. You pub
licly stated that 1 would not be notified
of my nomination. You went into the
fusion policy, over my written protest.
with all the zeal of man who wanted