New-York tribune., 1896-07-30
WATSON BEFORE AND AFTER.
COMMENTS OF THE POPULIsT NOMINEE
FOR vICE-PREsIDENT.
LAST WEEK BILL" BRYAN WAS FAIR MARK
FOR RIDICULE AND sARCAsM-NOW
rTa DIFFERENT
[BY TELEGRAPH To THE TRIBUNE. !

| Paper" OF which Thomas Il. watson, Popullst
nominee for Vice ePresdent. Is editor. will com
ment at length on the action of the Populist Con-
vention in its issue for the current week. over
the signature IT. +. W." Watson will say:
There will be disappointment throughout the
ranks Of the Peoples Party at the failure OF the
National Convention to nominate Middle of
he-Road ticket. The position of this paper upon
that subjec: has not changed. We thought
before the Convention met, and think now,
that the welfare OF our party and Of the prin-
! ciples 1t represents demanded that we nominate
our ticket and put upon that ticket two
Populists. tried and true When the Convention
met. however, It soon became evident that vast
amount Of preliminary work had been done by
the shrewd managers who had charge of the
| fusion programme. Not only did Western
leaders throw the full force Of their influence to
the Democratic ticket. but few from the other
section did likewise"
After describing how the Peoples Party
formed out Of a combination of Republicans Of
the West and Democrats of the South Watson
will say
with such a large number Of experienced
workers. organized and well equipped. striving
for the Endorsement Of both Bryan and Sewall.
the fate OF the party in the highest degree
critical. The Middle the Road men we're
more numerous. but less united. They could not
agree upon leaders. In the Vice Presidential
nomination they divided between several
different candidates. while the Sewall men were a
compact body which threatened to become
jorty by the mere failure CT the opposition to
concentrate.
1T was this chaotic condition Of things which
I witnessed with keen anxiety, and which
caused members Of the Georgia delegation to
telegraph me TO allow my name to be used to
restore harmony and save the party. Upon
that express condition l consented, and the OBJ
ject attained. Sewall was defeated the
Populist factions harmonized. and the Demo-
cratic programme checkrnated. This condition
OF things not foreseen when the positive
statement was made that l would not accept
the nomination. and l would not have with
drawn that statement had not believed the
life OF the party required it.
The Nice-Presdential nominee having been
chosen. Bryan was then named for President
| by an overwhelming majority, and this itself
shows what extreme peril party in.
Had Bryan's nomination come first. his vie
tory would probably have carried Sewall
through also 1t exceedingly shrewd in
the Populist managers to force the vice-Presi-
Dental vote first. To that the Peoples
party It's life to-day"
In conclusion, Watson will say: I'm going out
side their own party 70 a Presidential
candidate the Populists have given the highest
! proof Of a sincere and petrlotic desire TO unite
! the silver forces Their conduct has been gen.
erous to an extent withonI precedeni- If now
! the Dem).rdtic managers Should refuse to make
any concession at all. it would show that our
efforts toward unity have all been thrown away.
If they continue to demand that the Populsts
| shall go out of existence as a party, they will
prove to all the world that their object in adopt
ing our platform was not 50 much TO get free
silver as 1t was to beat the Peoples Party"
Elise where In the same issue Watson will say:
IF alleged free-silver Democrats insist upon
running Sewa against Watson, they will
thereby prove that the real purpose they had In
view when they adopted the Populist platform
at Chicago to destroy the Peoples Party.
II they honest In their clamor for free silver
they will retire the millionaire candidate from
the East and accept the Popuist nominee from
the South and thus unite the silver forces with
out destroying either the Democratic or the
Popuist party. Any attempt 10 get the Popu-
lists Of the West to vote for Bryan and Sewall
will. in judgment. fail. The Western dele
cations at St Louis pledged their faith to Bryan
and Watson and we believe they will be true"
1t was only last week. when the possibility
OF his being part and parcel of ticket which
Bryan should head was remote. that Watson
spoke with less circunispeotion Of the Boy Ora
tor and Of fusion with the Democratic party
In one place in the last issue of his paper Wat
said:
Dressing Billy Bryan up in a Populist raj
ment makes Billy an attractive figure to our
mixed In with the scrub sheep Of the Demo-
cratic flock, we are much inclined to say to
him. in the language Of an ancient anecdote:
I'VE love YOU Billy. but d your company"
THE Peoples Party Paper also welcomed the
following in its correspondence from Chicago:
one of the delegates speaking from his init
mate knowledge of Mr.. Bryan both as a poll
tcian and editor, said frankly: The hardest
thing Bill Bryan will have To contend with will
be the necessity of keeping his mouth shut"
yIat
son quotes from one of Bryans speeches
the money question and asks:
What meaning does such a statement convey
to the average mind? What does Mr. Bryan
really mean to say? We doubt If he himself
knew.
AS to the purity Of the motives of Bryan's
friends. Watson had this TO say:
Don't you suppose that the rank and file
see the way in which the Bryan managers are
now dickering with Tammany Hall, David p.
Hill and the Wall Street influences? What Is
being offered those goldbugg of New-York?
What price do they ask? At what figure are
they to sell ard you to buy? Upon what terms
these colossal goldbug influences going TO
throw their support to free-sver candidate?
Mr. Crisp knows He knows how he made the
deal with them for the Speakership, and he can
arrange accordingly for the Presidency He
knows how in 1892 there was an open pledge to
the people and secret pledge to wall Street,
and he knows who got the goods
The following impartial judgment formed by
Watson a week ago is also interesting at this
time:
The Democratic plan of campaign seems 70 be
that Bryan Is to the windmill while Sewall
runs the pay train. II Sewa rattes out his
cash as fast as Bryan rattles off speeches times
are going to become lively. Even the negro
Democrat will rouse himself, shake his ears, and
begin to find life worth living.
WATSON CUNNING FOR sEwALI.
rIr ave rur popI-I rSTc VIII >o,- no Art nun,
YIELDING
Atlanta, Ga, July 29.-"The Atlanta Constitu-
tion," desiring to learn just what Thomas F.. Wat
son. the Peoples partys Vice Presidential nominee.
thinks OF the present peculiar political situation.
telegra phed him to-day follows: