The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-07-16
A FIT MAN FOR SUCH a PLAT
FORM.


Given a convention whose delegates
were chosen upon one single and ram
pant idea and who went to Chicago
flushed with an assured victory in that
convention; men who could get their
consent to depart from almost every ira
dition and principle of the Democratic
party, and can you be surprised at their
selection of a man to head their national
ticket? They had before them to
choose from fine array of candidates,
barring their ideas on free silver, but
none of them seemed to suit the pecu-
| liar tastes of the hour. There was
honest old Dick Bland-a noble man,
who has fought the battles of Democracy
in thousand contests, but he was not
rabid enough to suit the tastes of Ait
gelds convention. There were Boies
and pattison. two eX-gOvernors of great
commonwealth, but they did not meas
ure up to the Populistic standard of that
convention. There were Blackburn,
Matthews and Mclean, all good men and
true, but they could not be relied upon
to go the lengths that might be required
of them. TO what corner of the globe
then should the convention look to find a
man for its unique purpose? An excuse
for bolt from all instructions that had
been placed upon the delegates by their
home fc..stes must be found. They were
all win enough to break those instruc-
tons, but they wanted some little preteXt
to do so. 1t was found in the catchy
and Populstic speech of Bryan. He
was instantly seized upon as a hero, and
his presidential boom spread like wild
fire. Instructions were thrown to the
wind and he was quickly elected.
What does such nomination mean?
Taken separately from the fact that it
was supposed to have been Demo-
cratic convention that made it, and also
separated from the monstrous platform
that had been adopted, it might have
simply meant tribute to man
strangely gifted with the gift of CAB, en-
dowed with great trick of stringing
words together. But when it is thought
that it will be taken as a nomination by
II Democratic convention, and that he is
to stand on the platform he WILL reason
for the nomination must be looked for
farther. In the first place, was not
just such a man needed to stand on such
a platform? And may not the dele
gates to that convention, after all, in
their hearts at last have realized that
they had gone too far from Democratic
principles to ask true Democrat to
stand on such platform? This we
think, must have been a very potent
reason for his selection. And he is
surely just the man for the place, be-
cause he is u Populist pure and simple.
He does not embrace simply that
party's belief in free and unlimited sill
yer coinage at 16 to 1, but he has
openly advocated the government pur
chase and ownership of railroads. This
is ono of the staunchest planks of the
Populist party, and upon it Bryan
stands with both feet, and loudly has so
And this fact must also be remcm-
bered. 1t has been an open secret for
some weeks that the man who stood the
best chance for the nomination was
Teller. But he is Republican, and the
Democratic party has too long fought
the Republicans to permit them easily
to place man from that party's ranks
nf tI,,,,, al,nt
That was what was troubling the men,
Dcrs of that convention. But while this |
was so, they also realized they could not
afford to put Democrat at the head of
the ticket, 1t would not do. 1t was
not extreme enough. 1t would not be
in accord with their intention to out
l1erod Herod in their platform. They
must be more sensational than that. So,
only thing that was left was Populist. |
And gentleman from that party they |
found to their liking in the person of |
one w. j. Bryan of Nebraska. For not |
only did he. while trying to wear the
livery of a Democrat, loudly exploit his
Populstic ideas and convictions, but he
even declared unless the Democratic |
went for free silver he would |
bolt the convention. Surely he was the |
sensational man the convention was look
ng for, and they found him. With such
| platform and such Populist at |
leart and boiling Democrat in theory and |
practice TO head the ticket, what more
could any honest Democrat, in heavens
name, desire?
The platform of the Democratic con-