The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-07-30
WHY He DID IT.
WATSON PUBLISHES A SIGNED
STATEMENT.
Accepted as a Letter of Acceptance
and Also as an Official Ultima
tum--An Implied Threat.

ATLANTA, Ga, July 29.-Hon.
Thomas E. Watson is out in a strong
editorial in his paper stating his
grounds for accepting the nomination
for vice-president from the Populist
convention. He refers to Mr. SeWaiI as
an individual of standing and a free
silver Democrat, but adopts the argu-
ment elaborated upon at ST. Louis, that
the nomination of a Populist for sec
ond place was necessary to preserve
the autonomy of the Populist organiza-
ton especially in the south. The edi-
torial is accepted not only as a letter
OF acceptance but also an official ulti-
matum that propositions for with
drawal will not be considered by Mr..
Watson or the Populists and that the
case now rests with Mr.. Sewall.
This announcement is made in a
signed editorial. 1t virtually demands
the withdrawal of the Democratic can
didate for vice president. Throughout
the editorial insinuations are made and
where il seems TO analyZe the situation
develops the fact that Mr.. Watson is
making a strong demand for his imme-
diate recognition as Bryan's running
mate. In part he says:
with such large number of expe-
rienced workers, organized and we'll
equipped, striving for the endorsement
of both Bryan and SeWall, the fate of
the party was in the highest degree
critical. The middle of the road men
were the more humorous but less unit
ed. They could not agree upon lead
ers. In the vice-presidential nominal
ton they were divided between several
different candidates while the Sewall
men wac a compact body which
threatened to become majority by the
mere failure of the opposition to con-
centTate.
1T was this chaotic condition of
things which l witnessed with keen
anxiety and which caused members of
the Georgia delegation to telegraph
me to allow my name to be used to re-
store harmony and save the party.
Upon that express condition 1 con-
scented and the object was obtained.
SewalI was defeated, the Populist fac
ton harmonized and the Democratic
programme checkmated. This condi-
tion of things was not of my seeking.
If now the Democratic managers
should refuse to make any concession
at all it would show that all
our efforts toward unity have been
thrown away. If they continue to de-
mand that the Populists shall go out
of existence as a party, they will prove
to all the world that their idea in
adopting our platform was not as much
to get free silver as it was to bury
the Populist party.
"a correspondent of the Atlanta
Journal attempts to make it appear
that there has been a collision be-
tween Senator Butler, chairman of the
Populist national executive committee
any myself. This is all wrong. That
correspondent, n company with sew
eral either gentlemen, called ON me at
my residence and we had what I sup
posed to be a private conversation.
Something was said about the plan of
campaign and 7 was asked if / had
heard from Senator Butler. In reply
I stated that l had a telegram from
him suggesting that l go at once to
Alabama and stating that letter ex-
planning matters would follow. l re-
marked that it seemed to me we had
better wait awhile and see how the
situation was going. Mr.. Bryan would
have to respond to our nomination in
a few days or the executive commit
tee would meet on Aug. and take
some action concerning his silence. Be
sides this reason there are others. One
of them is that OUT convention meets
on Aug. 6 and it might be we'll to wait
and see whether the party will en-
dorse what was done at St. Louis. 1t
is by no means. certain that the party
will do so. There are mutterings of