Evening star., 1896-07-30
Democratic Leaders Do Not Expect
That With the Populists.
FHE MIDDLE-OF-FHE-R0AD MEN
Southern Democrats Must Be
Taken Into Consideration.
AN INDEPENDENT TICKET

1T Is not believed that the democratic
leaders anticipate any general fusion with
the populists as q party. It Is UNDERSTOOD
that there was DO reservation whatever In
Bryan's decrnation Of the popultst nomina-
tou on q ticket With anybody but Sewall.
No doubt Is felt that he will repeat tne
declinatton II a popuiist notification corr
mittee waits upon him In the judgment
of mon whose advice he must rely on dur
Ing the campaign. and seemingly In MS
own Judgment. there Is nothing snort VI
that left open to him 1t has been made
evident that any course on his part which
would be satisfactory to the niddle-of-tne-
road populists would entirely discredit
him with most Of the old-hne democrats,
though they be silver men, 1t Is not
thought that he ever contemplated such
course, nor that 1t has been expected Of
him by the democrats who sought to cap
ture the populiSt convention or even py
the populist leaders who are Bryan men.
The Bryan men IN the st Louis convention
and those whom they represent are silver
men rather than ropulssts for this OCCASION
The enti-Bryan. CT mtddle-of-the-road, men
are populsts rather than silver men, and
many Of them fear that the free coinage of
silver would postpone and probably defeat
altogether that which they want above all
things, an unlimited Issue of unreceemable
these latter Bryan would have to commit
himself to irredeemable paper money
Neither the popuiist leaders who advocated
the nomination of the democratic ticket
nor the democrats anticipate his doing this.
por Is 1t thought possible that he could or
would dump Sswan. Nor Is 1t regarded as
possible for the democrats to divide cleo
tors with the populists when every elector
accorded the popullSt5 would be a vote
against Sewall
Effect Of POpuJIsf SuHn01f
The western populist leadeF. such as
PETER, Simpson and Allen. expect Bryan
to get the western popul1st vote, no matter
what Is the outcome of the present tangle
The gen.ral idea is that there will be an
adjustment which will be satisfactory to
the western populists and most others who
are ardent silver men, and that the south
ern middle-of-the-road populists will put
Up an Independent ticket In more or less
irregular way, pI obably transferring Wat
son to the head The only southern state
In which the democrats are likely to try
TO make terms with the populists Is North
Carolina In the first place. 1t will be diff
fcult to n axe any terms, and, IN the sec
Ond place, every southern pOpulist vote
they might get through concessions would
probably cost Bryan several straight dem
ocratic votes. The southern democrats
have got to be taken into consideration.
Moreover, 1t has been made evident that
there Is danger of swamping the ticket by
overioadiag 1t with popu1ism, and X too
much is yielded in the effort to get populist
support very considerable body of demo-
Gratis Will come to the conclusion that the
ticket has been turned over to the popu-
lists, ard they will rot feel bound by party
loyalty to give it their support Many who
wanted the populiSt Endorsement Of Bryan
feel already that it will be better if the
populists are not too unanimous IN their
support Of the democratic candidate. They
rather court the antagonis1n of the south
ern m.ddle-of- the-road men Their calcu-
lation Is that the recent growth Of the pop
ulist party in the south is largely due to
their being Joined by silver democrats who
were diSgusted with the Cleveland admin
istration, and concluded that free silver
could not be hoped for through the old
democratic party ALI these men who have
become populists on account of silver, they
calculate, will support Bryan regardless Of
populist party action. If this proves true
the opposition OF the irredeemable paper
populists. they think, will be a benefit 20
Bryan
An Independent Popu.ist Ticket.
Their idea is that II they can get the en-
tire siive, vote of the south for Bryan IT.
will insulo his carrying all the southern
states. even with three tickets in the field
The party leaders will probably act on
t1is idea and the most probable thing is
that there viii be an independent populst
ticket in the field. whose chief function will
be to prove to the country that there Is a
distinction between the democratic and the
populist parties. but which viii not be ex-
pected to take many votes from Bryan in
quarters where he cannot spare them. A