San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-09-16
MUZZLE TOM WATSON.
THAT'S WHAT THE P0P0CRATS
WOULD LIKE TO DO.
subsiding the K. of L, Paper-GOOd Re-
publican News Continues to Come
to the Headquarters.

zle Tom Watson? That is just now
the question of questions at every Sc
cret conclave held at Popocratic head
quarters. Watson is as autocratic in
all his dealings with the members OF
the Populist National Committee as
Bryan is with the members OF the
Democratic committee, and his demand
that Sewall be taken off the Bryan
ticket to make room for him has reach
ed a stage where it can no longer be
ignored The Popocratic managers
have got to do something very soon,
and they are at loss to choose. Their
original intention was to bunco Wat
son, and there is no reason to believe
that Senator Butler, chairman of the
Populist National Committee, was
party to that intention; but Watson has
succeeded in stirring up the Populists
in portions of the south and west to
such an extent that the Popocrats
have lost their nerve and are now in
doubt about what to do, and bets have
been made that they will wind up by
throwing Sewall overheard. They
would probably have done so before
now, if they did not hope for a lot of
Sewall's money, and If they had not
been afraid of it's effect in the east.
Good news continues to be about the
only kind received at the Republican
headquarters. 1t comes from every
section and indicates that the reaction
against the free and Independent coin
age of silver at the ratio of 16 to by
this government is steadily becoming
stronger even in states into which the
neither
literature nor speakers because they
believed them hopelessly given up to
free silver sentiment. This is, of
course, pleasing, but no rainbow chas-
ing is being done by the Republicans;
their efforts are being confined to
states which they have a reasonable
right to believe can be carried by Nc
Kinley and Hobart.
The calm, dispassionate, legal-like
open letter which Attorney General
Harmon made public several days
ago is by far the most important utter
ance that has come from the admins
tr1ion, against Bryan's anarchistic
tendencies, not excepting the letter
from Mr.. Cleveland. Mr.. Harmon's
letter deals exclusively with that clause
of the Chicago platform declaring
against what it termed Federal inter-
ference in local affairs. which every
body knows to have been aimed at Mr..
Cleveland's prompt suppression of the
interference with the United States
mail by the railroad rioters at Chicago,
the most creditable thing in his ad-
ministration, and with Mr.. Bryan's
pledge not to do likewise should he be-
come president, and similar state of
affairs be brought about again. The
following words of Attorney General
Harmon are worthy of the general
study of every good citizen, regardless
of party: This in my judgment, is
far more serious matter than the mon
ey question or any other question now
before the people, grave as they all
are. Our form of government may
survive a wrong decision Of those
questions, and the people may endure
for a time the evils which result from
false systems of finance and taxation,
but If the president has deliberately
disregarded the instrument upon which
the Union is founded, by supplanting
the authority of a sovereign state by
armed force, a precedent has been
made which threatens our form of gov
eminent, while, II a candidate for pres
ident may properly pledge himself in
advance, as Mr.. Bryan has done, to
do nothing to protect the property,
maintain the authority and enforce the
laws of the United States, unless and
until the officers of another govern
ment request or consent, then we real
ly have no Federal government for a
government which is not entirely free
to use force to protect and maintain
itself in the discharge of its own prop
er functions, is no government at ALL"
Mr.. Harmon also quotes the resolu-
ton offered in the senate by Senator
Daniels, of Va, who presided over the
Chicago convention, voted for that
platform and who is now on the stump
for Bryan, indorsing in the strongest
language the presidents action in sup
pressing the railroad riots
Col. B. F. Ravens, of Terre Haute,
Ind, has written letter to Washing
ton friend on the political situation in
that state, which he has unusually
good opportunities to be familiar with,
closing with this positive assertion:
IT regard Indiana safe against all
corners for Mckinley"
The subsidising of the official organ
of the knights of Labor. published at
washington, by the Popocrats recalls
the subsidising of the official organ of
the Farmers Alliance by the Demo-
cratic National Committee in 1892. The
journal of the K. of L. is now being
widely distributed just as the f. A. pa
per was then, and the result may be as
fatal to the K. of L. paper as it was