People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1896-10-30
Committee Reviewed.

the other day in Chicago and issued
a manifesto, did itP And they have
ssresoluted" something on this wise ;
"That inasmuch as We sacrificed
everything save homer when we met
at St. Louis for the purpose of &C.
curing harmony among the reform
ranks, submitting to humiliation, lick
ing the feet that so often have kick
ed us, etc., in the hope that our uu.
selfish example would be reoipro-
Gated by the Democratic party; and
inasmu5l as the said Democratic
party still clings to its time-hcn0Ted(
prerogatiye Of taking all it can get,
keeping all it can hold, and is still
Democratic q that is to say, Is still
utterly void of honor or principle,
still insensible to justice, still an in
CRATE, void of feeling and because of
these characteristics is unable to
make any concessions and to meet
us on halfway ground, therefore
be it resolved, that we sacrifice all
that is left us-our honor-that we
throw down our principles, put on
sack cloth and ashes, get on our faces
in the dust, and crawl into the Dem
cratic camp on any terms that Sena-
tor Jones and his henchmen may die
tate; that in the very moment when
victory is possible we "fuse" our
party out of existence by amalga-
mating it with the very enemy we
have given the last six years of our
life to destroy"
Fellow Populists, what do you
think of the above resolutions? True,
these men on the executive commit
tee ought to understand their bust
ness, but have not we, the people
who constitute the Peoples party,
right to cay whether or not our
principles shall be forfeited and our
party "Iused away?" We've given
TOO much sweat to this fight during
the past six years to now give up
the battle. Victory is too near in
hand for us now to speak of compro-
m So. much less surrender. Having
planted our banner in tho very heart
81 the enemy's country il is now too
late to haul it down. II our leaders
prove weakened in this critical
moment, then remember fellow-com.
moners, tnat this Gght began with
the common people aud the oonlEsea.
people must maintain it.
Let US remember the old Green
back party whose ruins stand out
today monument to It's own stupid
simplicity and to the treachery OF
the party that stole its platform and
betrayed it. Having, as l said, com,
promised away every hing at the st.
Louis convention save our honor, we
placed that in tle hands OF a man
whom we knew we could trnst, a
man who, having consecrated his
life to our cause, and had proved his
ability and fidelity, the common
people had learned to love. Placing
this great responsibility upon Mr..
Watson when we made him our
nominee for Vice President. We
promised to stand by him in this bat
tie. We have made him conspicu
GUS IS our color bearer, and true to
his trust, Mr.. Watson has planted
cur banner in the thickest Of the
fight only to find himself deserted
deserted, did say? Nay, nay! His
ieutensnts may beat a retreat but
the boys in the trenches are going to
stand by their colors, To desert our
standard bearer now would be with
out parallel in history since Joal
of Arc was betrayed by the people
God sent her to deliver.
1t is IN faithful obedience to the
command of sovereign people that
Tom Watson upholds the standard
of his party today, and only this
sovereign people have the right to
order their standard lowered.
And now in response to tina. rab
bic clamor that Watson come down
in favor of the ''gold clause" demi-
god from Name, the boys in the
trenches would reply that the reason
Tratson don't come down is because
he is not traitor to the people who
put him up. And right here the
boys in the trenches would serve
.zA:.a l. A. --o.I1 4Lo4 ,,~h;lo H.,