Evening star., 1896-10-03
A ROW BRE WIN G
Tom Watson Expected to Make aSen-
sation in the Campaign.
his VERY SUSPICIOUS TEMPERAMENT
He Has Never Trusted the PopuIist
National Committee.
MAY REPUDIATE BRYAN

Before the campaign is over Tom Watson
is going to figure more prominently than he
yet has. big row is brewing. 1t has been
brewing from the start. but now the brew
is hot and about to boil over. In this hour
of strange conditions and eccentric indiVtdu-
ality the Georgian deserves to lie put under
a microscope and studied more carefully
than he yet has been. In him is found the
most phenomenal development of the ego
known to the human race. That he is
brilliant talker is known. That he Is a
reckless writer has been proven He Is a
great apostle of populism Through him
and Jerry Simpson and PETER popnlisn first
became generally known. He has been sup
posed to represent the concentrated intel
lectuality of populism. Since he first ap-
peared in public life the people in the south
have changed the familiar reference to the
devil and Tom Walker, to the devil and
Tom Watson"
In his own opinion and in that of his fol-
lowers he Is saving populism from destruc-
ton by absorption in the democrl.ic party.
In the opinion of fusion populists he is him
self destroying the party of which he was
one of the founders. His performances as
a candidate have been interesting to those
whom they have not made anxious. The
jugglery with Mr.. Bryan's prospects much
as the mother watched the monkey at the
masthead tossing the stolen babe. They do
not know his sentiment toward the child.
but are quite sure that his attentions are
dangerous, whatever their intent RAY be.
Acting Out His Nature.
Many of those who are anxious are also
angry. Some are saying hard things about
Watson. Some, with characteristic as
sociation of ideas, do not hesitate to in
sinuate that Hanna has hypnotized him.
The more rational and those better ac-
quainIed with Watson know that he is
but acting his nature, and that he is prob
ably but fulfilling a mission which fate
has decreed for him.
Watson is one of the most suspicious
nlen that ever lived. His small and frail
body is a compact and trembling mass of
nerves. His over-developed brain is gifted
with wonderfully quick perception, which
fs fired by most sensitive imagination.
This renders him poetic, fanciful and
highty. The tremendous velocity with
which the rotatory part of his head goes
around gives him the impression that there
is great activity on the outside around him
His perception, analytical powers ana I'M
agination construct conSpiracieS and all
sorts of things out of this activity, and he
becomes romantically suspicious, like a
small boy who reads detective stories. His
mind is like the sensitive plate in photog-
PSASAAiS --->~-~S 49, "
preston on it.
The habit of suspicion has grown up with
him from youth. His father was betrayed
by some of his most trusted friends, and
suffered great injury at their hands Tom
Watson has always had this before him,
and the feeling excited by IL has not been
diminished by his experience In southern
politics Like all men of that character,
he Is emotional and impreSSionable, and Is
easily fooled by a fatterer. He was sus-
picious of all parties and of all men IN
public life. Hence, he became the apostle
of a new party which had no one In
power. Now he is suspicious of those who
have gone into power through that party
Never Trusted the POpulist Committee
1t is an open secret that he has nevel
trusted the populist national COMMITTED
since its Organization at st. Louis. and tina
he is particularly suspicious Of Chairman
Butler. He has 1t we'll impressed upon hi:
mind that he is being made use of to
further the aims of the democratic party
and that the populist committee are parties
to the conspiracy. At times the suspicion
has grown faint, and he has wavered. "A
other times 1t has grown strong, and M
has written and spoken his discomfort
The committee have been placating, tenn
poriZirg and talking TO him throughout the
negotia tions for fusion, but the irritation
has been increasing on both sides, unit
now combustion is threatened. There is nj
doubt that Watson was dealt with in
very positive manner in connection will
the Indiana fusion, and that ne yielded t
it under very heavy pressure. 1t is equal!
certain that his efforts afterward to breal
up the fusion have made the extrem
Bryan populistS very indignant. He ha
two or three times been admonished tina
he was injuring the prospects of Bryan
election, and that it was his duty to keel
still, but when he has yielded he has ap
pdrently Immediately regretted it and ha
broken forth again. Just in the midst o
the most determined effort of all to quie
n I'M no ha- he. IL
than ever. An open rupture between him ant
his national committee, made plain to tn
whole world is likely to occur at any min
ute The practical fusion of his forces AM
the republicans in state affairs in Georgia
and his public complaint that he never ap
proved of fusion in any state on electors
and that the national committee would no
do as he wanted, is regarded as the begin
ming of the outbreak
May Repudiate the Bryan Ticket.
No surprise will be occasioned If at an
time before the election Watson openly re
pudiates the Bryan ticket, denounces tn
populist national committee and calls upo
the populist masses to avenge him. Som
such course is expected from him hourly
and IL has been felt that every day tha
mas passed has been but a postponemen
of the evil hour. AS a matter of fact h
Is reckoned as having already gone owe
10 the opposition to Bryan, and if he act
In time and still possesses the influence h
once did, he will strike a very effectiy
olow at the populistic-democratic coalition
The fusionists contend that if Bryan is de
1eated after an open attack upon him b
watson, such as may be expected 1t wi
be apt not only to cure the democratj
party of populism to considerable exten
but will be almost certain to put an end
the populist party. The Watsonian ide
will be that the populist party, saved b
hiHt from being swallowed by the demos
racy, will. as the party of the future NOV
forward to victory in 1900 under its ow
distinctive banner with the old and e,
perienced populist leaders in command
Treasury Department Changes.
The following changes have been mad