The San Francisco call., 1896-11-09
BUrLEh,s STATEMENT:
Speaks Of the Losing Battle of the Free
SiLre1. Eorces.

Speaks of the Losing Battle of the Free
Sitrer Forces.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. s.-Senator
Marion Butler, chairman of the National
Com mittee of the Peoples party, has
issued the following statement:
To the People of the United States: In the re-
markable campaign just closed the People 5
party was the only party that supported
solidIy and unitedly the great and vital Issues
represented in the candidacy of Mr.. Bryan.
This was natural, for the Peoples party came
into existence to bring to the front and to
press to victory the principles of Lincoln and
Jefferson, already long discarded by the two
old par ties.
The money power, feeling reasonably sure of
Its control and dom ination of the leaders and
the controlling influences III the Republican
party in 1892, gave its support to the candl-
| pose of having him, through the use. OF
patronage and otherwise, crush out the silver
sentiment in the South and make the leaders
IN that party as com pletely suDserylent as
those In the Republican party.
To accomplish this purpose four Cabinet
Ministers from the South and an unusually
large amount of patronage was used on the
leaders 10 the same effect.
It will be remembered that Mr.. Cleveland
demanded that Democratic Senators and Con-
gressmen give decisive vote in the interest
| OF the gold standard before he would even
give out the postotilces. This deep plan might
have succeeded had not the Peoples party al
the plot, stood in the breach and appealed to
the patriotic hosts of bo III parties to check the
scheme Of the peoples despoiler and rally to a
common cause.
Then the Peoples party forced the Demo-
cratic organization to repudiate Cleveland and
10 return 10 the correct fundamental princi-
pies Not only this, but the Peoples party
then forced the Republican party to cease
hedging and straddling for the purpose OF de-
celYlng people, and drove 1t into a stand on
| one side or the other of the vital issues at
stake.
The issue now being squarely defined, it was
evident that those influences in the Demo-
cratic party which had dominated and de-
Dauched the party for quarter OF century
would be driven to the support OF party tnat
took position on the side OF trusts, monopo-
Hes and money gamblers. While on the other
hand 1t is evident that even though the
larger per cent OF the Republican party
favored the principles not squarely forced TO
| the front, yet only small per cent would in
this campaign support them because they
/ found them advocated by the Democrats: But
had 1t not been for the prejudice
| as want OF confidence in Demo
cratic promises. for which it must be
iairly admitted past experience furnish hes am-
! pie ground, a majority of the voters of the
country, in spite of the tremendous and un-
paralleled forces put forward by the Republi-
can managers, would have cast their votes for
reform and American independence.
The Peoples party, with q high patriotism
and an unselfish devotion to principle greater
than ever before exhibited by any other party,
| stepped outside of its organization to throw
| its 1000, 900 votes solidly for Bryan. Had not
more than this number of those who called
| themselves Democrats in 1892 given their sup
| port TO Mckinley, the cause OF the people and
American principles would have triumphed
| this year.
This class of Democrats will surely support
| the party of monopoles and trusts in the
future. Their places in the ranks of the re-
| form hosts may be taken by patriotic Repub-
neans. In fact, Bryan would have been elected
in this contest had even $4,000 silver Repub-
! licans come to the rescue.
The election of Mckinley and triumph of the
| gold standard does not ex press the desires and
sentiments of the American people. The ma
| 1orlty oppose the policy for which he stands,
and will SO vote whenever an opportunity is
able and brilliant campaign of William j.
Bryan would have aligned these forces and
marched them TO triumphant victory if any
candidate leader IN American could have
done so under the Democratic banner.