Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-08-14


men, that the power of the pie brig
ade" is very great, and the men from
Texas, Maine, Arkansas, California,
Ohio, Illinois, and many other states
who took part in the proceedings Of
the meeting held after the adjourn
ment of the convention were deter
mined that the influence of the office
seekers in their own as well as in the
democratic party should for once, how
ever, reluctantly be cast upon the side
Of principle, or else be rendered abso-
lutely nugatory. Either Mr.. Bryan will
accept the peoples party nomination
and with Watson on the ticket with
him and accomplish a sweeping vic
tory over the gold standard as repre-
sented by Mr.. Mckinley, or he will
refuse the assistance rendered by the
peoples party and with his monopo-
listic running mate go down in over
whelming defeat.
With two electoral tickets in the
field, one for Bryan and Sewall, the
other for Bryan and Watson, or Nor
ton and Watson, such division in the
rank and file Of the voting army would
occur as would necessarily defeat the
electoral tickets opposed to Mckinley
in three-fourths of the states of the
union. The votes for the Bryan and
Watson electors could not be counted
with the votes cast for the Bryan and
Sewall electors in order to elect Bryan.
The Republic, in an editorial in it's
issue of the 9th inst, chucklingly
says:
Senator Allen played a shrewd piece
of politics when he refused to read the
telegram from Mr.. Bryan announcing
a refusal to accept the populist nomi-
nation with any other except Sewall as
running mate.
"He secured the nomination of Bry-
an, prevented bolt and placed tho
authority to make further arrange
ments in the hands of the national
committee.
THUS, while Watson is the nominee
Of the populist party for vice presi-
dent, the votes of the party can be Sc
cured for Bryan with orwithout his
acceptance, as the populist national
committee may determine"
Here is plain admission that Sena-
tor Allen received a telegram from
Bryan declining to be the nominee of
the populists except with Sewall. The
intimation is plain land it Is true) that
Bryan would not have been the nom
inee Of the convention had such tele-
gram been read, but the assumption
that the national committee will
treacherously do that which the ma
tional convention of the party would
not consider moment is assumption
pure and simple and is strictly on a,
par with the impudence which char
acterizes as "a shrewd piece of poll
tics" a contemplate action which is
only properly named when it. is called
dishonest politics" The Globe-Demo--
crat, another organ to whom real re-
form and real reformers are as poison,
also suggests that the democrats will
accomplish their purpose through the
treachery of our national committee,
which is to be relied upon to take down
Watson and put up Sewall in, his stead.
These old party organs, who know al
solutely nothing about reform, or re-
formers, and who measure everybody
in their own half-bushel' and Judge
others by themselves, of. course believe
that the members of our national COM
mittee have each their price and all
that is necessary is to meet it.. In this
they are mistaken. But suppose the
impossible should happen, does. any
body holieye that the. members of the
peoples party would permit. them
selves to be made merchandise of and
delivered in the direction suggested?
~ T. d. HINCKLEY.