The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-09-17
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.


is just now the question of questions
at every secret conclave held at Popd-
cratic headquarters. Watson is jas
autocratic i'll all his dealings with Ire
members Of the POpulist NatiQfhl
| Committee as Bryan is with the M u
! bers of the Democratic commia,ne,
and his demand that Sewell be tasbn
off the Bryan ticket to make room(or
him has reached stage where it can
no longer be ignored The Popocratic
managers have got to do something
very soon, and they are at a loss to
choose Their original intention was
to bunco Watson, and there is reason
to believe that Senator Butler, Chair
man OF the PCpulist National Conf
nittee, was a 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 nera4
and are now in doubt about what ftb
do, and bets have been made tl4t
they win wind up by throwing SeMfJ.
overheard They would probably
have done so before now, if they Liz
not hope for a lot OF Sewali's money,
and if they had not been afraid Of its
effect in the east. After the New
York convention meets, this week,
the last fear viii not count They
know that they haven't a ghost Of a
chance TO carry an eastern state, but
they want the moral effect in other
states Of declaration in favor Of
Bryan ana Sewail, by The New York
Democratic convention.
Good news continues to be about
the only kind received at the Repub-
lican headquarters. 1t comes from
every section and indicates that the
reaction against the free and indie
pendent coinage Of silver at ratio of
IS 70 / by this Government is steadily
| becoming stronger, even in states into
which the Republican managers have
sent neither literature nor speakers
because they believed them hopelessly
| given up to free silver sentiment.
This is, OF course, pleasing, but no
rainbow chasing is being done by Re
! publicanS; their efforts are being con
fined to states which they have rea-
sonable right to believe can be carried
| Inv l9k iDInyr. aD1 ICla-+
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
tration, 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 declar-
ing against what it termed Fede4s,t
| interference in local affairs, which
everybody knows to have been aimed
at Mr. Cleveiand's prompt suppress
| sion of the interference with the u. S.
mail by the railroad rioters at Chi
| cagO, the most creditable thing in his
administration, and with Mr.. Bryan's
| pledge to not do likewise should he
! become President, and a similar state
! OF affairs be brought about again.
The following words of Attorney Gen
| eral Harmon are worthy of the care
full study of every good citizen, re-
gardless Of party: This in my iudg-
ment, is a far more serious matter
than the money question or any other
question now before the people, grave
as they all are Our form of govern
ment may survive a wrong decision of
those questions, and the people may
endure for time the evils which re-
suit from false systems of finance and
| taxation, but if the President has de-
liberately disregarded the instrument
upon which the Union is founded, by
sapplanting the authority Of sover-
eign state by armed force, precedent
has been made which threatens our
form of government, while, if can
didate for President may properly
pledge himself in advance, as Mr..
Bryan has done, to do nothing to pro
tect the property, maintain the au-
thority and enforce the laws of the
| United States, unless and until the
officers of another government request
or consent, then we really have no
Federal government, for a Govern
ment which is not entirely free TO 1lse-
force to protect and maintain itself in
the discharge of its own proper func-
| tiOns, is no government at ALL Sen
atOr Daniels, of Virginia, who presid-
ed over the Chicago Convention,
voted for that platform and who is
now on the stump for Bryan, indoors
ing in the strongest language the
Presidents action in suppressing the
railroad riots.
Col. b. F. Ravens, of Terre Haute,
Indiana, has written letter to a
Washington friend on the political
|