The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-09-11
PAUL VA%NDERVOORT.
WARM PRAISE FOR BRYAN AND
WATSON.
The Ticket Can Easily BE Elected
Every Populist Should Vote 1t--Keep
Up the Good Work of Educating the
Masses.

ana see what we can DO to continue the
fight for our sacred principles. We
have warned the people over and over.
In May | issued a circular of warning
that contained the whole truth. We
urged you in February, at meeting of
Reform Press, and repeated it many
times, for you to elect delegates of ap-
proved loyalty to that convention. You
tried, and over eight hundred were
INSTRUCTED to abide by the fundamental
truths of the Omaha platform, and
nominate a straight ticket. You know
the truth and it is unnecessary to
dwell upon it. Our papers have told
the story. We won the fight on the
platform, and have named the gallant
Tom Watson as our candidate.
1t was our firm belief, after a care
full survey of the situation, that we
could have polled more votes against
the gold power by making straight
nominations and adopting some kind
OF a union on electors, so that the
whole vote could be combined. But
sO-called leaders went into a mad
race to get into the band-wagon and
prevented that result. The Reform
Press and Legion did their whole duty.
Out of nearly three hundred papers
represented, only twenty protested
against a straight ticket, and were for
Bryan and Sewall.
Now that the smoke has cleared
away, the question arises, What shall
we do to be saved?" For one, 1 say,
Stand by u principles; hold together
like the heroes of old, and win in 1900"
Our papers and speakers can reach
a vast host of people who would not
heretofore attend our meetings or read
our papers.
We have the only editors and speak
ers who understand and can readily
discuss the St. Louis or Chicago plat
forms. Adhering always to the St.
Louis platform we can win millions
to our creed, and gain the victory as
early as any of the clearest sighted
yer predicted.
If the democratic committee fully
and squarely recognize our candidate,
Tom Watson, by the withdrawal of Mr..
Sewall, we can all afford to hoist w. J.
Bryan's name to our masthead. 1t
would be a union on honorable terms.
It would hold the identity of our party,
and enable us to stand before the
try in a way that would command the
respect of all parties. We can thus
educate the whole democratic party
and their allies, the republican silver
men, and if this combination fails we
can band the whole mass into a fight
ing phalanx in 1900. I will not lose
heart or hope. l am proud that I went
almost alone from Nebraska and con-
fronted a delegation of Bryan men,
part of whom slandered me every hour,
and stood with the middle of the road"
populists to the last and Joined with
the glorious Texas delegation when our
flag went down.
We maintained our honor and gained
the undying respect of all true popu-
lists. We were branded as Hanna
men, and assailed with all the cpl
thets known to wild and wicked men,
but we never Wavered, and we will not
abandon our faith now and let the last
hope of our faithful people perish.
Our newspapers must not die; we
must hold up and support these faith
full sentinels on the watch tower. They
must not not give up. They can reach
a vast number of new people and our
literature is the only kind that can be
used to educate the masses. We have
-. H., $685. ~ N n y, 10 ~ ENnN nEy-n NNn
can yet advertising. The faithful men
and women Of the reform Press who
have suffered, worked like slaves, sacri-
feed comfort and lived on crumbs will
not give up now.
Now is the crisis in our history. If
we zeal the burden with patience and
stand like men, with our faces to the
future. determined to win the victory,
treachery, dishonOr, or the "gates OF
hell" cannot prevail against us. When
we entered this fight we consecrated
our lives and our fortunes to the cause.
We can save our dear brethren in
the south by adhering to that prince
of fearless fighters, the plumed knight
of our cause, Tom Watson.
We can compel the ballot box suffers
of the south to give us an honest count.
II we are not recognized and treated
honorably, we can hold enough electors
to force a result. We are not destroyed
or dismayed. All it needs now is the
same fearless courage we have always
shown. Our speakers and editors can
be fully employed. Our literature will
be in demand. Our papers can be more
widely circulated, and We can gain mil
linnr ia nur WAY of thinking.