The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-07
MR.. HALE TO MR.. WATSON.

We publish elsewhere in The Times an
open letter from G. w. B. Hale, of Frank
lin county, member of the Populist ma
tional committee from Virginia, to Hon.
Thomas Watson, the nominee of his party
for Vice President, in which the former
asks the latter to "cease his opposition to
fusion where the same is generally believ
ed to be of advantage to the immediate
success of the great cause of reform" He
then goes on to show how important it is
to make the best of the situation and act
with the allies of the Peoples party even
| to the extent of being under their guild
ance, so that the goal may be reached.
Each day, he says, they are drawing
nearer to victory, for which unity of ac-
| tion is necessary.
Principles, not party nor men, has
been the battle cry of the People, party,
he says, and then he pertinently asks:
"Shall we create distrust by fighting in a
manner which assuredly endangers sue
cess?" He alludes to the fact that the
allies of the Peoples party Oemocrats)
have adoped, almost in toto, it's platform
of principles, and selected as their stand
ard bearer man who is no recent convert
to Populist ideas, but who has been val
iantly fighting for number of years in
behalf Of the cause for which it contends,
and he plainly intimates that it is non
sense to talk of autonomy OF party when
q11p1, r,ri,, o,, Al
stake.''
He also bluntly tells the gentleman
from Georgia that there is no earthly
chance of his election, and advises him to
withdraw from the field as a candidate
for Vice-President. he furthermore states
very frankly in his letter that, while he
would prefer to vote for Southern man
for Vice-President, he will support Mr..
Sewall, not only because of his available
ty, but because he believes that if elected,
and the opportunity presents itself, Mr..
Sewall would conscientiously carry out
the full text of the platform upon which
he was chosen.
In this connection he sharply raps tile
laxative Georgian across the knuckles
for saying that "the man who votes for
Sewall had as well and would as consist
emily vote for Hobart" aSewall, like Mr..
Watson, is, Mr.. Hale says, in favor of free
coinage at the ratio of 16 to l; while Ho.
bart il for monometallism unless West
ern Europe agrees to bimetallism. The
former is willing right now to establish
free and unlimited coinage, while the lat
ter (Hobart) is willing to postpone action
until Gladstone and the monarchical gov
eminent Of England "says So" The for
mer scheme is, he says, tangible; the Eat
ter is positively not 80.
In conclusion he tells the Georgia can
didate that his stay on the ticket leonard
ICES the success of the silver cause, andi
that Withdrawal on his part would be
heralded with patriotic delight by many
of his party friends, and largely by those
who esteem him as great and good man.
The letter is written in such kindly
spirit, and shows so clearly that the
writer seeks only the advantage of the
silver cause, that it must carry great
weight wherever and by whatsoever read.
Whether it will reach the heat of the &C.
centric Georgian remains to be seen; but
whatever his action may be Committee-
man Hale, as II patriot desiring the sue
cess of the principles Of the Peoples par
ty, has, from his standpoint at least, done
his full duty both to it and Mr.. Watson,
who, by withdrawing now, might open
the way for still greater honors for HIM
self in the not remote future.