Evening star., 1896-10-27
WATSON'S POSITION.
His Personal Representative Makes n
Vigorous Statement.

HIS Personal Representative Makes a
Vigorous Statement.
The truth about the recent juggling be-
tween the populist and democratic man
sgers, national and local, over a scheme
for fusion in Georgia is gradually coming.
H. w. Reed, member of the popuiist ma
tional committee, who participated in the
negotiations as Wa:son's personal repre-
sentative, made public yesterday a state
ment in answer to an editorial in the At
lanta Constitution, in which an effort was
made to place the responsibility for failure
of the electoral fusion in Georgia on the
populist state committee and the leaders of
the populist party. Mr.. Reed, over his own
signature, says:
Mr.. Howell was sent to Georgia to effect
fusion after the populist state committee
had made its proposition to the democratic
state committee. after Senator Jones had
seen and approved the proposition, and
after a party of distinguished democrats
had visited Mr.. Watson and consulted with
him regarding It, All of this time no dem
ccrat had discovered that the proposition
was either offensive or without an ele-
ment Of fusion If the proposition of the
pcpulists was SO unfair and SO offensive,
why did the chairman of the democratic
committee call his committee together to
consider 1t? Why did three distinguished
democrats visit Mr.. Watson? Why did
Chairman Jones reques. them to do SO?
Why did they urge Chairman Jones to meet
the populist vice presidential candidate in
Atlanta? Why did Chairman Jones delegate
Clark Howell to ccme to Atlanta? And if
1t was not to arrange fusion. why did Mr.
Howell come? Why did he meet the mem
bers of the popu.ist national executive com
mittee? Why did he make speech favor
ing fusion before his state committee?
Mr.. Howell knows that 1t will take
every popuist vote in several doubtful
states to insure the election of Mr. BRYAN.
He knows that there is a disaffectfon in
the populist ranks because the populists
union, but are expected TO surrender un-
conditionally. He knows that it is a diff
cult matter to convince some popu,ists that
the same men and party who killed free
silver b:fore will not do 1t again. He
knows that such populists demand from
the democrats an earnest of good faith in
the shape of honorab bic terms Of agreement
He knows that Mr.. Washburn and 1 came
to Georgia to see Mr.. Watson and arrange
such an agreement as would be approved
by Mr.. Watson and Senator Jones' He
knows that 1 did my part and that he did
not do his He knows that his state COM
mttee rejected overtures of fusion in a
resolution offered by himself. and then ad-
jourIed without replying to the populist
committee: He knows that Chairman
Jones continued to urge that some fusion
arrangement be ma ]e. He knows that he
assured Senator Jones that Georgia was
safe for Bryan without fusioa, and that
Georgia leaders would not consider fusion.
He knows that the failure Of fusion rests
entirely with the democrats. .
Il hope Bryan will be elected, but If he is
not he can attribute his defeat to the
selfish narrow partisanism of the Kansas
and Georgia democrats. If the editor of
the Constitution will reflect his very So
-ious objection to the populist fusion prop
osition, that there was no element in f,,-
sion in 1t because 1t failed TO recognize Mr..
Sewall. had very little weight with GER
tain distinguished democrats prior to the
meeting OF the democratic state Commit
tee, and that said distinguished demo-
cation of the populist proposition, whereby
the entire populist electoral ticket should
be withdrawn and the entire Democratic
ticket substituted under an agreement that
said democratic electors should cast their
thirteen votes for Mr.. Watson for vice
president"