The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-09-29
WHY DEMOCRATS SHOULD VOTE
FOR TOM WATSON.

Hon. John Temple Graves, a prOmi-
nent Democratic leader of Georgia,
gives in a letter to the Atlanta Corsti
tuition his reasons why the Democrats
of the South ought to vote for Tom
Watson for Vice President. We quote
as follows:
1 am supporting Tom Watson for
Vice-President Of the United States.
l support Watson because ne is a
Southerner, a Georgian, who has won
his way to fame and enduring honor
through the thorGiest trials that ever
comprised a public lie il Georgia and
because his nomination represents the
first organized political courage that
has dared to do national honor TO a
Southern man since the civil revolution.
His nomination types the last garsp of
eectionalism, and the first full breath
of actual equality and fellowship that
the South has drawn in the new repub
lie of to day.
I support Watson because I feel that
the Democratic party is bound in honor
to support him-bound by the contract.
solemn and honorable, imrelled in the
presence and attitude Of Jones and
Bland at the Populist convention at st.
Louis.
I support Watson because he repre-
SCENTS a party that in it's members and
in its concurrence here, furnishes to
the D 3mocratic party It's best and only
hope Of victory. Ole million, eight
hundred thousand voters is a fair ex-
change for this inferior honor to a
superior nan fair price for the
Democratic party to pay for the ran
som Of its principles,
We have no votes to spare. We
cannot win against the money power
without the Populists, and we know it.
If we win at all we win by the aid of
the magnificent reinforcement, and
l believe that for this mighty help, the
Democratic party is bound II honor to
an act of reciprocal generosity.
support Watson because he repre-
sents 6 party that has educated our
Democratic party to a due cOnsidera
ton for the welfare Of the common
people. I say it f~earlessly, and it can
not be denied, that reforms for which
the masses have been clamoring for !
years-whether it be silver or labor or
income tax or popular rights or resis
lance to government by injunction
had never been written, and might
never have been written, in a Demo |
cratic platform, until the Populist par !
ty, 1900, 600 strong thunder in the ears
ct Democratic leaders the announc2f
ment that a mighty multitude deman
ded these reforms. Aud among the
men who have nodded, through storm
and struggle, the party that has educa
ted ours to popular liberty, Tom Wat
son, OF Georgia, stands easily as the
first and foremost Of them all.
am in favor of paying this tuition
fee in full.
1 support Watson because S9wall
does not represent the platform on
which he stands. UnheRrd of and I'm
heralded, picked up by chance and &C
cident in the apathy and haste that
marked the closing hour of the Chi
convention, he is out of touch
with his platform on almost as many
points as he touches it. By the record he
is at variance with his platform as a
national banker. He is on record in
opposition to its tariff views. He was !
advocating a gold standard Democrat
for Governor three months ago, and
this is to the credit of his judgement if
not of his consistency. He is in op
position to his platform in the bounties
which come to him from his ships. l
believe that his very party is indiffer
ent to him, and I am sure that Bryan,
his c0mmander-in chief, has written
his explicit condemnation in the public
statement that g candidate ought to
stand above suspicion on every plank
of the platform which supports him.
l support Watson because / have
good reason to believe that three
fourths Of the people of Georgia, with
out regard to party, would prefer him
to S5wall and vote for him if they
were as free as l am.