Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-08-12
WILLIAM j. BRYAN, POPULIST.
Stewart Bears Testimony to the Nominees
Radical Principles.

Stewart Bears Testimony to the Nominee
Radical Principles.
If additional evidence were needed
that William J. Bryan is a Populist it
may be found ID the declaration of the
Populists themselves, their allies and
abettOrS in the two conventions which
met at st. Louis last week and indorsed
Mr.. Bryan. In the silver convention
William NJ. Stewart, Republican Unit
ed States senator from Nevada, bore
testimony to Mr.. Bryans principles in
| these words:
l know William J. Bryan. He believes
what we believe He is as true to his prin-
Democrat in good and regular standing,
| having said time and again that if the Dem
| ocratic party adopted gold platform he
would not support it.
In the same convention Judge Scott
| of Nebraska, in the course of a fervid
speech, invoked the Almighty to send
pestilence and disease, war and famine
upon the nation rather than subject us
to four more years of oppression under
Grover Cleveland"
He then called for three cheers for
! Bryan, which were heartily given, show
ing the estimation in which Democrat
| ic President was held by a gathering
| which Endorsed the Nebraska candidate.
So much for the silver convention.
In the Populist gathering the testimony
! to Mr.. Bryan's populistic orthodoxy was
/ even stronger.
Judge Green of Nebras ska. an intimate
| friend and associate of Mr.. Bryan, in
answer to a question from Texas dele
| gate. said: Il know Mr.. Bryan. |
know him personally. He is my friend.
and [ say to you he is as true Populist
as you or l.
AS Judge Green is. according to his
own statement a Populist of thirty
|
| hardly be asked for.
But the proof accumulates. James B.
Weaver of Iowa, twice the candidate of
the Populists for the presidency OF the
United States, in nominating Mr. Bryan
said:
of the United States distinguished gentle
| man. who, let 1t be remembered, has al
ready been three times indorsed by the
Populist party of his own state-once foT
! REPRESENTATIVE in Congress- once for United
States senator and only last week for the
| presidency.
The inference in the last clause that
the Coliseum convention was PopullSuc
| gathering is both plain and sincere. But
| of that later on.
The best evidence, however, of man
faith-political or otherwise-is to be
found in his own words. On the 4th OF
! November, 1893, at Lincoln, Neb., MI
Bryan, in addressing a Democratic state
convention which had voted down free
| silver resolution by two-thirds major
| lty, made this declaration:
If the Democratic party, after you go
| nome. lndOrses your action and this be
| comes your sentiment, want to promise
you that l will go out and serve my coun-
| try and my God under some other name,
| II l go alone.
Divested of the hyperbole which is
Mr.. Bryan's fayorite rhetorical figure.
! this declaration meant that he would
| desert the Democratic party and become
a Populist.
Does anyone doubt that he has full
filled his declaration?
Mr.. Bryan is the nominee of three ma
tional conventions. Two of these were
openly and avowedly Populistic. The
| third-the one which met in Chicago
was Populist in everything but name,
and that name was stolen from party
with which it had no sympathy.
That it was Populist convention was
proved by the fact that it nominated
! Mr.. Bryan. That gentleman could not
have accepted the Democratic platform
of 1892 or of any previous year: He
could not have faced Democratic con-
vention with his record behind him.
Nor, on the other hand, could the Chi
cago convention have nominated a Demo
crat The feeble attempts that were
made to do SO showed the estimate in
which Democrats were held by the con-
accorded consideration and might have
been nominated, but Democrats CT life
| long standing were either contemporary
thrust aside CIR not mentioned at all.
1t was a Populist convention. The
| two st. Lous assemblages which have
adjourned after indorsing Mr.. Bryan
were also Populist conventions He
has had the Endorsement of no one but
Populists for the last three years. He
is claimed by the Populists. He is ex-
plotted as a Populist. He admits that
he is a Populist He is a Populist.
Is any further argument necessarily
| From the Chicago Chronicle Dem).
What Silver Means to Workingmen.
There are $4,50O0O0,000 in wages to
be paid the workingmen of this country
annually at so cents on the dollar. That
is what the Democratic platform means
Who are the creditor class in the United
States? There are the bondholders, who
have about S600,000000 of government
bonds, they could be paid in silver dollars
worth 50 cents each. Then there comes
the 100000 laboring men, from the
farm hand to the railroad engineer, from
the counter girl to the cashier, earning
from 81 to 81 each per day, at the low
est average $3.50 a day, making S15.-
| 900, 900 a day for 300 working days
$4,000, 100000 annually, seven times as
much as all the government bonds out
standing. To pay the workingmen in so
cent silver dollars would mean the an
nual loss of one-half their income, or
s., 250, 100000: or in plain words his
XvOI11d no emf down from q IN ~