The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-02-13

| The conditions are more favorable for q
| third party than they have been for
many years, and party with single
issue appealing to strong popular senti-
| ment will have advantages in triangu-
lar battle over the old parties, which may
present varied assortment of economic
and political notions. We don't believe
in free coinage, but realize it has a
strong hold on the people in most of the
States of the Union south and west of
Pennsylvania. The Post Dem.), Pitts
burg.
Populists and Socialsm--"The Hon.
Tom Watson sounds note of alarm in a
recent issue of his paper. He has made
the discovery that many so-called Popu-
lists are really socialists of the Coxey
brand, and it is part of their policy to
interfere with the property rights of
their neighbors. This does not suit Mr..
Watson, and he threatens to retire from
the party if the socialists become strong
enough to control it. He claims that
he has always been conservative in his
ideas and methods, and declares that the
government of Washington and Jefferson
is good enough for him. 1t is gratifying
to tlnd Mr.. Watson speaking out in this
fashion, and, now that he plainly secs
the drift of Populsm and is aware of
the growing strength of the socialists, he
should walk out of the Third party and
return to the Democratic fold. The
Democrats who are most Jealous and
useful in the cause of genuine reform
can not afford to ally themselves with
the socialists, who are rapidly taking pos
session of the Populist camp. They will
find no better place to work for their pro-
posed reforms than inside of the Demo-
cratic party. The Constitution DEM,
Atlanta, Ga.
Neither Tariff nor Currency Should Be
Party Question-"It looks very much
as if this year the parties will be re-
quired by the people to tote fair Hence
the uncertainty that prevails as to the
attitude of parties. 1t is not only be-
cause of the very real and widespread
differences of opinion that exist among
members of the same party upon ques-
ton as to which party, if it aspires to ad-
minister the government successfully,
ought TO be aunt, but because of the eX-
istence in both parties of class of man
aging and scheming politicians who, hav-
ing no convictions of their own which
they are not willing to sell or barter, are
always looking for some evasive comproA
mise or trick to avoid facing an honest
issue
"Will the solution be breakup in
either or both of the old parties and a
union OF the sound money men of the
country under one flag? is a question
sometimes asked. Anything of that sort
can hardly be anticipated or predicted in
advance. If it should occur at all it
would be most likely to happen during
or after the session of the National con-
vention. Moreover, men who might
think alike and feel alike on the currency
question might be found to differ so
widely on other questions-the tariff. for
eXample--as to make united political ac-
ton on their part extremely difficult. In
real truth, neither the currency nor the
tariff should be a party question at all,
though how to avoid their becoming such
is not easy to suggest. Meanwhile, with
respect to the presidential issues and
possibilities of 1896 we can only repeat
as we began, by saying that the only
thing certain is that everything is un-
certain. The Sun Qnd), Baltimore.