Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-09-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 18th, 1896.

Washington, Sept. 18th, 1896.
Who will muzzle Tom Watson? That
is just now the question of questions
at every secret conclave held at pop
ocratic headquarters. Watson is as
autocratic in all his dealings with the
members of the populist National
committee as Bryan is with the mem
bers of the democratic committee,
and his demand that Sewall be taken
off the Bryan ticket to make room for
him has reached stage where it can
no longer be ignored. The popocratic
managers have got to do something
very soon, and they are at loss to
choose. Their original intention was
to buncO Watson and there is reason
to believe that Senator Butler, chair
man of the populist national commit
tee, was party to that intention; but
Watson has succeeded in stirring up
the populists in portions of the West
and South to such an extent that the
popocrats have lost their nerve and
are now in doubt about what to do,
and bets have been made that they
will wind up by throwing Sewall over
board. They would probably have
done SO before now, if they did not
hope for a lot of Sewall's money, and
if they had not been afraid of it's eff
feet in the East. After the New York
convention meets, this week, the last
fear will not count. They know that
they haven't ghost of a chance TO
carry an Eastern state, but they want
the moral effect in other states of a
declaration in favor of Bryan and
Sewall, by the New York convention.
Good news continues to be about
the only kind received at the Repub-
lican headquarters. 1t comes from
every section and indicates that the
reaction against the free and indie
Is to by this government is steadily
becoming stronger, even in states in
to which the republican managers
have sent neither literature nor
speakers because they believed them
hopelessly given up to free silver SEN
timent. This is, of course, pleasing,
but no rainbow chasing is being done
by republicans; their efforts are being
confined to. states which they have a
reasonable right to believe can be
carried by Mckinley and Hobart.
The calm, dispassionate, legal-like
open letter which Attorney General
Harmon made public several days ago
is by far the most important utter
ance that has come from the admin
istration, against Bryan's anarchistic
tendencies, not excepting the letter
from Mr.. Cleveland. Mr.. Harmon's
letter deals exclusively with that
clause of the Chicago platform declar-
ing against what it termed Federal
interference in local affairs, which
everybody knows to have been aimed
at Mr.. Cleveland's prompt suppression
OF the interference with the U. S.
mail by the railroad rioters at Chica-
go, the most creditable thing in his
administration, and with Mr.. Bryan's
pledge not to do likewise should he
become President, and similar state
of affairs be brought about again. The
following words of Attorney General
Harmon are worthy of careful study
of every good citizen, regardless of
party: "This in my judgment, is far
more serious matter than the money
question or any other question now
before the public. grave as they all
are. Our form of government may
survive a wrong decision of those
questions, and the people may endure
for time the evils which result from |
false systems of finance and taxation,
but if the President has deliberately |
disregarded the instrument upon !
which the Union is founded, by sup
planting the authority of a sovereign
state by armed force, precedent has |
been made which threatens our form
of government, while, if a candidate
for President may properly pledge
himself in advance, as Mr.. Bryan has
done, to do nothing to protect the
property, maintain the authority and
enforce the laws Of the United States,
unless and until the officers of an
other government request or consent
then we really have no Federal gov
eminent, for government which is
not entirely free to use force to pro-
tect and maintain itself in the dis
charge Of its own proper functions, is
no government at ALL" Mr.. Harmon
also quotes the resolution offered in
the Senate by Senator Daniels, DIVA,
who presided over the Chicago con-
vention, voted for that platform and