Birmingham state herald., 1896-10-30
To My Populist Friends:


 hope may be allowed to address you few words on the present political sit uation. I take this liberty the more free ly because have been with you in oppo- sition to good many things in Alabama in the last four years; and, without hav- ing betrayed or bolted a primary or con- vention, supported Captain Kolb, Cap tain Johnston and the free silver ticket in Limestone county this year. I have placed country above party, and princi- pies above power; and for these things I, with you, have been decorated with the criticisms of the bad and honored by the approval of the good; and I have no apology to make for my record in the premises. Through it all have abandon ed no real democratic principles, for saken no real democratic party and par ticipated in no outrages on the institu- tions of the state; and I am delighted to find myself now enabled to stand. con- sistently, side by side, with William J. Bryan on the national democratic plat form.
 Hence, feel that ought to have some little influence with you, to the end that you may not be silent or throw your vote away in the pending political contest.
 The supreme question of the campaign is the free coinage of both the precious metals a t the ratio of 16 to 1. But don't understand that there is or has ever been any trouble with you on that question. You are unanimously for the money of the constitution, of the Bible and of the ages and are entitled to much credit for it's prominence in this campaign. In fact, that question is finally settled in this re- zion. It is no longer a subject of argu- ment or controversy in Alabama. The simplest and the wisest have long since grasped and comprehended the infamy and ruin of the single gold standard. That standard, clandestinely imposed on this country in 1873, has destroyed, sub- stantialy, half the value of the property, almost doubled the indebtedness of the people and impoverished the fairest por- tions of the earth; and still your intelli- gence is, once in awhile, insulted by the miserable pretenses that such calamities or misfortunes are best for the people! Neither do I understand that there is among you any opposition to MT. Bryan. The fact is you are all for him. You could not be otherwise as long as you have any regard for your consistency, or your home or your country. Besides having been nominated by three parties, yours among them, he represents your views on free silver, national banks, income tax, trusts and labor, all the important, prac- tical questions for which you stand; and, at the peril of his mind and body, he is making the most gallant, heroic and inn
 
 the country and the people against the allied powers of the bondholders, corpor- ations and trusts, avarice, corruption and coercion. Cold and unfeeling, indeed, must be the man who does not have the keenest sympathy and the highest ad- mira tion for his great struggle, almost alone, against such fearful odds. He Is bleeding at every pore in your behalf. Many of his meanest enemies were made on your account Gratitude, manhood ox.I vxntx x+tN z1x IAnl obstacles, to his rescue, prepared to share in the glory of his victory or in the sor- row of his defeat. I am glad to believe that the great body of you will do it. But I suppose that there are some of you that are confused about the two can- didates for vice president. There Is no question but that the conventions made mistake in this respect. It is to be se- riously regretted; but it is still in the pow CT of the people themselves to remedy this by uniting, as one man, on MT. Bry- ans most available ticket in the field. In Alabama that Is undoubtedly the dem- ocratic ticket which stands for MT. Sewall for vice president That Is the oldest ticket, the strongest ticket and the only ticket that can do MT. Bryan any good or MT. Mckinley any harm. No insignifi- cant office of vice president, no party slavery and no ten thousand men should stand in the way of ths--the most mo- mentous contest of modern times A vote for the populiSt ticket, which stands for MT. Bryan and MT. Watson, is wasted and worthless, and might as we'll not be cast as far as either of them are con- cerned. The race is between the ticket for Mr. Bryan and MT. Sewall on the one hand, and the ticket for Mir. Mckinley and MT. Hobart on the other; and all who do not wish to flee from the great conflict of the masses against the classes must take the one or the other. Where is the populist in all the land who could hesitate an instant?
 Some of you are disinclined to affiliate with the organized" democratic party in | this state From a human standpoint | there may be some reason for this; from a patriotic standpoint none. Besides the democratic party of 1896, now rallying | around MT. Bryan, is not the organized" democratic party of late years. The dem- ocratic party has been reorganized and regenerated; has reasserted and reaffirm- | ed its ancient and honored doctrines which you always embraced, and has con- | demned and unloaded those who have wronged and mistreated you. In other | words. the Augean stables have been | cleaned out.
 1 But, however all this may be, don't wreak your vengeance, If you have any.