Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-11-20
Populists to Look to Him Four Years
Hence.
Mr.. BRYAN AND His issue DONE FOR
L. c. Bateman, Populist Candidate
for Governor Of Maine, Talks.
Y O NJ o RE FU SION
Correspondence OF The Evening Star.

| EVERY INDICATION points to the report that
the alliance which existed between the
| popuist and democratic parties during the
recent national campaign can no longer
| exist. l.. c. Bateman, who was the popu-
| list candidate for governor in this state
| during the last Maine campaign, is con-
| stantiy in communication with the leaders
| Of the middle-of-t he-road populists and
| they declare IT. the most emphatic OF
| terms that the fusion between the two
parties shall no longer exist, and they will
| carry with them the rank and file of the
| party who voted for Bryan.
| These men will follow the standard of
| Tom Watson, whose name Bateman has
! already put at the head of the columns
| of his paper. the Maine Populist as the
| standard bearer of the party in 1880. Mr..
| Batem'' II has fought fusion in this state,
and The result is that the popuiist party
| IN Maine retains its organization. Bate
| man, who is an agitator rather than
| skilled diplomatic politician, has a large
| following IN The east among the populists,
| the single tax men and others who Will
| not act with the republican democratic
| parties.
Mr.. Bateman formerly lived in the third
| COZ. 81 essio al district and was three times
| the candidate of his party against Seth l..
| M.tiken, aid has three times been candi-
| cate FOR goN ernor. He is a skilled speaker,
| and has 81 fiicient property to enable him
| to live upon the inc ONE thereof even If
| lis paper, which is now entering upon its
second year of existence, should not prove
| a paying investment.
| Upon being asked by The Star CORE
| spondent to give his views of the causes
| of :he pcpocratic defeat and the future
of the >popuiist party. Mr.. Bateman said:
Fusion Deals Caused Bryan's Defeat.
1T is somewhat difficult to answer your
| questions without resorting to the Old
| chestnut, L told you sov Still, as my pre-
| dictions are record in The Star and also
| N many other papers. perhaps l may be
pardoned for the allusion. Bryan's de-
feat inevitable from the moment that
| the democrats began their fusion deals, in
| order to cheat tie populists A more trans
| parent fraud was never attempted H.
| Amer. can politics. There not the ghos;
| Of {, chance tor Tom Watson or his party.
| fAe fusion deals We're all made in the
| ,ersonai interest Of MIR. Bryan, and with
| lie demoe1at II was case of Heads L
| IN, tails, you lose. The populists Were
! "a; ue civ ed n the least. No cordial union
| eouid be effected under such circumstances,
| 40 it Was Usors anized mob contending
| agar st d trained army. But it is useless
| 10 talk about The past.
| w nat of the future? 1 will tell you.
| Air. i1ryan and the democratic party
| oday in the position that Daniel Webster
| and the Wing party were in 1852. They
| nave pinned their faith and fortunes on an
| .ssue and have lest Had their issue been
| true one, there would still be a future
| for them; but unfortunately it is not So
| 1t is but a makeshift and COMPROMISE.
| Free coinage is to the morey question wIat
| he Missouri compromise was to the slavery
| question. No question is ever settled until
| t is settled rightly. Free coinage would
| ring no permanent relief, neither would
| t seriously cripple the money kings of
| The world.
1T would not touch the question of ma
tiCnal banks, of transportation or of land.
| IN fact ii is of so little value to the COM
| mon masses of the people that look to see
| he republicans give silver bill them
| selves. They have been thoroughly fright
! led in this campaign. They do not wish
| % repeat this struggle four years hence.
| They have every chance now to cut the
| wind from the democratic sails. Their
| pla torn calls for international bimetal-
| Sn1. This will give them an excuse to
| DIN hands with the European financiers
and botch up some sort of silver bill.
| Il he people are very easily satisfied, and
| with his accomplished the republicans
| .ouid go before them on the next cam
| pa;gn, and say Behold. We have given you
| What you asked for. etc. 1t would be then
absolutely imposs BILE for Mr.. Bryan to raj
V his followers again upon that ISSUE.
t'ryan and His Issue Done For.
| No! Mr.. Bryan and his issue are done
| for. Had he boldly planted himself upon
| lie full populist platform he would have a
| future. He did not have the nerve to do
| his. and he is lost. Daniel Webster made
| he same blunder fifty years ago, and with
| similar result. Certainly no one will claim
hat Bryan is a smarter man than Webster
| was. Their cases are parallel. Reforms
| once started always go farther than their
| promoters intended. The French revoiu-
/ lion started with a simple question of etl-
luette: it ended in the bloody scenes of the
| guilotine. The slavery question started
| with the demand of non-extension into the
| territories: it ended with the destruction of
he whole system M. The money question
| free coinage of silver; it will end in the
dem netiZation of gold.
| That is the mission of the peoples party
| in the future. We shall demand the utter
overthrow Of the whole metal basis system
and the establishment of a purely scientific
| paper currency, based upon the entire
| wealth of the country. The city of Venice
maintained a system of this nature for
| 1900 years, and it was under the influence
| of that paper money that the magnificent
| structure arose out of the blue waters of
| the A1riatic that has been the wonder and
| admiration of every traveller. That was
the only fair trial that full legal tender
| paper money has ever had, and it was a
| glorious success. Certainly we are more
powerful than Venice during the middle
| ages. This will be the shibboeth of our
| party in the future. We shall also demand
the government ownership of railroads,
| telegraph and telephone lines. Direct legis-
| lation will also be one Of our important de-
| mandS.
The POpulists the Coming Party.
The democratic party dare not touch
| any of these great questions. With the
passage of silver bill by the republicans
| look to see the silver democrats unite
| with the gold wing of the party and go
back to their old position of an opposition
| party Only this, and nothing more. the
| populists are the coming party. Even Sem
| ator Butler has come round to this way of
| thinking. In the last issue of his paper he
| boldly stated that he was forever done
| with fusion, and that if Bryan wanted to
continue as leader he must come into the
populist party. This Is very significant, as
| Butler has played the fusion racket to its
| full extent this year. By thus renouncing
his policy of fusion he confesses that the
| middle of the road men have been right.
| Tom Watson will be our great leader
! four years hence. The present fusion man.
| ayers have made u mess of it. and are low
thoroughly discredited. The rank and file
will have nothing more to do with them
Some of them will go to the democrats, ard
the rest will be sent to the rear. Their
! policy has been tried and found sadly