People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1896-10-30
is WATSON "REBUKED ?"
A POpnlist CORRESPONDENT Dissects the
Address Of the Peoples Party
National Committee

1t is said in some quarters that the
late address of the Peoples party
national committee is in "the nature
of rebuke 10 Thomas E. Watson"
The address does rebuke certain
Populists indirectly, but Thomas E.
Watson is not one of them, and it
does rebuke pointodly and directly
the managers Of Democracy. Its
first paragraph is as follows:
"Our National Commute in
dulged the hope that the patriotic
action Of the Peoples Party in
national convention, in subordi-
mating the interests of the party to
the success of the vital issues involv-
ed in this campaign, would be met by
equally unselfsh devotion to com.
mon interest on the part of the Demo
cratic party, and that all the friends
of silver could present a solid front
against the mnions of greed by sup
porting one ticket, the truly cooper
alive ticket - Bryan and Watson.
But this hope being disappointed,
there were but two courses left, one
Of which must be adopted"
1t declares further on that the
present obstacles and endorsements
to honorable fusion would have had
no existence Of the Democratic party
had put the cause first and party
second"
In all of this the committee plainly
rebukes the self:hness of the Demo
cratic managers.
That part Of the address, portion
of which has been twisted to appear
as rebuke to Tom Watson, and the
object of which is to emphasize the
necessity of supporting "joint cleo.
toral tickets" ID as follows:
"By this arrangement we can unit a
large majority of the voters OF
America on our joint electoral tickets.
Therefore, the only hope of the money
power and trusts is to divide and
conquer. The Republican managers
and their Democratic allies, realize
this and are putting forth every eff jrt
to accomplish this end. They have
had Their emissaIies on hand every
where trying to prevent joint elec-
toral tickets from being arran %ed.
Failing IN this they try to find Pop
ulist and silver Democrats who can
be Induced, on one pretexs or an,
other, TO rebel against the joint cleo
toral tickets. They either have
Il qured4 or will heenre, the ,argioea
ii every IL that money can 6
maud, to breed discussions and
divisions. The danger lies in the
possibility of a certain portion of the
rank and file of the Peoples party
being misled by so-called leaders,
who, Tor ruasons hest known to them.
selves or for want of reason, are ad-
vising voters to rebel agaii 81 the joint
electoral tickets and put up separate
electoral tickets, or to withhold ther
support from the join electoral
tickets"
This committee here plainly makes
support Of the joint electoral ticket
the test Of loyalty. Il is the SCENTS.
saries" of tho Republicans and gold
standard Democrats whom it con-
dennis for "trying to prevent joint
electoral tiokate from being arranged
and it expresses the fear that some
Popnlists add free silver Democrats
may be induced to rebel against the
"joint electoral tickets" Or that the
rank and file of the Peoples party
may, in a measure, be misled by SO.
called leaders into rebellion against
the 'joiat electoral tickets"
In some of our Western States
whore the Peoples party is largely III
the majority, notably the State Of
Kansas, the "emissaries' menti oned
by the com mittee, or some other
power, have been successful in trying
to "prevent joint electoral tickets
from being ranged" With its one
hundred and twenty odd thousand
Peoples party votes and lis less than
thirty Thousand Democratic votes the
Bryan and Watson Peoples party
ticket is not known in the State and
the national organization Of the PEG
Piles party has been used solely as q
tool to accomplish, if possible, the
ami. tious, oflice-seeking desires of q
few Populists who, having had a
taste at the pubic crib and pro-
nounced it "good," would gladly sac.
rifce Watson and the party of which
he is the only distinctive national
representative to encompass their
purposes. In other words, the "joi1t
alactoral tickat1' commended for hu the