The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-17
GOLD MEN H REGULARS
CHAIRMAN SHOWS THEY
CONSTITUTE REAL DEMOCRACY.
PopuIist Control of the Silver Wing
i'm This State shown
How Cooper Was Nominated.

their deal with the Populists and their &C
ton in putting five straight Populsts on
their ticket. Yesterday the Hon. S. 7.
Sheerin. of Logansport, who has been sec
rotary of the national committee through
two national campaigns, authorized the
statement in which he declares that he
cannot longer train with the party in this
campaign and gives strong and sufficient
reasons why a Democrat cannot support the
| Populistic combination. Three or four more
of the most prominent leaders of the party,
who have been trying hard to remain In
line with it, are on the mourners' bench
and will probably come forward and pro-
fess the true faith within a few days. Just
to help the movement along Chairman
Pickens. of the National Democratic COM
mittee, yesterday issued the following ad-
dress on party regularity:
""To the Democrats of Indiana: You have
been asked To vote for the Bryan party in
Indiana because it was regular The Ma
tionaI Democrats have been denounced as
boilers, though many Democrats have add
mitted that SO far as the principles of the
Indianapolis platform were concerned they
were in line with the best Democratic
thought and tradition. But the Bryan
men have insisted that the party repre-
scented at Chicago was the regular organi-
cation and so was entitled to the vote of
all true Democrats. 1t therefore becomes
important to examine this claim to regu-
larity. To begin with, Mr.. Bryan, the nom
inee for President, is not a Democrat. He
is a. Populist- He has acted with the Popu-
lists in his own State and was elected to
Congress by the votes of Populists, in re-
turn for which kindness he himself voted
for General Weaver, the Populist candi-
date for President in 1892, Snus boiling the
regular Democratic organization, although
there was a regular Democratic electoral
ceived nearly 5000 votes. In 1893 Mr..
Bryan bolted the regular Democratic tick
St fem con1eati ey ' Of N [e6nlsk p snd sinee
then he has repeatedly declared that he
would bolt the next national Democratic
convention (Which was held at Chicago)
unless that convention adopted a platform
to suit him. In the St. Louis Populist
convention General Weaver. the Populist
Cleveland, in nominating Mr.. Bryan for
President, says: He has already been three
own State-once for Representative in Con-
gress,. once for United States Senator and
only last week for the presidency Mr..
Bryan is now the nominee of the Populist
party for President on a Populist platform
and has formally accepted that nomina,
ton. He has, therefore, bolted regular
Democratic candidates, supported Populist
candidates, threatened to bolt if he found
that he could not control the Democratic
for the presidency on a Populist platform.
This is the man who is claiming the sup
port of Democrats on the ground of 'regu-
THE POPULIST DEAL.
when the Indiana Democrat goes to
vote on election day he will find that he
cannot vote the regular Democratic cleo
toral ticket without voting for five Popu-
list electors. The State convention of the
Democratic party of Indiana met in In
dianapolis last June. The people who
elected the delegates to that convention,
in the exercise of their sovereign power,
nominated electors in every congressional
district and the delegates to the conven-
ton, who were duly elected by the people
nominated the electors at large. On the
18th of October the State committee, upon
the demand of the Populists, compelled five
of these electors-four district electors and
one elector at large, TO resign the trust
confided with them by the Democrats of
Indiana. The Popuiists did not even permit
| the Democratic State committee to deter
mine what ten names should remain on the
ticket or what five should be stricken off;
nor did the Populists consult the Demo-
cratic committee as to what five PopuliStS
should usurp the places made vacant. Five
Democrats were thus forced off the cleo
not been nominated by. any Democratic
convention, placed in their stead by the
Populist party; Thus the Democratlc state
nominated at Chicago in favor of the Pop
ulist ticket nominated at St: Louis to the
extent of one-third of the electoral ticket.
Is this regularity The five electors are
not Democrats. They We're not nominated
by Democrats. They are Populists, who. if
elected. will vote, not for the Chicago tick
ct, but for the St. Louis ticket. Yet DEM
ocrats are asked to vote for this mongrel
eleClOId liChcI IA thO acc vi =
VIII they do it?
COOPER A POPULIST CREATURE.
Coming to the candidates for Congress
in this. the Seventh district, We find the
same state of affairs. Mr.. Cooper was
nominated for Congress at the dictation of
a Populist convention which met at
Franklin at the time the Democratic con-
vention was in session and just across the
street from it. The Populists declared
- 49, --z-I1 49, r,,ND1r or+,;, -
didates and would support certain other
candidates., among whom was Mr.. Cooper.
The Democratic convention appointed a
conference committee to confer with a sim
liar committee from the Populist conven-
ton, which joint committee made the fol-
lowing report:
the committee of the Populist and Demo-
cratic conventions make the following re-
pert to their several conyentlons: MessIs'
art, Sidney Moon or Charles Cooper will be
supported by the ! 1 ! AZ mo od Democrats
countless; that free silver Is our first de-
sire,
convention. Mr.. Cooper was nominated by
the Democratic convention. He was then
nominated by the Populists and appeared
before them and accepted the nomination.
Since when did the Democratic party take
orders from any other party? Is this a
regularity. which VIII commend itself to
In the Sixth Congressional district the
re Suldr OeInOCTdIlc nominee 1OF congress-,
Mr.. Puntenny. was withdrawn, and the
PopuliSt candidate for Congress-, Mr.. Rob-
inson, was Endorsed. In this district a reg
ularly elected and duly constituted con-
greSsional convention was held by the
Democrats. This convention nominated
Mr.. P%untenny for Congress in accordance
with the expressed will of the people. and
adjourned sine die. a Populist convention
was also held at which DR.. Robinson was
nominated. After the adjournment of both
conventions the district committeeman of
the Democratic party, in defiance of party
usage, in contempt of Democratic princi-
pies, compelled Mr.. Puntenny to withdraw
and substituted for him the name of a man
who not only was not chosen by a Dem
oCratic convention, but was the nominee
of the convention of another party. and
that party one which the Democrats have
been fighting for years. Is this 'regu-
larity? Is it Democracy? If the peoples
nominees are thus to be set aside by the
act of a man who is >himeslf in his Of
fetal capacity the mere creature and agent
of the people, why should we hold con-
ventions at all? Again, we ask the people
of the Sixth district, are they going TO
vote for Robinson because he is 'regular?'
Yet his case is merely typical. In the
Fifth district the Democrats and Populists
are supporting John Clark Ridpath. a
Populist. for Congress. In the Ninth dis
trict they have combined on Mr.. Cheadle.
who is not even a Populist, but a free
silver Republican. In the Eighth district
there has been fusion on another Populist.
Mr.. Brunt. Can ii be said that these pro-
| ceedingS are regular"