The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1896-07-30
NATIONAL POPULIST CON-
YENTION.

1t met on Wednesday and adjourned
late Saturday afternoon.
For some time the Populists have
subordinated almost everything else
for which they have been asking and
which they have been demanding to
the cause of free silver.
The Democratic party having declar-
ed for free silver and nominated a
free silver ticket, the whole country
was on the tip-toe of expectation and
suspense guessing whether or not the
Populists would endorse Bryan and
Sewall, the nominees of the Democrat
ic party. There was considerable d.
vision amongst the Popullsts on the
subject. The middle of-the-road men,
mostly the Southern Popullsts, prefer
red to nominate straight ticket of
their own regardless of what the Dem
ocrats had done but the Western Pop
ulists wished to endorse Bryan and
Sewall outright and let the Democrats
and Populists combine and make a
straight fight for silver with practically
no other issue.
All this made the convention one of
great interest to the country generally.
The Populists were watching with
great eagerness because they consid-
cred that there were two possible re-
suits to them. If the convention
should endorse the nomination of Bry-
an and Sewall it might be a means of
disrupting and disbanding them as a
party but it would almost certainly
insure the election of silver President.
The question with many of them,
was whether they would prefer to have
their party go to pieces and gain VIC
tory for free silver, or maintain their
party organization and lose silver
victory. Whether or not there was so
much involved in the endorsement of
Bryan and Sewall, many of the Popu-
lists thought so.
The Republicans were watching the
convention with almost breathless in
terest because they felt almost assured
that an endorsement of Bryan by the
Populists would he defeat for Nc
kinley. The Democrats were watch
ing also with great interest because
they felt that if the Populists should
fail to endorse Bryan and Sewal! it
would mean sure victory for the
Republicans. For these reasons the
Populist convention was the political
cynosure of the nation. And right or
wrong, pleasant or unpleasant TO the
two great parties, Democratic and Re-
publican, the Populist party held the
balance of power as to the silver issue.
And now that the convention has
heard all the new "boy orators" gone
through with all the patent gyrations
for national conventions, which pat
ents the Republicans and Democrats
used freely before the Populists, the re-
suit of the work done is such that it
leaves the situation quite interesting.
THE COMMONWEALTH cannot give
any detailed account OF the convention,
only the footing up. Senator Marion
Butler was made temporary chairman
and delivered a ringing speech, which
W oo ~ dAAUIS uOuS ClIdG GJc convention
could not tell whether he was for or
against endorsing Democratic nomi-
nees. All the same Butler was poll
tician at St. Louis as we'll as in North
Carolina, aud he was warmly congrat-
ulated by some of the leading men in
the Populist party.
Senator Allen of Nebraska was made
permanent chairman, and he being
strong Bryan man, this gave hope to
the Bryan element of the convention
that amounted almost to a solid GER
tainty of his endorsement.
There was considerable opposition
to Sewall, the Democratic nominee for
Vice-President, mainly because the
Populist platform condemned national
banks and Sewall is president of a
bank. Another circumstance which
made him Objectionable to the Popu-
lists, was the prevailing opinion that