New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-26
RRIIN TIE POPULIST.

The nomination of Bryan by the Populist
Convention yesterday was not unexpected. On
the contrary. 1t was assumed that his show OF
declination was laborously calculated. as his
bursts of inspired and partly borrowed, oratory
have been. to catch the ear Of the groundlings
But he knew the cheap crowd with which he
had to deal, and the more he professed to repel
their nomination the more passiOnately anxious
they were to give It, Having saved chance
of party existence for themselves by separate
nomination for Vice-Presdent, the POpulists
who fought Bryan most desperately were anx-
ious to get within reach Of the flesh pots If he
could be elected. 1t is said, perhaps with TRUTH
that he was really unwilling to accept the
nomination on the POpust platform, because
of the plank proposing ownership Of railways
| by the Government, which might naturally he
Objectionable TO a railway attorney. Or he may
naturally have objected to the nomination be-
| cause it would commit him in some sense to
| other features Of the platform. But the fact
stands that he has been nominated in spite OF
| his declinaton, as the chosen representative of
the men whose platform speaks for them.
| 1t is very much Of Il middle 1t stands and
perhaps 1t may be some days or weeks before
anybody knows who the Poparchist candidates
are to be. Powerful pressure has been brought
to bear on Sewall to decline, but he did not
give Mr.. Bryan that comfort during the try
| ing hours between 8 a. III. and D p. III. Saturday.
| Powerful pressure has also been brought TO
bear on Mr.. Watson, of Georgia, the candidate
| for Vice-President to decline and also to ac-
| cept; if the silver bugs have a hold on him, he
| may withdraw But nobody can tell what the
Popocrat ticket may be until the last word has
| been heard from the three men, for the Con-
| vention put itself on record as believing that
Mr. Bryan's assertion could not be trusted when
| he said he would not be the POpulist candidate
unless Mr. Sewall was also. Presumably the
| Convention guessed It's man rightly, but it is
| quite conceivable that he may refuse to the
end any other than Democratic nomination
1t would be premature for Republicans to as
sumo forthwith that their task is made easier
by a split of the opposition about VicePres-
| dent, which may at any moment be closed, or
even by Populist nomination of a refusing
candidate If he still refuses. The Demarchists
and the Poparchists are essentially one, and
| will somehow get their votes together From
the outset 1t has been the scheme of some Dem
| ocratic mana gers to run several tickets pro
fessedly hostile, in order to draw more votes in
different sections or from different classes than
either ticket could draw alone. On the face of
things, many Democrats would bolt POpulist
nomination, many Popuists would kick at Il
| Democratic nomination, and many silver Re
publicans would refuse to support confessed
Popust But men who have known how to
stuff ballot boxes at the South can be expected
| to refuse nominations Of Democratic electors
| in some States, and Of POpulist electors in
Others or to put up Democratic electors secretly
pledged to vote for POpulist. or Populist cleo
tors secretly pledged to vote for Democrat, or
to put up electors intended to be suddenly with
| drawn at the last moment.
1t looks at present as if secretly allied, but
| apparently differing forces were going to hunt
for votes under different party names and pro
fessedy different principles, only to bring their
spoils all together by some trick at the end
Men may think this a chmera but 1t Is exactly
the device by which votes were obtained -four
years ago The Poparchists and Dcmarchists
and silver regulators must. ut all events. be
Lexpected to unite Ivy some device, and this year
| the people do not want to be cheated. There Is
for them one straight and open way to defeat
every such trick, and that Is to vote directly
for Mckinley and Hobart. The more tickets
the opposition puts up the more clearly the
plain people will see that in the election of the
Republican candidates lies the only possible as
surance for Protection and Honest Money.