Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-10
The Populist Secretary Says Some
thing Ahbut Nebraska.
THINKS THE STATE SURE FOR BRYAN
How He Believes the Congressional
ContestSsWiIl Result.
PEOPLES PARTY HISTORY

When Nebraska politics are to be talked
about there is no one more interesting on
this line than Secretary ]. A. Edgerton Of
the populist national committee, located
here. Mr.. Edgerton was for several years
the populist state chairman Of Nebraska.
He knows the ms and outs Of the politics
Of the state and the history of the men
who are now making the state famous--not
the history of Bryan alone. but of Morton,
Thurston. Henderson. Allen, Bently and
many others.
Nebraska Is furnishing some big men in
this fight, and they are found on all sides
of the question. 1t is not to be wondered
that Nebraskans have a somewhat elevated
opinion of their state at this juncture.
Nebraska for Bryan.
! Mr.. Edgerton talked over this wide and
interesting field to a Star reporter. first
prefacing his remarks by saying that Me-
braska was sure to go for Bryan, and CIV
| ing the figures upon which his opinion is
| based.
THE voting strength of the state, in
rt.und numbers" said Mr.. Edgerton, lis d.
vided about as follows. according to the
| claims of the respective parties: Republi-
| cans, $1,000; popul!sts, 10000; democrats.
| $4,000; prohibitionists, 5000. Bryan will
poll all the populist vote, 10000 OF the DEM
| ocratic vote and 5000 Of the prohibstion
vote and 10000 silver republicans. There Is
| no doubt in my mind that he will get io.ooo
! republican votes. This would give him q
| total of 1E3,WO. The republicans will poll
| $1,000 straight votes and will get 5000 gold
| democrats, giving them a total OF about
| S5,OUO The straight prohibition vote Will
| not be over 1000. l do not believe that over
| 5000 democrats will vote for Mckinney.
! The Congregational Fight.
| "As to the congressional fights. believe
| the silver men are sure Of four out Of the
| six Representatives. They stand chance
| of getting five. In the first district the
| fight is close. 1t Is between Judge ]. H.
| Broadly, democrat and populist and Repre-
sentative Strobe, republican. In the second
| district Representative Mercer has for his
| opponent Judge Duffie who has been agreed
upon by all the silver elements. That dis.
/ trict will also be Close but Mr.. Mercer will
probably be elected In the third district
| the democrats and populists met in mass
convention and nominated ex-Chief Justice
Maxwell to ,ose Ross L. Hammond. re-
| publican. Judge Maxwell Is sure of cleo
ton. The candidates in the fourth district
| are Representative Hainer, republican, and
Judge w. l.. Stark, fusion candidate. The
chances favor Stark The populists and
democrats of the NTH district held mass
convention and put out f; r. Sutherland, a
good campaigner. against Representative
| Andrews, republican The district nominal
ly belongs to the populists. even without
democratic aid. and Sutherland will be
elected. Judge w. L. Green will have a
walkover in the sixth district. He will de-
| feat A. E. Cady, the republican nominee,
| 1000 or 1900; possibly more. Judge Green
is fine speaker. and is popular.
| The populists and democrats have close
fusion. They are enthusiastic and are
| working in perfect harmony.
Origin of the Populist Party.
OF the origin Of the popuist party Mr.
+ hof tor vcls
first began to talk Independent in politics
in 1889, in conjunction with the alliance
agitation. The party was organized in
1890 and it's first ticket was put in the
field that year. 1t polled 10000 votes the
first year. and has not increased much in
. | strength since that time.
, Mr.. Edgerton said that the populists Of
, | Nebraska had supported Mr.. Bryan il
, | every race he had made in that state
, "Mr. Bryan's efforts for free silver in the
democratic party of Nebraska are inter
esting" Mr.. Edgerton said. He made the
| first fight at the head of the silver demo
Gratis of the state in the state convention
! in 1893. He was turned down and the con
, vention Endorsed Cleveland and Morton
| Between the date of that convention ant
8 the state convention in 1894 the silver
democrats began to organize under Bryan:
leadership, and in 1894 the silver wing
Y dominated the state convention. They de
| cided to support Holcombe, the populis
| nominee for governor, who was elected IL
z | that year. The similarity of that campaign
! and this Is that the gold bug democrat
t | bolted and voted the republican ticket. jus
as they will do this year. That was tn
| bitterest fight in the history of the state
Majors the republican nominee for gov
| ernor, was beaten by about 5000 votes, blu
. ! this was done by Rosewater of the Oman;
1 Bee and other leading republicans.
Bryan's Defeat for the Senate.
= Senator Thurston, who beat Bryan TO
~ fho I'm,
took the place of Senator Henderson. hat
been prominent In Nebraska politics 70
:, years. Senator Manderson's friends mad
> | fight for his reelection but when the!
,, saw it could not be accomplished they CAV
, up and Thurston got the full republican
=. support. Previous to 1894 the leaders o
the two parties had been Senator Mander
son of the republicans and j. Sterling Nor
h ton of the democrats. Each was put il
o the rear, and the new men-Bryan an
n | Thurston-came to the front. Bryans de
:. feat for the Senate two years ago can b
compared to the history of Lincoln. H
was defeated for the Senate in 1898 an
y elected President in 1860 Secretary Morton
), became the political enemy of Bryan il
o 1872. BRYAN was an unknown man Whe
he was elected to the House in 1870 Nor
. ton became his enemy two years after
J. ward and has ever since been his bite
- enemy. Mr. Morton never held 1rominen
. office since the state was admitted to tn
- | Union. In lSU BOYD, the democratic nom
8 inee, was elected governor, receiving 100
= votes. Morton was the democratic candi
{ date in 1892. but received only 1900 votes
Another interesting fact about the strengt
= of Bryan and Morton in their state is tina
e In 1856 John A. McShane. democrat, wa
elected to Congress over his republica
- oppor ent in the district in which both Nor
- ton and Bryan live. In 1888 Morton sc
y cured the oninatios in place Of McShane
y and was defeated by Connell. the republi
u can nominee. Two syears afterward, o
$780, Bryan was 7ths democratic nomine
= in the same district, and it was suppose
q. q to be hcpelessly jreppblican. He defeate
e Cornell by 5000 Ivotfs. The district wa
d redistr:cted In 1872 70 make 1t republican
J. but Bryan won that year. That shows tn
T. difference betwee9 Morton and Bryan.
!, ThurstOn saIEN Henderson.
- There is also !.sotie interesting histor
~ y about Thurston beating Henderson for tn
N | presidential nominat ton this year. The re
n publican state committee was known as
Henderson committee, Rather early in tn
year a meeting Of the state committee wa
called by Representative Hainer. the stat
chairman. The object of the meeting wa
> | IN mt OHIO field for tho r,ro,