Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-08-14

to remind the willy democratic leaders
that IL they should accomplish this
purpose through proxy" tricks or any
other devious method their action Will
be taken as a plain warning to the
peoples party that the unscrupulous
element of democracy Is in control OF
the democratic party and that they Will
conclude If present conditions must
continue 1t were better that they be
perpetuated under Mckinley, who,
whatever else may be said OF him,
stands in the open as defender OF
the gold standard, rather than under
Bryan. who, such action would indi-
cate, was simply to be used as a tool
to accomplish designs which would
not bear investigation. That the Bryan
leaders in the peoples party conven-
ton were afraid to trust his nominal
ton to the delegates conditioned upon
his acceptation Of the honor is proven
by their haste to adjourn the conven-
ton after their desires had been ac-
complished without waiting to hear
from Mr.. Bryan. The same spirit
which would not accept the advice OF
Senator Stewart or General Weaver in
the vice presidential contest would
have asserted itself and rolled w. j.
Bryan from the list of possible presi-
Dental candidates had the convention
believed that the honor which 1t
sought to confer would have been con-
temptuously returned to 1t as thing
of no account. AS it was, and in spite
of every effort quietly made by the
Bryan men to convince the middle-of-
the-road men that Mr.. Bryan would ac-
cept the nomination and thank the con-
vention for the honor, the shadow OF
doubt upon this point remained 50
thick in the minds of $40 delegates who
voted against him that it was deemed
inexpedient to move to make his NOM
ination unanimous.
Whether it was the fear on the part
of Mr.. Bryan that the acceptance of
the peoples party nomination might
ALLEVIATE from his support that class OF
millionaire monopolists of whom Mr..
Sewall is type or whether 1t was from
a strained sense of duty on his part
toward his democratic running mate,
or whether 1t was misconception on
the part Of his advocates in the con-
vention as to what his real position
was in the premises, the fact is indis-
putable that the close Of the conven-
ton with almost one-fourth Of the
votes of the delegates recorded against
his nomination leaves matters in q
very unsatisfactory condition.
The platform adopted by the conven-
ton, since it provides for government
money, without the intervention of
banks, free coinage, government own
ership of railroads and telegraphs, the
abolition not only of corporate but pri-
vate monopoly Of land, and the initia-
tive and referendum, is even more rad
ical than the Omaha platform. and
plainly bespeaks determination to
take no step backwards. 1t is not rea-
sonable to suppose that party whose
invincible determination to move for
ward on the lines of the Omaha plat
form was plainly shown by the hearty
and unanimous adoption Of such
platform will consent for a moment to
be baked in it's career by the wishes
of a few selfish office-seekers who fear
that the substitution of the honorably
and widely known name of Thomas E.
Watson for that of the obscure million
aire Sewall may endanger their chances
to obtain a place at the public crib. al
The willingness of the peoples party
to accept Mr.. Bryan as its candidate
and the exponent of its principles is
based wholly upon the fact that he is
everywhere recognized as an indepehd-
ent, progressive, large-minded young
man far in advance of the fossils of
democracy who nominated him solely
with the desire to profit from the as
ISOLATION with the new blood" and
new ideas which his candidacy alone
would make possible to them, while the
hope of obtaining Office under Mr.. Bry-
an doubtless prompted some of the
leaders" in the peoples party conven-
ton to support him, that contemptibly
selfish motive did not inspire the tenth
part of the thousand votes he received
in the convention.
The peoples party recognizes, as