Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-11-12
WATSON'S SAUCY LETTER
He Charges Chairman Butler
With UnfaithfuIness.
HE WANTED SEWAL,S PLACE
So He Could Have a Chance as the Vice
Presidency.
HE CHARACTERlZES HIMSELF NAPOLEON
And Says That Because of His Trueness to
Principle He Wasn't Welcomed
on the Field-His Little
Synopsis.
he CHARAcTERIzES HIMSELF NAPOLEON

Atlanta, Ca, Nov. 11.--Thomas E.
Watson's letter accepting the yicepres-
idential nomination of the populist party
has at last been given to the public.
1t was written on Oct. IA, last, to Sem
ator Marion Butler, chairman of the no.
tification committee and manager of the
populist campaign. 1t was suppressed
by Senator Butler during the campaign
for reasons that are obvious from a Pc
rusal of it's contents.
The document would make seven COL
umns in a newspaper.
Mr.. Watson will publish his letter in
fun in his official organ, The Peoples
Party Paper which comes out tomorrow.
Below are some extracts:
Hon. Marion Butler, Chairman Ex-
Ofiicio for Notification Committed
"Dear Sir-Your letter giving me for
NAL notice of my nomination by the peo-
pies party for the office of vice-presdent
has been received.
'It is solely because of my promise to
do so that / accept the nomination. The
unusual conditions confronting us must
be my excuse for submitting to the pub
lie fair statement of the facts touch
ing this remarkable campaign, in order
that all unprejudiced minds may reach
just conclusions.
"As the time for beginning the presi-
Dental campaign of 1896 approached the
democratic party found itself in dying
condition, and it resorted to a desperate
remedy to save itself from dissolution.
1t publicly renounoed the republican pol
icies which it has already enacted into
law, and professed the populist creed
which it had bitterly assailed. Having
closed the doors of the mints to silver,
having sustained Mr.. Cleveland in his re-
fusal to allow the seigniorage coined
having condemned his issue of bonds in
violation of law, having acquiesced in
his traction policy of destroying the
greenbacks, having helped to feed the
trusts by the passage of the Wilson Cor
man-Jones tariff bill, the democratic par
ty, realizing that it had lost, the respect.
the confidence and the patience of the
people, determined to anticipate the
triumph of populism by a public con-
fessIon of political patience of the people,
determined to anticipate the triumph of
populism by a public confession of po-
litical guilt, an earnest assertion of
change Of heart, a devout acceptance of
populist principles and a modern demand
that the peoples party should vacate its
quarters and surrender its political pos
sessions. ~
IA very staggering piece of political
impudence was this. 1t was not mi
nority of the democratic party which
murdered silver in 1893. 1t was a ma
jority that did it--a majority of the
house. a majority of the senate And the
promise more solemnly to undo their
work than they promised in 1892 to do
it. ~ ~.4 Il s.s.
During the dreary years of 1892, 1898,
1894 and 1895, when republicans and dem
ocrats alike were falling over each 9TH
er in the effort to be first at Wall streets
feet, and lowest In the dust of political
self aba sement to the trusts, the national
banks, the railroads, the bondholders and
the gold SPECTATORS, the peoples party
was the one champion of the people. 1t
stood fearlessly against the hungry
hordes of class legislation. 1t proclaimed
constantly its undying antagonism to
Wall street and it's policies. 1t held aloft
the sacred banner of peoples rights
and called for patriots to rise and de-
fend- the republic. Since the bugle-note
of Rhoderick woke the highlands, and
the fiery eros sped from mountain to glen
and from glen to hamlet, there has been
no such spontaneous outburst of popu-
lar enthusiasm as marked the growth
of the peoples party. One. creed. one
us all, and had we sternly put tempta-
tion aside and nominated straight pop
ulst ticket at ST. Louis, one man from
the west and one from the south, we
would have swept this land from sea to
sea.
"A u,
having adopted the leading populist prin-
ciples, nominated for the first place on
the ticket candidate who indorses those
principles" .-. 49,.
Mr.. Watson recites the fight In the
populist convention at st. Louis between
the Bryan populists and the middle-of-
the-road men. ..-... ..se 80
"I was asked to allow the use of my
name to harmonize all the differences
which existed in the convention. and con-
sented upon that express condition
-"There Is no doubt that among the vOt-
ers of the democratic party. south and
west there was an earnest desire that
the populists should be met half way.
The people wished for union among the
advocates of silver. and they felt that
union could not be accomplished by de-
mandipg an abject surrender at the
hands Of the populists.
THE leaders of the democratic party.
however having secured populist fndorse-
ment of Mr.. Bryan by direct vote in the
convention, determined to secure 1t for
Mr., Sewall also, and for this purpose they
have resorted to the policy of fusion.
Instead of meeting the populists half
way the democratic managers have de-
manded that we furnish all the patriot
ism which the occasion requires, and
they not only refuse to make any conces-
sioi1s at all, but they treat with public
insult the party whose votes are neces-
sary to democratic success
S"By listening to the overtures of dem
ocratic managers our party has been torn
into factions, our leaders deceived and
ensnared and the cause we represent
permanently endangered, If not lost. The
labor of many years is swept away and
the hopes of thousands of good people
are gone with It,.
.The democratic managers, however.
not only claim the populist vote for Mr..
BRYAN, who is our nominee, but they also
claim 1t for Mr.. Sewall, who is not our
nominee, and who was overwhelmingly
rejected when offered to the st. Louis
convention.
1--WE are now told that we must not say
anything against Mr.. Sewall. We must
not exrfain to the people wherein he is
an Objectionable candidate and we must
not mention the fact that he is national
banker, bondholder. railroad magnate,