The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-06-24
ASKS HIS FINANCIAL VIEWS
May be Able to Bring the Silver
Forces Together.
WITH CLARK FOR RUNNING MAT
MIR. w. j. Peele Thinks it is Possible
That Populists Would Endorse
Bryan if Nominated by
Democrats
Democrats.

L
bers of the factional convention which
win shortly meet in this city TO see
what some people are thinking about,
then. too. / wish to call Mr.. Bryan out
so that there can be no mistake about
his position. The Populists will not
vote for a party bug outside of their
own party; the Democrats will not
vote for party bug outside of their
party, and the independent silver men
will hardly go to the polls with two
party bug candidates vieing with
each other in dividing the silver vote.
So. in order to be successful, the
candidate must be broad enough to
secure the endorsement of both fac
tons.
Respectfully.
w. j. PEELE.
Hon. w. j.. Bryan:
Dear Sir: Owing to your expression
in Mississippi that you would stand by
silver, whether it was supported by
your party or not Tor words to that
effect, there is a probability that if
you are nominated by the Democrats
for President, you will get the endorse
ment of the Populist party, and also
of the silver party, it you will take
pains to have your position well adj
yertised; and this, in spite of possible
opposition by some Populist leaders
who have, of course, far better right
TO lead the silver cause than the Demo
cratic party, since its fatal record of
'93, And it will require some states
manship and patriotism on the part of
the Populist leaders to resign such
leadership to any nominee of the Dem
ocratic party.
As you probably we'll know the fight
of the gold men is to divide the friends
of silver by securing the nomination
of a sham silver man, i. e., one who
cannot get votes OF both factions OF the
free silver voters-is not willing to
give equal honor and encouragement to
both-is DESTROYS of free silver merely
as party measure, is no bigger, in his
sympathies, than his party: is calcu-
lated and by many, intended to be
defeated.
Now, | do not know anybody who
has made an expression equivalent to
yours, except, perhaps, Teller, and
Teller is a Republican, and can not
get the hearty support of the Southern
people-his party name would cause
him lose q quarter of million votes
in the South alone; for sentiment is
a powerful factor in Southern politics.
He would also share IN the odium of
his party, growing out of its tariff
record. 4 protective tariff is infamous
in the agricultural sections of the
South.
So it seems to me that you are the
logical candidate of the situation-and
/ don not know another, with, perhaps
even a reasonable chance of success if
nominated by the Democrats. A mere
party consistency of adherence to free
silver as long as party platforms de-
clare for it will not do. the successful
candidate must be well understood to
be a silver man first, and party man, if
at all, because of its unequiyocal decla-
ration for the free. unlimited and indie
pendent coinage of silver, at ratio of
10 to /.
The people are as tired, too, Of party
ism, as Of the single standard, and
right-minded men here regard the
''party-bug" as more dangerous than
the ''gold-bug.' The Populists and
silver men will assist in a silver vie
tory, but will not assist in Demo-
cratic victory, with silver as an in.
cident. They believe such tepid
friends of silver will betray tiff
party interests should ever demand it,
or the manipulators of parties should
command it.
Your running mate ought to come
from the South, and | know none
better than Judge Clark, of our Su-
preme court. He is as good silver man
as You are, and has already, mainly on
this account, received the endorse
ment Of the Populst party in
this State for his present position:
as bipartisan Democrat he also
received the endorsement of the Re
publican party of this State.
So YOU can see how tired our people
are of machine politics. There are
now enough independent patriots in
the land to compel the nomination of
candidate stronger than any of the
factions, called parties, and to prove
this let me tell you that you have bees
repeatedly mentioned for President by
the leading partisan (Democrat) news
paper of this State. The extreme par
tisan would not want you if he did
not feel that the party racket would
no longer win.
The people are tired too of the per-
petuity and monopoly of projecting
anti-bellum men and times into the
present. We do not need to encourage
speculation in dead issues by the nom
ination of men who wrere in active life
when those issues were alive, and who
died with them, men who are or ought
to be, if they had such an active youth,
TOO busy preparing for he next world
to take much interest in this.
Old age is honorable If it is not
sporting with the youthful follies of
ambition, IF it is not corroded with the
averice of office, if it has conquered
greed for power, if it does not driyel
in the senitily of tra-conseryatism, if
it is more anxious for the approval of
heaven than of men. No man putteth
new wine into old bottles, and no SEN
sible man attempts to put new issues
into the hearts of old candidates, whose
first loves are long dead. Have not
the ante-bellum men reigned since the
war, until they have brought the
country No the verge of such bankrupt
cy that the government actually con
graduates the people on its success III