The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-10-09
The Mcdowell Buchanan Committee
Ont of Line With the Party,
Essays, and He Calls
Upon the POpulIsts of the State to Put
Country Above Party, and Refuses
to Help "Crucify Mankind
on a Cross of Gold"



to make a canvass of the Sixth Con-
gressional District in behalf of Bryan
and Watson against Bryan and
Sewall, will say to the POpulists of
this District and State, as / said to
the committee, that would have to
decline to give my assistance, as the
nominee for elector, to any move
that tends to endanger the chances
of Bryan in this State. Unfortu-
nately for the Peoples party in this
State, the Executive Committee is
out OF line with the party and out of
sympathy with the action of the
National Convention. The first in
timation the party had of their hos
tility to the nominee of the National
Convention, was the rejection of a
division of the electors, with an ex-
cuse too t1imsy to satisfy the party.
They now make another, that the
Democratic party has refused to di-
vide the electors in any other South
ern State. | don't know what has
been the trouble in other States-I
guess it is like it is in our own-the
leaders are more concerned about
themselves than they are about the
relief of the people. Some excuse is
better than none, but there can be
no excuse for an independent cleo
toral ticket in Tennessee. The only
object the promoters of this indie
pendent move have is to throw gthe
weight of the Populist vote against
Bryan and aid McKinley's chances
for the electoral vote of the State.
My brother Populists, when you
nominated me for elector of the
Sixth Congressional District was
Populist, and ] am Populist to-day,
and the reason why l can't go into
scheme, either directly or indirect
ly, to aid the Republican candidates
chances for the electoral vote of this
State, is because / am a Populist
and not gold-bug. Senator Butler
said in his letter notifying Mr.. Wat
son of his nomination, that the Peo-
pies party national convention put
country above party and nominated
VIM. j. Bryan for their candidate
for President; that the party recog-
nized in this young patriot of the
West man who stands in the broad
est and truest sense for American
institutions and American princi-
pies; man as worthy as any one
within our own ranks, and, besides,
one who has several million votes
pledged to his support. Thus was
presented to us an opportunity to
elect this year man who would be
the first friend of the people in the
White House in twenty years. 1t is
plain from Mr.. Buffers letter that
he expected the Peoples party and
Mr.. Watson, their nominee for Vice.
President, to aid in the election of
Mr.. Bryan, whether they were able
to elect Mr.. Watson or not.
AS much as Populists may desire to
elect Mr.. Watson, they can't afford
to go into scheme to defeat Mr..
Bryan because they can't elect Mr..
Watson. Such an action destroys
the claim of patriotism made by Mr..
Butler for the action of the National
Convention.
The position taken by the Execu-
tive Committee is a surprise to the
party and is condemned, in my
opinion, by nine-tenths of the Popu-
list voters in the State. What in
ducements were brought to bear
with the committee to adopt an in
dependent electoral ticket instead of
a fair division of the electors with
the Democrats, don't know; but no
argument that has been made iusti-
ties such course besides, it is ad-
verse to the will and wish of an
overwhelming majority of the party.
There are all sorts of rumors of a
sell-out to the Republican party. 1
am slow to believe such rumors. But
whether sold out or deceived in their
judgment for the position they have
taken, is not the question. 1t is con-
ditions and not theories that are pre-
sented to the Peoples party in Ten
nessee. AS [ stated in another arti-
Gle, no man can be mistaken in this
: campaign. At no time in our his
tory has there been so much in
vOlved in Presidential election. In
1850 the republican form of govern
ment in America was not endan-
gered, for both sides favored a re-
public. In this election the Institu-
tions of our Government are threat
ened and the liberty and comfort of
the common people are at stake.
The contest is going on, and the
great battle that will be fought on
Nov. will make a page in our his
tory-it will decide whether the
money power or the people shall
control this government, or whether
, we shall have an oligarchy or a re-
public, or whether 70,000,000 OF
American people shall be free or
slaves for the bloated aristocracy of
the world. On which side of thi
great contest will the Populists OF
Tennessee stand? We have one
political side-show in the State,
headed by Palmer and Buckner, for
the purpose of helping Mckinley
defeat Bryan. If possible the dead
heroes of Fort Donelson would. in
my opinion, cry out from their
graves, "Shame on you, Gen. Buck
nerlm
Can the Populists of Tennessee be
drifted by the same power through
their State Committee into another
side-show for the same purpose?
That the Republicans are aiding
this independent move by the party,
is beyond question. Where did the
Executive Committee get means to
offer free transportation to the cleo
tors that would go into the canvass?