The Butler weekly times., 1896-08-20
A Disgruntied BOltor,

Industrial Leader. (Popalist) Lamar, Mo.
Ever since the meeting OF the Pop
ulist National Committee at st. Louis
last January, when the place and
date for the national convention were
determined, certain Populist editors
in this state have apparently felt it
incumbent upon them to harshly
criticise Chairman A Rozelle. Tax
ing their cue from fake interviews
they allowed their distorted imagi
nations to run riot with their judg
msnt and have given utterance to
statements absolutely false. Chief
among them is one W. 0. Atkeson,
editor of the Butler Free Press, the
fellow who led solitary, single
handed bolt from the Sedalia con-
vsntion. From the last issue Of his
paper the following drivel is taken:
"Our resolutions tying the hands Of our State
committee SO that they could not do other than
therein provided were destroyed by the adop-
ton of the "harmonizer" and will be total ig-
nored. As it turned out the whole matter OF
union of electors with the democrats was left in
hands Of Chairman Rozelle and his committee
to do as they please. The party as such will
have nothing whatever to do or say about it.
Indeed, it appears from the proceedings of the
committee as published in the Sedalia Capital
that Chairman ROzelle is not bound to even call
his committee together to arrange SO trifling a
matter. And he is the same Rozelle who stood
before the Missouri delegation in St. Louis after
convention had adjourned and expressed his
dissatisfaction with the nomination of Mr.. Bry-
an, and prated about being in the midd1e-of- the
road, and whined about certain criticisms of
his ante-conyention conduct in the Missouri
world. But let that pass.
We maintained before Sedalia convention, and
maintain now, that it would be fair and right
for the democratic electors to support Watson if
our electors support Bryan. That was the gen.
eral understanding at st. Louis as everyone
knows who attended that convention.
AS it stands Watson will get only three or
four votes and Sewall will get thirteen or four
teen in Missouri unless Chairman Rozelle gen.
ersusly comedies the whole seventeen 10 Sew
ALL
The course pursued by Chairman
Rozelle needs no further vindioation
than that given by the new State
central committee which unanimously
70 elected him as chairman. For per-
sonal censure We care nothing-if
men will allow malice to warp their
veracity their own actions will con
denn them. But when csnsure
takes the form of wilful nisrepre
sentations relative to the actien of
the state committee We think it time
to call @ halt. Who is this man, At
keson, who presumss to set himself
up as an oracle Of political piety and
censor of tho actions of all who do
not follow his beck and call? He is
q notorious fusionist who came to
this state from West Virginia, about
sixteen years ago, running for Office,
and has been q standing candidate
ever since. Away from home, when
ever hs aspired to be considered q
leader, he has posed as straight,
unswsrviug middle of the-roader-at
home when his own personal inter-
ests were at stake he has nsve. hesi-
tated to grasp any fusion deal or
scheme which favored his own elec
tion. The most notable instance of
his fusion propensities was in 1892
whom, by very smooth manipulation,
he succeeded in having his name
placed on the republican ticket as a
candidate for circuit Judge against
Lay. When defeated at the polls,
by the aid of Populist who contrib
utea money to pay the expense
(some of whom he has since i1sulted
and villiisd) he carried his case to
the supreme court and was beaten
again. This same saint posed as
boss of the ultras in the Missouri
delegation at the national conven
tion and succeeded in making him
self ridiculous. At the state con-
vention at Sedalia he undertook to
carry out the role of boss and was
ingloriously sat upon; theu, like a
oPoAAoN wy MO ACO u UOlt WHICH no
one followed. He refused to place
Bryan's name on the national ticket
until compelled to do so by the di
rectors of the Free Press. By his
contemplate bossism and domineer
ing he has practically disrupted the
party in Bates-the heretofore ban
ner county of the state. We are
not actuated by personal feeling in
presenting the above facts-we want
the honest. intelligent Populist of
the state to know the manner of
man who presumes to set himself up
as dictator. What can be expected
from such creature! What credence
should attach to the utterances of a
bolter, a man who publicly repudi-
ated the action of an overwhelming
majority of the state convention
As such he is no longer to be con-
sidered q member of the party. It
10 fact notorious throughout the
state that his ofiieiousness at St.