The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-07-15
DON'T LIKE BRYAN.

NaJ1Onal CONVENTION Oh buo party uSAt
week. They represent the ultra wing of
the self-constituted Peoples party and
declare that nothing will satisfy them
short of an emphatic denunciation of both
the old parties and the selection of a can
didate independent of outside influences.
These middle-of-the-road chaps have al
ready opened headquarters at the Lindell
and have made declaration of war upon
all who refuse to follow the straight and
beaten pathway of the party.
Sergeant-at-Arms Mcdowell told me to-
day that if Bryan were Endorsed by the
Populists it would only be after hard and
bitter fight on the floor of the convention.
He based his statement upon information
he had received from delegates from diff
ferent sections CT the country. While the
West is favorable TO an Endorsement of
Bryan, the South is bitterly opposed to
him or any other Democrat. The South,
however, is not lighting Bryan on perso-
nal grounds. but because he is the cham
pion of Democratic interest and Demo-
cratic aspirations. On the other hand, the
Western Populists declare that Bryan re-
fleets in his own personality all that is
good in the Peoples Party. Mcdowell
handed me this letter, which he said pretty
thoroughly illustrates the temperament of
Southern delegates toward Bryan and
Democrats. The letter is addressed to the
Sergeant-at-Arms and is signed by A. B.
Anderson and others of the Ninth Congress
sional district of Tennessee. 1t says, in
part:
II have been requested by several of the
delegates to write you to know if the
newspaper reports to the effect that Popu-
lists are going to indorse Bryan, are true.
We don't believe it. If this be true, we
haven't any money to spend to come to
st. Louis inst to indorse Democrat. We
will remain at home and vote for Nc
Kinley. If the Populists will nominate
Teller ana some other good man like Mills,
we will be second, if not first in the race.
If this be false, for Gods sake let US hear
something from you by return mail, that
we can refute such statement. You come
to the front in the newspapers. Bryan is
only used to surrender our principles. He
is not sincere. Please let US hear fronsyou
by return mail"
Mr.. Mcdowell received another letter,
which urges the Endorsement of Bryan by
the Peoples party. 1t is from w. 81.
Biddle, ex-State Treasurer of Kansas. IL
says that all the Populists in that State
are unit for Bryan and that the delegates
will come TO the convention pledged to
the Nebraskan.
so 1t is plain" continued Mcdowell.
"that there will be stormy time in the
convention when the question of selecting
a candidate comes up next week. Bryan
has always been looked upon as lea ming
IL II
erously supported by our people when he
ran for Congress from his district in Ne
braska. Had he not received their aid
the probability is that he would not have
been elected to the House OF Representa-
tives. Teller will have large following
in the convention, so will General Weaver
and other distinguished party leaders"
The sergeant-at-arms cited the fact that
Southern Populists felt very bitter toward
the Democrats of the South on account of
the way they had been treated by the Fed
eral office-hoiders and other party leaders.
-Four years ago." he said, 1.-THE Popu-
lists were outrageously treated at the polls
by the Cleveland ballot-box suffers. Our
men were not allowed to vote at all. They
were coerced and vilified in the most
shameful manner. They have not forgot
ten this i'll treatment by the Democrats
who are now SO anxious for fusion with
he Peoples party, and that consider one
reason why Southern Populists are to-day
opposed to the Endorsement of Democrat
by the National party"
Sergeant-at-Arms Mcdowell is a tall,
lanky Southerner. He was born at Tren-
ton, Gibson County, Tenn, in 1s49. He
was reared on farm and still follows the
occupation of granger. When only II
years of age he entered the Confederate
army and served four years. AT the close
of the war he settled on farm as a renter
In 1882 he was elected to the General AS
sembly as a Democrat, ana in 1885 and
1887 was sent to the Senate by the same
party. IN 1892 he joined the Peoples
party and has since been identified with
it. He was elector-at-large on the ticket
with Weaver, and it was only the other
day that he received additional honors at
the hands of his party, having been nomi-
mated for Congress by the Memphis con-
vention. Both of Mcdowell S great grand
fathers served in the Revolutionary War,
and General Robert Iriom, his great-grand-
father on the maternal side, was one of
the twenty-four signers of the Mecklen-
burg declaration of independence. The
sergeant-at-arms says he comes from
Scotch-Irish stock and that his ancestors
settled in Pennsylvania in 1923.
NJ. ii. Owen, a delegate from Tennessee,
arrived at the Lindell to-day. He is one
of the advance guards that will fight the
aspirations of Bryan before the conven-
ton of his party. Like many others he is
not opposed to the Democratic candidate
on personal grounds, but does not want
Democrat Endorsed.
I'VE want our party to survive" said
Mr.. Owen to me to-day, sand if we take
up the nominee of the Chicago convention
at this time IL simply means the breaking
up of our organization. Some OF our mem
bers would 20 over to the Republican party
and vote for Mckinley. Others would
join the Democracy and vote for BRYAN
and the re st would remain at home and
not vote at all. Our claim is that the
Democrats have come over to our side of
the house. We did not go to them. Thew
adopted our platform. We educated them
to our ways of thinking. OF course there
are many things in the Democratic plat-
form satisfactory to the Populists. Now
we ought 10 write platform for ourselves,