Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-12
THE POPULIST CHOICE
A Canvass of Sentiment in the West and
South.
Judge Caldwell ana Debs REGARDED
rs Leading Candfdates-Mr. Martin
Reviews the Situation,

cent meeting of that committee at ST.
Louis, was in Washington yesterday Since
the adjournment Of the committee Mr.
Martin has made tour of that por-
ton of the country which lies west
or the Mississippi and south of the
Ohio, in order to ascertain for himself and
those he represents the actual prospects
Tor the election Of the nominee of that
party to the presidency Of the United States
at the coming election.
Mr.. Martin asserts that he has arrived at
the conclusion that there is every reason
for the belief that the peoples party will
be successful in November. There is now
forming" said he to Star reporter, "a
typical American political party. which
shall be composed of the farmers. laborers
and legitimate business men of the coun-
try, as opposed to the giant corporations
ard monopolists. and think that any man
who viii travel over the country as 1 have
done during the last few weeks and in
quire among the thinking people as to their
views on political matters, that this party
will sweep the country at the coming presi-
Dental election.
A Confident Prediction.
Il further Think continued Mr.. Martin,
that the populists, who will form a part
OF the great party to which I have referred,
will carry every state west of the Missis-
sippi river and south of the Ohio, with the
possible exception Of kentucky.
THE reason for this is that those sections
are almost entirely stripped Of money, and
the belief is universal on the part Of the
people that the policy of both the republ-
can and democratic parties is dictated by
New York and London bankers"
Asked as to who are the men who are
most prominently mentioned in connection
with the nomination for the presidency by
their party, Mr.. Martin replied: THE first
in popularity and prospects for securing
the candidacy is, without doubt, Judge
Henry c. Caldwell of the United States cir
cult court, whose district comprises
larger extent of territory than any other
United States judge in the country, and
whose home is at Little Rock Ark. Judge
Caldwell is, however, favorably known in
the entire section of country between Texas
and Dakota, and from the Mississippi river
to Colorado he is recognized by men of all
parties as being an absolutely fair and i'm
partial judge.
Believes With the People.
THAT of itself makes him an exceptional
man in these days of degenerate judges.
He is in accord with the common people
on the money question; believes in protect
ing the greenbacks absolutely: favors the
with the common people their opinions
on the most important economic questions
of the day. He is also almost the only
United States circuit Judge who has dis
played absolute fearlessness in dealing
with the great questions which have come
before him in the disputes between labor
and the great railway corporations, and
for these reasons he is immensely popular
with the people of the west.
During the recent meeting of the ma
tonal committee of the peoples party in
st. Louis Judge Caldwell happened to be
in that city, and many members of the
committee called upon him, and were much
pleased as the result of meeting him.
Eugene V. Debs is also quite popular
throughout the section through which 1
have Travelled among laboring men. His
persecution and imprisonment by the cor
porations has rallied tremendous amount
of enthusiasm for him as a leader. He
is known to be fearless, honest and un-
swerving in his devotion to the cause of
labor against the giant corporations,
and the feeling in the west is that if Debs
were nominated for the presidency the en-
thusiaSm of the laboring men and farmers
would be reused to a white heat, and we
should have a campaign like that which
preceded the election of Abraham Lincoln
in 1850.
Mr.. Sihley Thought OF.
"Ex-Congressman Sibley is also quite pop
ular among large number of people, and
he is considered both in the west and
south as a man who could harmonic many
existing difficulties. His speeches in Con-
gress and elsewhere have given great sat
isfaction, and the belief among millions of
the people is that If he was at the head
of the government he could not be swerved
by the money power from the performance
of what he conceived to be his duty. He
is also looked upon as a representative of
those Independent and legitimate business
men who are preparing to resist the en-
croachment of the plutocracy and the ad-
vancement of the interest of the farmers
and laboring people.
Senator Ben. Tillman of South Carolina
is also considered to be an important figure
among the presidential possibilities. His
plain, blunt. persistent way of putting
things has unquestionably met the ap-
proval of the multitude of farmers, la
borers and business men who have nearly
had the life squeezed out of them by the
panic and hard times.
These four men are fairly representative
Of the great political combination which is
now being formed, and which expects to
elect the next President and a majority
of the House of Representatives"