The news & observer., 1897-07-01
INTIMATES A SELL OUT
REVIEW OF THB ROW ON DUR
ING THE LAST CAMPAIGN.
puNNING ALSO is DENOUNCED
Butler Charges that DunnIng Repre-
sented Watson and Was in the
Employ of the Republican
National Committee.
National Committee.


-ion Rutler-Tom Watson row. 1t has
attracted much attention of late because
Wa+son's crowd has called meeting to
5enounce Buffers management Of the
late campaign. A meeting was called in
Georgia to elect delegates, after
great fuorish of trumpets. 1t did not
amount to much.
In this weeks Caucasian Senator But
Ter writes three column article defend
ing his position and replying to the de-
mand of the Watson crowd for meet
ing "wherein they may call upon Chair
man Butler for better explanation than
he has yet given Of his reason for not
forcing forcing Sewall off the ticket"
Butler says that he tried to get Sc
wall off the ticket, but that watson
attacks upon Sewall furnished "exciu-
sively to the gold-bug New York World, "
made his demands Intellectual, ana
created public sentiment against Watson
I'm Short says Butler, "Mr. Watson,
for some strange and inexplainabla rea-
son. or acting under the influence of bad
advisers, some of whom we believe were
Republican hirelings, threw away one
Of the greatest opportunities that ever
came to any man for himself ana also
to give his party a commanding ana
proud position. He could have put the
cause of humanity above self, and been
the star attraction in the campaign"
Proceeding Butler reviews the policy
of advocating joint ELECTORAL tickets, as
4hof
ing to elect Mckinley. Referring to
Watson's plan to put out separate e'ec.
torial tickets, he says:
''But he knows and every one knows
that if the committee had attempted this
course that our party would have rebell-
ed against such action as an attempt to
betray the party into the hands of Nc
Kinley's hackers. They know that it
would have split the party in twain,
leaving minority standing with The COM
mittee for such a policy. They know
that over half of the rank and file of
our party would have refused TO vote
such ticket, if all of the leaders of the
party had combined in advising it. They
know that notwithstanding our party or
ganizatiOn was more or less demOralized
on account of the peculiar and unfair
conditions we were forced to meet, that
vet the result would have been ten times
more disastrous if we had pursued a
different course"
Coming to the suppression of Watson s
letter Of acceptance, the Senator says
it was not published because it closed
by advising Populists not to vote for the
joint electoral ticket. Watson was re-
quested to withdraw that advice. He
declined, and the letter was suppressed.
Referring to Watson's charge that the
letter was suppressed because It contain
ed an attack on the committee. Butler
says ''This is not only absurd, :. is
evidently untrue" and adds:
1.-THE appearance of the letter at that
time would have caused the Populists
all over the country to hold meetings
and repudiate the letter Every Peoples
party State chairman where there were
Joint electoral tickets would have been
forced to issue an address calling upon
the Populists to disregard Mr.. Watson's
advice. Why did not Mr.. Watson pub
lish the letter himself as soon as it was
ready in the usual way? Every other
candidate as far as we know took that
course. Why did he not publish it when
it was delayed? Why did he not publish
it when he was officially informed that
the committee would not publish it I'M
less he changed that part Of the letter
which advised Populists not to vote for
the joint electoral ticket? He knew that
the letter should not be published. and
he knew that the committee would not
publish it if they honestly wanted to
elect Bryan. He was afraid to publish
it before the election. He left the COM
mittee to shoulder the responsibility. He
wrote it, attacking the committee, to be
used after the election, to try to call
attention from his own blunders, and
cowardly hide behind his attacks upon
others.
"The committee knew why Mr.. Wat
son did not publish his letter then The
committee knew that he would publish
il after the election. The committee also
saw and knew how he would try to use
it to prejudice some Populist against
them. Yet, the committee saw clearly
the line of duty and followed it regard
less of consequences.
1--WE believed then and believe now
that one n. A. Dunning, who was pos
ing as Mr.. WatsOn's personal friend and
adviser, and who kept the road hot be-
tween Georgia and Washington and
Chicago, where the Republican commit
tee had headquarters, was in the pay
of the Republican campaign committee.
We believed then and we believe now
that this fellow had a copy of Mr. Wat
sons letter, and that the Republican COM
mittee knew what kind of document
it was. The Republicans were anxious
for its publication. If the letter had been
given out the Republican committee
would have published millions Of copies
and distributed them in every voting
place in the doubtful States. When it
became evident to them and to Dunning
that the National chairman would not
give out the letter, then Dunning wrote
a circular headed: An appeal to Popu-
lists, and defence of Mr. Thomas e.
Watson" This document is so similar
in statements and expressions to the Wat
son letter that Dunning must have had
it before him when writing it. The chief
difference between them was that Wat
son closed his letter by asking Populists