The Topeka state journal., 1897-06-03
WATSON OUT FOR FIGHT.
Would Overflow the Old Leaders and
Become Dictator Himself

o6COnS dictator -AlInSSl1s
Atlanta, Ca. June S.-The Populists
of the south, led by Thomas E. Watson,
the late vice presidential candidate,
have Joined in "a movement to over
throw Marion Butler and the national
committee of the party in order to
prevent any further attempt at fusion
with either of the two great national
parties.
The movement really started some
weeks ago when the reformed press
called for a national convention to be
held on the 4th of July in Nashville for
this purpose. That call was looked
upon as having no effect, but within
the last two weeks Mr.. Watson has
added his influence to it and now it has
assumed national proportions In the
the last two issues of his organ, the
Peoples Paper, published in this city
the editorial page has been filled with
denunciations of Marion Butler and of
the accredited leaders of the party. Mr.
watson looks upon them as being in
the party merely for the offices which
they gain through its influence. He de-
clares that they should be ousted from
the seats of power, and that the move
ment of the Peoples party, which has
been so seriously handicapped by it's
leaders, should start afresh, ignoring
all past organization, but taking it's cue
from the proceedings of the convention
to be held in Nashville. In the last
issue of the Peoples Paper there was
which notice is taken of the refusal of
Mr.. Bryan to speak in a Missouri dis
trict where a Populist and a Democrat
We're running against each other, and
in which he called on Mr.. Bryan to get
off the fence and announce which side
he was on.
IF, - said Mr.. Watson, Mr. Bryan is
Democrat, let him say so, that then
we will know what he is If, as his
friends assert, he is a real Populist, let
him be honest enough to quit parading
in Democratic clothes and come out as
he should do, and not hang on to the
tail of the Populist coat
Another significant feature intro
duced into PopuIfst politics by Mr..
Watson is a strong tinge of A. p. A.
In a signed article two weeks ago
scattered through Georgia, Mr.. Watson
referred to politics in Cuba and de-
clared that the reason the Cubans could
not win their freedom from the Span
ish was because the Catholic church
was allied to monarchy against the re
publican principle of freedom The
pope he accuses of taking part for the
purpose of crushing the ambitions Of
the people.
1t has developed that Mr.. WatsOn's
purpose in making the attack was for
the effect it might have in the western
states where Ignatius Donnelly has
strong influence. Mr.. Donnelly, while
not the most practical kind of Catholic,
belongs to a strong Catholic FAMILY.
He was a tower of strength for Mr..
Bryan in the late campaign, and that
makes him the object of WatsOn'S en-
nifty. Watson hopes by appealing to
the prejudiceS of the country POpullStS
in the west to break down DOnnelly'S
power with them and then become
their leader himself. He feels that the
strength of Bryanism among the Pop
ulists is in the west, and if he can
break it down there he will have the
parry all over the country as fully un-
der his thumb as he has it here.