People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1897-11-12

could Mr.. Strother have gone to the
Senate?
To say that these "dry" counties
pledged him "wet," before they would
elect him is a most remarkable state.
ment.
The reverse, is true.
All this l write in sorrow and pain.
It grieves me to have to do it. Would
that the duty were not mine. / love
Adolphus Strother like brother. He
has ever been my friend, and his. A
manlier, better-hearted man does not
live. At my home he has always been
always will bean honored and well
come guest.
But he has done wrong. He is simply
human, and he has erred-erred against
his people. and his contract with those
people.
Nor is it pleasant for me to condemn
Yancey Carter. No words of higher
praise have ever been written of him
than those which can be found in the
tiles of this paper, signed with my
name. No public speaker has more
ungrudingly praised him, in public
speech, than I have done, on many and
many an occasion. 1t was work of
love for me to help him. get to the Sem
ate, and no man ever spoke harder for
another than 1 did to that immer Sc
throng ut Royston for nearly three
hours, just before Mr. Carriers election.
Would that he had never done this
thing! Would that he had been straight
on one side or the other-for Whiskey
or against it! Would that he had never
framed this Platform and then viola
ted it, as 20
Senator, you urge that "the good OF
the party requires that we should not
discuss these matters. 1t was that
syren song that lured the people away
from Jeffersonian standards into the
latter-day hell broth of recent De-
mocracy aud Republicanism. Had the
Democratic party never listened to that
kind of doctrine it would never have
stained it's records with monopoly Ia
ifs, gold-standard notes, Bond issuing
Administrations. Had the Republican
party never covered over the sins of its
leaders, perhaps that Class-ridden or
ganization, that chosen apostle Of
Plutocracy, would never have drifted
away from the liberal principles of
Lincoln.
If our party has already reached the
stage of decay wherein Principle must
yield to the Party harmony, then the
sooner we disband the better.
Our only excuse for not joining forces
with the Silver Democracy was the be-
lief upon our part that the Democratic
party could not be trusted to keep it's
contracts.
We said it, and we believed it. But
if we Populists cannot be trusted to
keep our contracts either, what's the
use of electing Populists to Office?
Our party will be hurt worse by bid
ing these things than by exposing
them. Our only hope as a reform
movement lies in the stern integrity of
our purpose to cloak no crime, condone
no breach of faith, collude with no
double-dealers. If Populisra is to be
q living letter arv mo-a office getting
must not be the prime purpose held in
view. We MUST keep faith with the
people; we MUST carry out our public
contracts; we MUST hold our represen-
tatives responsible, without fear or
favor or affection
appreciate the honesty of your mo-
tive, and considered az a question of
''policy" you may be right. But it
seems to me that Populism ceases to be
a distinctive force the moment its
chosen representatives can disregard
its public contract with the people;
and therefore considering the question
as one of PRINCIPLE, I have already
sent in for publication dispassionate
and conservative article upon that sub
ject: and I cannot consent to deny our
people tie privilege of comment, in
their own paper, upon a matter which
so universally concerns them. If the
Senators are not conscious that they
have done wrong, they should not
object to having the whole question
publicly discussed.
THos. E. WATSON.
The Anti-Barroom
FETCH YOUR Bill is dead, and
Populist Senators
SACKCLOTH killed II