People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1897-09-17
When Mr.. Bryan,
CRAZY-OUILT or some editor devo-
ted to his cause, adj
POLITICS. 'oo@les 'n0 "nioAA VI

in order that the gold standard pro-
gramme may be defeated, we admit
that they present the case plausibly.
The sound of the thing is musical, not
to say seductive.
Here is the way they rattle it off
'.Let us all get together,-we refor-
mers. Let us sink party and hoist
principle. Letsus rise above party for
the sake of bleeding country. The
human race is in bad way. The gold
bugs have got it where Waller had the
hen.
Let us rise to the occasion and save
the country.
Come, We Silver Republicans, come We
Populists, and join hands with us Dem
ocrats. 1t is true that the said hands
of us Democrats are red with the blood
of Free Silver which we slaughtered in
1892, 1898, and at divers other times
before and since, but yet we are the
| u1Cu W uSDs duO VIC lAOoI GIL 401O
pickering and get together.
Divided we fall and get no pie. Uni
ted ave stand and carve pie till you
can't rest.
Come brethren, rise above party, and
put your memory of our numerous ras-
calities under the bed, and let us all be
brothers, and release suffering human
ity from the grimy grip of the greedy
gold bug"
Now as we have already stated, this
doctrine sounds well enough. Tested
by ear, there's no fault to be found
with it.
When bad men conspire, good men
should confederate. That's correct
gospel
>(Thousands of Populists, good men
and true, havs been led astray into
Doggy Butlerism and Bryan befuddle-
ments by not stopping to analyze the
true meaning of the fusionist, and to
expose his internal selfshness.
We can readily see how national
movement to unite all the various re-
form elements might have been hon
estly conceived, and boldly carried for
kward to success.
Before such movement could have
been made possible, however, it was
absolutely necessary that the people
should have been led to it by candid
statements, sensible arguments, honest
methods and fair dealing and union
of all the reform elements in one par
ty.
The politicians went at it wrong
They caucussed secretly in Washing.
ton, agreed upon plan among them
selves, secured the secret connivance
of a few Populist leaders in the West,
where the Democrats needed u.s. and
then laid low until the trick could be
sprung upon the Peoples Party Con
vention at St Louis.
Union of reform forces' was the cry,
but the real purpose of the Washing.
, ton politicians was to capture the
), Peoples Party, or disrupt it, They
never for one moment meant to honest.
ly strive for a union of ALL the reform
forces in ALL the states. They meant
to unite with the Pops where they
needed the Pops, but they never inten-
ded fusion to go step further. Where
, Democracy needed our help, fusion
was all right. Where Populism needed
THEIR help, fusion was all wrong. Nc
Democratic politician or editor has ever
advocated fusion except in the locality
where Populists had all to lose and
nothing to gain by it.
In localities where Democracy has
anything to lose by fusing, Democracy
. does not fuse.
In Nebraska where Populism has
three votes to Democracy's one, Bryan
e1oquently breaches patriotism and
union of all the reform forces"
In Georgia and other states where
Democracy has a vote-counting ma
chinery which makes it independent o1
opposition, the Bryanites tell the Pop.
ulists to ''go to the negroes where
they belong"
All over the West fervid orators are
now proclaiming the beauties of unit
ing the reform elements. Curses are
called down upon the heads of those
who stand in the way of this blessed
unifcation.
But why is it that Democracy finds
no loneliness in the policy of fusion
except in states where the majority is
against her
Why did Mr.. Bryan's friends so con
temptuously spurn the Populist fusion
lists in Virginia when those patriots
rose above party and offered to sell
out for one little bob-tail office?
Why didn't Mr.. Bryan rush down tc
Virginia and labor with his unpatriot
ic Democratic friends -?
Why is it that the beauties of fusion
fade away, like the colors of the dying
dolphin, the moment we strike state
where Democrats do not need fusion {
In the Nebraska Populist Convention
| L.
ulists who opposed fusion and cried
Woe unto you who oppose this union
of all the reform forces"
Why didn't he rush to the Democratic
Convention in Virginia and cry "Woe
unto the Democrat who opposes this
union of the reform forces ?"
In Nebraska the Pops were so anx
ious to rise above party that they let