The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-25
TOM WATSON OFF THE TICKET.
DECLINES TO ACCEPT THE POPU-
LIST NOMINATION.

the East Admitted Fnilure-The
Failure Attributed to Treachery
within the Party.
Atlanta. Ga, March 24.-In an open let
ter. addressed to the Populists of Georgia,
in to-day's issue of the Peoples Party Pa
per. Hon. Thomas f. Watson declines TO
accept the nomination of his party for
Governor.
The letter is one of the most dramatic
ard interesting contributions to current po-
htical literature
Following is a substantial copy of it; "lf
1 now saw any chance 10 10 any great
good to my state or TO my party by max
ing the race for Governor, there might be
some reason in the sacrifice; but do not
see any such chances.
my candidacy would not be stronger
than that of a half dozen other Populists
who could be named, indeed, my being IN
the race would create passionate resist
ance which no other man would provoke
II would be impossible to elect me, 10
matter how the ballots went, the returns
would go the same old road. 1t is the I'M
written law among the Democrats of
Georgia that l am not to hold office; and
while this act has not been read, three
separate times in each branch of the gen
eral assembly it has been enforced oftsn
enough to have all the strength of pre-
cedent and all the dignity of a statute.
THE time has been when political am
bition was very strong within me, and l
looked forward TO that field for honors,
fame, usefulness. 1t is no longer so. That
career is closed TO me, and l have turned
TO other work which cannot now be left
undone.
Il will not say that 1t was easy for me
TO resign myself TO political disappoinr
ment. 1t was not easy. One does not
give up the hope of a lifetime without re-
greet But no manly man win continue to
nurse a grievance. bemoan failure or rail
at fate because some one desire is not
gratified. The world is too full of work
that needs the workman, for any one to
stand idle all the day long.
Whatever pain I may have felt has
been cured by the best of all treatment
hard work. Barred out from the career
of my choice, l have resigned myself to
the inevitable and have laid my hands to
other tasks.
Causes which I need not now relate
brought us disappointment.
Causes which are well known to you
placed me at length in a position of com
plete isolation, when l was the target of
Democrats, Republicans and Populists.
"A great opportunity of uniting the South
and West was lost. The same old attempt
was made to carry both the East and the
West, the North and the South. The same
old result followed.
I'm the vain attempt to carry New Eng
land, the Populst-Democratic combine lest
just enough of the South and West to lose
the whole case. With the curse of Cassan.
dra upon me, ii was my unlucky lot TO
warn people who hated the warning, and
whose anger deepened as the warning
gradually secured veriication.
ut was in the belief that the time had
come to unite the South and West that 1
reconsidered in 1896 and yielded to the
urgent entreaties of the ST. Louis con-
vention. l was led to believe that the sue
cess of the union of reform forces depend
ed upon me- and accepted the nomination
under that belief. When it was too late
the mistake was discovered and the sac
rifice brought me nothing but humiliation.
"In declining your nomination now, I do
not mean to say that l have lost interest
IT do not mean to say that your princi-
pies and your leaders shall not have what
help 1 can give them.
MY meaning simply is that l cannot
become a candidate and cannot enter ac-
lively into campaign work. My duties
under contracts with others make il i'm
possible for me 10 do so.
Let no man believe that / despair of
your principles. for l do not. You stano
for the yearning, upward tendency of the
middle and lower classes.
F'You stand where the reformer has al
ways stood, for Improvement, for beneh-
cial changes, for recognition of human
brotherhood in its highest sense. for equal
ity before the law, and for an Industrial
system which is not based upon the right
of the strong to pillage the weak.
''Vou stand as sworn foes of monopoly,
not monopoly in the actual sense of the
word, but monopoly of power. of place,
of privilege of wealth. of progress.
"You stand knocked at the closed door
of privilege, as the reformer has ever done,
and saying to those within: open the
doors, let all who are worthy enter, let all
who deserve enjoy. Form no conspiracy
against the unborn. Shut out no genera
lions that are to be. God made il all for
ALL Pat no barrier around the good
things of life around the high places of
the church or state. Make no laws which
foster inequality. Establish no caste, le-
galize no robbery under the name of taxes.
Give no person natural or artificial sover-
eign powers over his fellow men. Open
wide the doors. Keep the avenues of
honor free Close no entrance to the poor
est, the weakest, the humblest. Say 10
ambi ton everywhere. The field is clear
the contest fair, come and win your share
If you can.
such is popuiism. Such is it's glorious
gospel.
"As such have loved it with boundless
reverence.
las its disciple. 1 have loved you, fought
for you, toiled for you, never for one min
ute doubling that you We're right and that
your creed was the same immortal creed
which in all ages has challenged wrong and
defied oppression.
such a creed cannot be slain by it's
foes. Only its friends can slay H. Even
they cannot STAY il beyond resurrection.
The traitor dies. the creed lives on.
IF populsm has lost any life blood it's
own leaders held the knife.
IF populsm is to be cured of any such
wound, il must cure itself, 1t must purge
itself of traitors within before It can over
come the foes without.