The age-herald., 1899-07-06
MIR. WILLETT SAYS
 THE SOUTH IS WEARY
Alabama Doesn't Want Bryan and Free Coinage of silver in the Next
 Campaign.

In an interview in Thursdays New York Herald MT. Willett indicated that the southern democrats would be glad to see Bryan and free silver give place to a new candidate and revival of the tariff re- form issue. He added that former Judge Augustus Van Wyck had made many friends in the south.
 ''The south has no confidence in the dem ocrats of the vest said MT. Willett. We gave them the candidate and the platform in 1896, and now the west has repudiated them both and gone back to the old lines. We are in favor of the old alignment with New York, Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey, if it can be brought about"
 What does the south think of Bryan?" was asked.
 Well" replied MT. Willett, hestating for a moment, MT. Bryan has many friends in the south, and he is popular, just as Blaine, Clay and other defeated candidates were. But there are thousands who would not be sorry if another candi- date should be nominated. German? Well, the south will vote for him if he is nom- mated, but he will not be. He will not even be voted for in the convention. He never stands up before the guns; he may get some one else to do it. He is not the man to lead forlorn hope"
 What is the feeling toward Augustus Van Wyck?"
 
 msrers in the south. We claim him, you know, for he was educated there as we'll as in the north, and he married in Rich mond. Yes MT. Van Wyck is very highly thought of in the south."
 Do you thing free silver will be the main feature of the next national ,demo- cratic platform?"
 We should not be sorry to see a revival of the tariff-for-revenue- only issue, with opposition to trusts,' replied MT. Wett. ''silver has many friends, especially in the agricultural districts, and the south is mainly agricultural, but the trouble is that many persons do not think the party can Win with it. The senate Is surely repub- Ican Tor six years to come. Popusm is dead in the south, but it might be revived II the silver issue were pushed aside. We are between Scylla and Carybdis. If we make silver the leading issue we will lose the democrats of the north and if we east IL aside we will lose the popuist support
 Three men out of four in the south are opposed to expansion and imperialism We nave negro population there and we have trouble enough with it, without taking in any more. Every day we read of some out rage or lynching. Besides that, while there are billions of dollars of natural wealth in the south awaiting the development of cap ital we do not wish to see territory taken that would draw capital out of the country
 We made a f1uke in the Philippines and I as soon as we can do so without humila- tion We don't want the islands.
 Owing to the advance in iron to $15 ton a great deal of money Is being made in Alabama. During the hard times iron was produced there as low as $5 ton. Eighty per cent. of this iron is exported and sold in competition with other nations. Why should we want Q protective tariff on it? Since we began to send it to Pittsburg and New England we have had no trouble fH getting all the money we need to improve our ports to induce us to send it abroad. Eventually all our iron will be exported"
 Representative Walker, of Massachus- etts. wrote to me-" said Mir. Willett, that in the states that voted for Bryan there was 500000,O O00 less money in circulation than there was In 1S61 before the outbreak of the war This and the low price of farm products are the reasons why farmers are obliged Jet their land go to satisfy mort gages of one third its value"