Evening star., 1899-03-03
HOT ! SHOT 4 FOR BUTLER
Populist Leader Bateman of Maine Scores
the North Carolina Senator.
Says the PopuIisfs Will Support
Wharton Barker Instead of
COloAeI bryan.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
AUBURN. Ne February 2s. 1876

AUBURN, Me, February 2S, 1889.
Inc recent activity of VIM. j. Bryan and
the repeated statements that Senator Butler
INTENDS to turn the peoples party over TO
his support in 1900 have aroused much in
terest and no little opposition among many
OF the old-time Maine leaders of that
party Your correspondent recently inter-
viewed Mr.. J.. C. Rateman, the Maine popu-
list leader and found him very pronounced
in his opposition to Mr.. Buffers plans.
Mr.. Bateman has three times been the
p@pul1st candidate for governor of Maine,
and was nominated the fourth time against
his protests. 1t will. therefore, be seen that
he is entitled to speak the sentiments of
his party in the state. Mr.. Bateman said:
Il am perfectly aware that Senator But
ler intends to play the part Of Sancho Panza
to Mr. Bryans Don Quixote. l am also well
aware that Senator Allen and a few other
OF our quondam leaders are striving for
the same position. They will not carry any
of the rank and file with them. however.
Ever since the fusion of 1888 these gentle
men nave been setting up the pins to do
the he, same thing in 1890, They have run
thelr course. Allen has been repudiated by
the Nebraska populists, and Butler has
been repudiated all over the country. These
poht1clans know that they can never climb
INTO public life again by the votes of the
people. and they think that by clinging to
Bryans s coat tails they can secure cabinet
positions in case the democrats win in 1893
rms Is all they are striving for and the
game tney are playing. Allen never was
anything but democrat. and Butler would
flop over to any party that would secure
him a position at the public crib.
Butler thinks that his support of Bryan
IN Eat0 is worth cabinet office: mat
ter OF fact. it isn't worth the position of
town constable. He can't carry five thou
sand votes to Bryan in the whole country
He is today "A general without an army or
10 iC Sti1 ha
chairman of the peoples party national
committee, but the party has slid from ltn-
der him and reorganized with new leaders
we nave already held our national conven-
tlon and nominated our candidates for
President and Vice President Wharton
Barker of Philadelphia and Ignatius Don
nelly of Minnesota. respectively. We do
nor care straw what course Butler and
Alien may take. We recognize them as
democrats and shall be only too glad when
they take their final leave
o4r men are falling in line for Barker
ana Dohneily from Maine to Texas. Here
In Maine every populist is for Barker and
our state convention sent a delegation TO
the convention which nominated him. We
nave nave cut entirely loose from Butler. and
snail pay not the slightest attention To hin,
in the future. The populists of Georgia
Florida. Alabama, Mississippi Missouri.
minnesota. Kansas and Iowa have taken
the same course. In fact about every state
in the Union is organizing for the candi-
dates of the Cincinnati convention The
rank and file are coming to Barker and
Dcnnelly iii overwhelming numbers Not a
Allen. '''
Ihe populists are thoroughly satisfied
with Wharton Barker He is one of the
great political leaders of the age He is
heaa ana shoulders above Bryan in intel
iEclnai attachments and statesmanship
ours wall be the only reform ticket in the
he ia IN 1000 The state legislatures are
rapidly passing laws prohibiting the same
ri.,
tickets. If Butler holds his fake cnnycn-
tlon and nominates Bryan he will be
opl1ged, under these laws to throw off his
disguise and 80 ON the democratic hafIot
That will leave the popuiist riakar far ns
ne quicker TINS happens the better. But
Ter IS load for any party, and the demo-
Gratis are welcome 10 him.
Il believe there are more nonulists in
this country today than ever before. The
great question of government ownership
of public monOpolies is rapidly forging 10
me lront. The people are ripe for reform
but they are not ripe for the democratic
party or for any of its side shows The
biack eye given to fusion in the last fall
elections proves this. Mark well my pre-
diction: Barker and Donnelly will hold the
balance of power in 1890 even If they are
not elected The shrewder politicians
among the democrats already realize this
fact: hence the outcry against the middle
of-the-road populists. Let them howl. Bry-
an came nearer the presidency in 1895 than
he ever will again. The populists of this
country believe in principle and are not
men Worshipers. Bryan and his lickspittles
may cry out that the peoples party is dead,
but they will find a lively corpse in the next
campaign.
Yes, sir, we shall put organizers and
speakers into every state and force the
fighting all along the line. Louis Philippe
once said to his admiring courtiers: L am
so firmly seated upon the throne of France
that the combined powers of all Europe
cannot move me- In Just forty-eght hours
from that time he was flying behind a fleet
span of horses for the Belgian frontier
Mr. Bryan can take a lesson from this his
toricai incident. L need not explain the
ms