The representative., 1900-11-22
the DEFEAT OF BRYAN
Mistakes Of the Ropaiast Pafty-What
shall BE the rSlicy u the Feop1e's
RArtyf -

| SHALL BE the FOlicy u the feODle's
RArtys
~ Is
Bryan's defeat In the last election IS
OF sad importance, and to many of his
! supporters a source OF great sorrow.
To the philosophic mind the result is
natural. and just what might have been
expected. Conceding that Bryan was
honest, he committed the great mistake
Of believing that the Democratic party
| Is capable of reformation.
The two old parties are hopelessIy
corrupt and given over to the support Of
| all kinds of monopoly and outrage upon
the rights of the people. 1t is devoutly
! to be hoped by all good men that the
renewed treachery of the Democratic
| party to its chosen candidate, and Demo-
| cratic treachery defeated Bryan in both
! 1896 and 1900, will destroy any further
| fusion between the Democracy and any
class Of reformers.
Boss Croker is right, and the vote OF
| Greater New York shows that at least
| One-half the goldbug vote of New York
| city stayed away from the polls, and the
! other half voted squarely for Mckinley
There is little mourning among true
blue Populists over Bryan's defeat He
| has said many good things, and been
guilty of doing many evil things. His
action in refusing to notice his nomi-
nation for president at st. Louis by tho
Peoples party in 1896, unless the con-
vention would also nominate Sewall for
vice-president, was dictatorial, absurd
and ungentlemanly. His mission 10
Kentucky to advocate the Goebel law
| and Goebel's election, was a highland
| ed outrage upon the constitutional
! rights Of freemen for which no excuse
| is possible, and his public affiliation with
Croker in the late campaign and his
dedication OF Tammany-"Great is Tam
many, and Croker is it's prophet" was
both silly and sacreligious
The fusionists claimed that the Kan
sas City and Omaha platforms were
| Identical. whereas the two platforms are
as wide apart as the poles and in all his
speeches Mr.. Bryan took special pains
to declare he was not a Populist Pre-
tending to stand upon the declaration of
independence and to advocate the prin-
ciple of the consent of the governed"
he gave his influence in Kentucky, his
active individual support, to confining
the elective franchise in the South
exclusively to the Democratic party,
as the only class of citizens whose right
to suffrage white men are bound to re-
spect.' AS result of the late election
great demagogue has been laid
upon the shelf, and in the operation he
has unwittingly done more than any
other public man since Grant to destroy
the permanency of the Democratic par
ty, and all possibility of it's further
fusion with reform organizations.
His campaign emphasized the great
truth that reformers must not abandon
their principles, and must turn down"
all professed leaders who seek in fusion
The Democratic party is gone as an
active political force-it may linger for
few years in the most benighted re.
gions of the South, as a Tillman. bloody
shirt and shotgun party-but in the ma
ton it will be only party of negation,
opposed to everything reformatory or ir,
harmony with the principles of the
declaration of independence, and the
constitution of the United States:
The next foe of reform to fall. either
by the stalwart blows of the Peoples
party, or, like the Democratic party. bv
the folly of it's own adherents, is the
Republican party, whose present success
but intensifies its responsibilities and
critical situation
Freedom and justice to the Philippines
may prolong its power another four
years, but the chances are that the trust
and monopoly influences which control
both the old parties will prevent any
policy of justice to the Philippines, or to
the American people. The two old par
ties turned down. as they ought to 5e
and will be, the Peoples party will come
to the front and the republic once more
be administered upon the foundation
principles Of liberty and justice.
MISTAKES OF THE PEOPLES
PARTY.
First-In 1892 we nominated Weaver
for presidents man without political
stamina or integrity, who has since
abandoned the principles of the PEOPLES
party, peregrinating through all the
congressional districts of Iowa, where
the Democratic and fusion parties were
in a majority. seeking fusion nomi-
nation for congress only to be badly
beaten in every scrub race" AS a
presidential candidate he ignored the
candidate for vice-president on his own
ticket, to stump the South with Mrs.
Lease, in utter disregard of the Southern
prejudice against woman stumpers, and
against the earnest advice of his politi
cal friends.
Second-In 1896 we nominated Brvan