Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-08-08
TOWNE MAKFS WAY
FOR STEVENSON
lie Declined the PopuIist Nomination.
Thanked Them and Gave
His Reasons.


gresham Charles a. Towne who was
nominated for the sice presidency by
the Populist national convention. held
at Sioux Falls. in May. has sent the
following letter TO the committee of
notification:
Hon. +. NJ. Ringdal, Chairman and
the Members of the Committee on
Notification of the Candidate for Vice
President cf the Peoples Party Ma
tional Convention, held at Sieax Falls.
S. D., May and 10, 1900.
"Gentlemen-W When, on the 9Th of
July, at KANSAS City, ] had the honor
to receive from you the official notifica-
ton of the action OF your national con-
yention in nominating Inc for the office
of vice president of the United States.
/ | requested, in view of anomalous and
delicate circumstances in the presiden-
| tial situation that you permit me to
take the subject under careful advise
ment before announcing decision
either accepting or declining that
nomination. This request you were
pleased to grant, and now. after ma
| ture consideration of all the factors in
yolved that concern the welfare of the
cause of political reform in this coun-
try and nay own duty thereto, | am
4
! spect that ! must decline the nominal
tion rendered me by the Sioux Falls
convention.
I'm announcing this conclusion | can
not forbear to express to you, and
through you, to the great convention
| whose commission you hold MS well
/ as to the patriotic body of advanced
political thought that your convention
| represented my deep sense of the
honor conferred upon me. TO be the
| unanimous choice of such convention
for the second highest office of the
republic would be distinction to any
citizen. Two circumstances, however.
add emphasis to this consideration in
the present instance. First-That the
nomination was unsolicited by me: and
secondly. that the convention, as in
| the case also of its nominee for the
presidency, went ont of it's own polit-
zeal organization to select a candidate.
To my mind this action of the Sioux
Falls convention in nominating for
president a representative of the Dem
ocratic party. and for vice president
a representative of the Silver Repub-
lean party, is one of the most encour-
aging and inspiring spectacles IN recent
politics. Its Hnselhshness and mag
nanimity. its testimony to the preee-
dence of the cause of the people over
any merely partisan advantage, raised
the procedure of that convention into
the serene upper air Of true elyie hero
! ism. From such spirit as this, what
service, what sacrifice, cannot me asked
| in the name Of the republic? 1t was
of course. the expectation of your
convention that its nomination for the
vice presidency would prove accepta-
| l. yf
cratic and Silver Republicans called to
meet in Kansas City on the Fourth
of July The Silver Republicans.
1880 delegates, representing 50 states
and territories werg indeed eager to
name the ticket chosen at Sioux Falls,
but to the great Den ocratic convention
another course conn ended itself The
name of your nominee was presented
to that convention and was received
with remarkable demonstrations of
| approval " the enormous number of
citizen spectators a I'd with the utmost
respect by the Delegates But geo
| graphical considerations, and the fact
that in certain parts of the country it
was deemed wise t defer to sentl-
ment demanding that the candidate
should be Il man already identified
with the ID, mocratic organization not
| vocating its cause, but also by name
and profession, determined the selec
| ton of Hon Adlai Il. Stevenson. of IL
| linois, a man of unimpeachable char
| acter and OF ripe political experience
who, as member of congress more
| than 20 years ago was a close associate
and co-labo3er of General j. b. Wea
yer and other great leaders i'll the re-
| form political movements of that day,
and who as vice president from 1893
| to 1897 distinguished himself by rebel
/ ling against the betrayal of Democratic
principles by President Cleveland.
when Nj. Stevenson had been nom
! mated, what was it my duty to do?
| My name had gone before the conven-
ton along with his. and | had been
/ beaten. The nomination had been
made decisiN ely and with absolute
fairness. The candidate chosen was
personally unexceptionable; his loyal
ty to our principles was beyond qnes
| tion and his career had been a long
exemplificat,on of them. Manifestly
1t was my dAty to support that nomi-
nation. Acting upon this conviction
| | went before the Silver Republicans
and succeeded in persuadin@ them not
to nominate me. and the vice presden
tial matter was finally referred to the
Silver Republican national committee
with full powers. Later in the night
this committee placed the name of Mr..
| Stevenson on its ticket as the candi
date for vice president.
This recital clearly develops the
situation rs it now is. Every body
knows thar either NJ Stevenson or Mr..
/ Roosevelt is To lie the next vice nresi-
1 dent Of the United States. I am Elk
I 10 "a lsff. s,ttt In u
campaign shall Of course advocate
the election Of bryan and Stevenson
The Democratic convention, before
which ! wgs a candidate. nominated
ryan and Stevenson. The Silver Re
ublican patty. Of which organization
was the official head for nearly four
Years. has nominated BRYAN aud Ste
vnson IN what light should | ap-
pear befor" the American people it,
lille advocating the election of one
+ ket | shneld be going through the