The sun., 1900-09-25
POPULIST.
Bryan's Pretensi0ns Dissected
by a Former Supporter.
Democracy's Death Is a Prerequisite to
ANY Political Reform, Says George
Rutherford, the Populist.


eers OF the Populist party in Marion
County, H., Bryan's home county, is out
against Bryan.
Mr.. Rutherford has been P0pulist
ever since that party was formed and
has quite following in this State, as he
is well and fayorably known as man
Of high integrity. When giving his rca-
sons for not voting for Bryan this year,
as he did in 1885, Mr.. Rutherford said
II severed my connection with the Re
publican party solely on the question of
finance, voting for Peter Cooper in 1876.
Since then, till 1896. uniformly voted,
when voting at ALL for the presidential
candidate of the third party.
~ supported w. ]. Bryan four years
ago because:
81 He stood for binctallism at the
ratio of 1G to 1. demanding also in the
platform that the standard silver dollar
should be full legal tender, equal with
gold, for all debts public and private.
-. The Democratic party, for the first
time since the Civil War, took the affirm
atiye side of the live issues, and we Popn-
lists duped ourselves into the belief that
MI. oTNuu anu pAilJ i0aRlJ -
for, at least, as many years as five.
49, That party actually named can
didate for President outside of New
York, a political heresy they had not dar-
ed to be guilty Of but twice in thirty six
years.
"r cannot support Bryan and Staven-
son this year for various reasons, some
of which are:
NJ sill 1ot.
lar. BY purposely leaving out of their
silver plank at Kansas City the legal ten
der clause, their so-called silver dollar
shrinks to its bullion value.
so. Mr.. Bryan said in accepting the
Popuist nomination.: 1t is true that The
Popuists believe in an irredeeniable
greenback. while the Democrats believe
in q greenback redeemable in coin
"Tom Merritt of Salem says: In fishing
for Populists you need no bait. Instead
throw in the naked hook; they will bite
at anything Bryan and Tom attended
the same school.
80. Bryan's party relegated to the real
the silver question by 'paramounting' the
bogy imperialism which is child OF
Bryan's begetting, he acting as accouch
eur in securing the one majority for the
ittli lt tObh
the place of wet nurse, having the chile
dressed at Kansas City, afterwards car
ried to Indianapolis. and holding the pub
lie weakling up before the gaze of hi
auditors, he attempts to justify his liai
son by the following self-convicting testi
mony:
81 believe that we are now in bette
position to wage q successful contes
bn.
been had the treaty been rejected
"He, not like st. Paul. would do evi
that good to his party might come.
His actions in urging the members o
his party in the Senate to vote for tn,
ratification of that treaty, and his Ian
guage in justification conyicts him be
yond doubt, to say the least, of duplcty
That Treaty provided fov the payment o
S20,000000 to Spain for the Philippines
the United States agreeing to certail
stipulations, the performance Of whicl
requires ten years from the date of th
ratification of the treaty. A fight ha
occurred between the American soldier
and the Filipinos two days before tn
treaty was ratified; and that treaty con
tains the following section: The civi
rights and political status of the nativ
to the United States shall be determine
by Congress-
"All Of this Mr.. Bryan knew. yet Ii
poses as the champion Of the ratihcatio
that spawned Imperialism as well as til
champion anti-imperialst.
"A. The Kansas City platform charat
terizes the Philippine war as Il war d
criminal aggression Mr. Bryan runnin
upon that platform said in substance Il
Indianapolis: If elected President. IN
first act after Inauguration will be to col
vene Congress in extraordinary sessio
and give to the Filipinos a stable and il
dependent government
''If Mr.. Bryan is friend of the Ame
lean soldier, as well as a friend TO til
Filipinos, how can he be consistent
the Endorsement of that clause of h
platform knowing, as he does, that it ca
have no other effect than the encourag
ment of the latter TO fight on till aftt
November 6?
HE may be able to reconcile it wit
his superabundant love for humanity, Q
pecially the Democratic portion of it, q
the theory that it puts him and then
better position to wage n successf
war against Imperialism than if it W,
not in the platform
'"Thc Democratic party has the bold e
frontery to talk about the consent of Il
governed when they are the only part
In the United States that has been al
is guilty of governing people witho,
their consent, and not long since believe
In the divine right of one man to ow
another.
Had it not been for the transfusic
Of oxidized Populist blood into the veii
Of the Democratic party in 1896 the %
reminiscence' would have ceased cheatil
the undertaken, and sandstone slf
would now be marking the spot of
everlasting home. Its death is prereqr
site to any political reform. 1t is II
vcritasle dog in the manger. 1t stan,
to-day as it has always stood, asinine
and stubbornly across the pathway
progress.
'.The party with which have be,
Identified Cor nearly twenty-five years h
committed suicide, and 1 am. metapho