The representative., 1901-05-30
Who Are the Traitors?

NOUCIL VI. 1u6clSOlI u0Ncl COIu q
greater truth than when he said: when
arguments give away the insults COM
mence." The truth of this sentiment
was never better manifested than during
the last campaign. Whenever Dem
ocrat and Populist met and argued
politics, the Democrat would shout
"Traitor!" as soon as the Populist tried
to stand up for his party principles
When election was over | frequently
heard Democrats say: 1T was too bad
the Populists did not give Bryan better
support. If all the reform forces. had
stuck together Bryan would have been
elected
The facts are the Populists were CIV
ing Bryan a better support than the
Democrats did. In Kansas, Nebraska
Colorado, Nevada and Minnesota
which never were Democratic states
Bryan polled heavy vote. On the con-
trary, every Democratic state in the
union north of the Dixon line, with the
exception of one or two mining camps
in the Rocky Mountains, deserted their
party nominee and voted for Mckinley.
If it had only been the old Democratic
states of gold bug fame said result
could have been expected, but even 13
states of the chivalrous South helped to
swell the Republican landslide, and even
Bryans reformed free silver Democracy
of the West deserted to a great extent
their party nominees and voted for Nc
Kinley and Republican candidates for
congress. In the Sixth district of this
state the Populists voted for Truelson
almost to a man. Still Page Morris
majority over him was about 5000 larg-
er than his majority over Towne two
years ago.
Some papers claim that the Demo-
cratic party is now dead, but 1 do not
think SO. 1t is absolutely necessary for
the plutocrats to keep two plutocratic
parties in the field in order to make the
people fight sham battles on false issues.
Cleveland Democracy and Mckinley
Clevelandsm may not answer the pur-
pose, but Organism will. Bryan's name
was never mentioned among the promi
nent reformers of the country before
Bryan's character, in letter published
in The Coming Nation, wrote as fol-
lows:
Zone of the causes of the defeat of
the Democratic party was the character
OF the leaders. Many of them were
either so reactionary or so identified
they were on a par with the Republi-
cans. In this category l would include
Bryan's character. He is great orator.
That is at present his foremost char
acteristic. He may be a great states
man, but in the only public experience
in Office that he has had. his two terms
in congress, his name was not attached
to any constructive measure, and the
reputation he made was that of speak
er. The people of the United States
have never chosen any man who was
first and foremost an orator to any
high Office. Webster and Blaine failed.
The orator is rarely good man of af-
fairs
Mr.. Pomeroy worked and voted for
Bryan, and We must suppose he knew
what he was talking about The Demo-
Gratis had no principles in common with
the Populists except the demand for
free coinage of silver and even that
demand they admitted was not a para
mount issue, in other words, said plank
was put in their platform for the pur
pose of fooling the people. AS long as
the people are making demigods Of
such men as Mckinley and Bryan they
are not educated up to Populist prin-
ciples and Hannaism and Organism is
all that is needed in. order to swing the
votes into line to fight each other on
issues calculated to retard needed re-
forms.
Many fusion Populists will admit that
principles, but claim they are all right
on the trust question, and if for no
other reason we ought to have voted
for Bryan. They claim that trusts are
running our middle class, that our mid
die class is the last bulwark between
despotism and liberty, and as soon as
the middle class has disappeared our
free institutions are gone The fact is,
that the Democrats are no more sincere
in their opposition against trusts, than
in their demand for free silver. Dur
ing the last campaign the Democratic
speakers enlightened the people of all
the evils Of trusts, but offered no reme-