Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-19
P0PUL|SM IN 1904
National Chairman Says It
Will Be in Field.
DONE WITH COMBINES
NO MORE FUSION TO DEFEAT RE-
PUBLICANS.
Former Senator Marion Butler Saws
Clevelandism Will Overcome
Organism.

1.-The popuist national committee is stand
ing aside now and allowing each local sec
ton of the party do as it thinks best in
the congressional elections,' said former
Senator Marion Butler of North Carolina,
chairman of the populist national commit
tee, to Star reporter today, but" he con-
tinued, 'in 1904 we will have a ticket in
the field for the presidency Independent of
any other party.
I'VE will poll more votes for populist can
ddates then than we did when We put up
Weaver and got over 100000 votes for
him. Since then we have twice fused with
the democratic party and given them our
votes. In all that time the democratic
party has taught its voters to despise Cleve-
landism, and its teachings will be remem-
bered. The result will be that in 1904 We
will not only get all the votes we got for
Weaver, but we will get a large part of
the democratic vote also. as l have no doubt
that by that time the democratic party will
be in the hands of the Cleveland democrats
and will be endeavoring to foster Cleveland
ism on it. 1 cannot undertake to say what
vote we will then poll, but it will be large
one and the largest we have ever had
Failure to Fuse
What do you regard as the real cause
of the failure of the democrats and popu-
lists to get together in this campaign?'
Mr. Butler was asked.
The populists have felt a great deal of
disgust with the democrats. and then the
populistS and the democrats have been
holding what might be termed dis-admi-
ration society While the democratic party
is drifting toward Clevelandism we have
very we'll defined ideas of what the issues
before this country should be, and we pro-
pose to put them forward.
THE democratic party has made blunder
after blunder. When we went into the cam
paign of 1875 l endeavored to persuade the
democratic leaders not to talk of free silver
at 16 to l, but to talk of the quanttative
theory in regard to money, with d disregard
for the metal. We today having more
gold than we could have secured of silver
and gold in 1896, and the republicans
simply laugh down the free silver issue.
But this condition has very thoroughly
verified what was then claimed on the
quantitative theory of money. The medium
of exchange is a matter of indifference.
What we contend for is that there shall be
a certain adequate quantity of money to
meet the wants of commerce at all times.
Had the democrats laid stress upon the
quantitative theory we would TO-DAY be able
to go before the country and convince every
voter that we are right. But bringing for
ward silver as we did at 16 to l, We are
unable to place ourselves in correct light
before many people whose knowledge OF
the money question is superficial at the
best.
Government Ownership.
I'VE are coming into a condition also that
will show the importance Of public owner
ship of the natural monopolies. Yet some
leading democrats, when we talk of gov
ernment ownership of the telegraph, quote
Jefferson in saying the least government is
the best government They should quote
everything that Jefferson said in his decla-
ration that men should have equal opportu
mites The trainers of the Constitution
took great care to see that the rivers and
the highways were kept open for free COM
petition. Yet when the railroad supersedes
the highway and the waterway it is pri-
vately owned. They were careful that the
postal business should be in the hands of
the government, but when the telegraph to
a large extent succeeds the postal system it
is privately owned These are bound to be-
come the great issues before the country
Hope Of the Popu1ists.
But what the popuist party hope for
by operating as an independent party?"
There is bound to be a third party, and
if we do not put up a ticket some one else
will do it. The populists will poll in 1902
more votes than ever before and it will go
ahead
What will Mr.. Bryan do when Cleve-
landism controls the democracy -
"Mr. Bryan will have to speak for him
self. I cannot speak for him." Mr. Butler