The independent., 1903-04-02
THAT "SCHEME" AGAIN
Further Developments in the Controversy
Between The Independent and The
Appeal to Reason

4
Readers of The Independent may
/ wonder why any space is devoted to
answering the recent onslaught of the
Appeal to Reason relative to the pop
ulist Endorsement or Mr. Bryan at st.
Louis in 1896. In the first place this
was the first time when any specific
charge of deal or scheme" has
ever been made-at least, that The In
dependent has seen. Mr.. Kicker, one
/ or the Appeals associate editors, is {.
| former mid-road populist, and has set
| up the claim that Mr.. Bryan told him
! ! In 1897, while travelling frcna 0nnaa~~aa
to Council Bluffs, Ia, in substance,
| that the Bryan nomination at st. Louis
| was the result of scheme or deal or
plan arranged by Bryan and the pop
ulist leaders months before the con
ventions of 1896.
This was denied by Mr.. Bryan in a
letter to The Independent, published
in our issue of February 26. The APP
peal Of March IA republished Mr.. Rick
er's letter to The Independent and Mr..
Bryan's reply, together with over two
columns of comment by Mr.. Kicker.
Most OF it consists of the usual mid.
road rant about the fusion populists'
dishonesty, but one paragraph corr
tains a specific allegation:
What am / to think" queries Mr..
Kicker, referring to Mr. Bryans de-
nial, "now when he fatty denies what
he SO explicitly stated to be in our
interview? Has Mr.. Bryan forgotten
the deal between Mr.. Rosewater, Mr..
Allen and himself by which under.
standing Mr.. Holcomb was elected
governor of Nebraska in 1894, the par
ticulars of which were related to me
by Mr. Rosewater some five years
ago." .gy5>
Immediately upon receipt of the APP
peal containing this new charge, let.
ters were written TO Mr.. Rosewater
and Senator Allen, copy of the let
ter to Mr.. Rosewater being as follows:
Lincoln, Neb., March IA, 19O3.--
Hon. e. Rosewater, Omaha, Neb.--
Dear Sir: The clipl ings enclosed are
from The Independent of February S
and 2G, 1908, the matter appearing
under the heads, "The Appeal to Rea-
son . and THAT Conspiracy" having
a direct bearing upon what is to fol-
low. You will note that Mr.. Kicker
(Who was formerly mid-road pop
ulist, living somewhere in Iowa), III
the Appeal to Reason of January "a,
1903, made the assertion that while in
conversation with Mr.. Bryan in 1897,
Mr.. Bryan admitted stc him that he
(Bryan) and the porulist.- leaders,
months before the democratic ard
populist conventions in 1896, had ar
ranged so that the peoples party
would be placed in this humiliating
position (that is to say, that Mr..
Bryan would be nominated by the
democrats at Chicago and then in
dorsed by the populists at st. Louis)
| challenged the statement on two
points, denying 0) that any such ar
rangement was in fact made, and CD
that Mr.. Bryan ever told Mr.. Kicker
that any such arrangement had been
made Mr.. Kicker responded with the
letter published under the head Of
That Conspiracy" Mr.. Bryan's re-
joinder follows under the same head.
"All this so far, of course, is of no
interest to you, it having
no bearing upon the fortunes of the |
political party. with which you al
filiate. But in the Appeal to Reason
OF even date herewith is reprinted the
two letters (of Kicker and Bryap) |
which appeared in The Independent of
February 26. The controversy has
narrowed down to question of verac |
ity between Kicker and Bryan. ard |
Mr.. Kicker comments in part as fol- |
lows:
What am | to think now when |
he fatty denies what he so explicitly |
stated to me in our interview? Has |
Mr.. Bryan forgotten the deal between |
Mr.. Rosewater, Mr.. Allen and himself |
by which understanding Mr.. Holcomb
was elected governor of Nebraska in
1894, the particulars of which were re-
lated TO me by Mr.. Rosewater some
five years ago.
believe no populist, democrat, or
republican, in Nebraska will deny that
the influence of youl self and the Bee
was potent factor in electing Gov
ernor Holcomb; but in view of Mr..
Ricker's previous assertions, the only
construction to place upon
his present language is that (a) you.
Senator Allen and Mr.. Bryan made a
deal whereby Holcomb was to be
n0po in atnd and alaatad opl (hN 4Lat I