The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-11-14
PopuIist Leader Gives His
Views on the Result
CLEVELAND WAS TO BLAME
Unpopularity of the Cleveland Forces
About Parker Made Many Votes
Vote for Mr.. Roosevelt
In the Election.

New York, November 1s.-Thomas E.
Watson today gave out the following
statement.
1T should be borne in mind that at
the time the Springfield convention ten
dered me the presidential nomination,
the peoples party had no real existence
as factor in national politics for eight
years In the presidential election of 1900
it gave to it's nominee only 5000 votes.
TO that extent had the fusion of 1896
swallowed up a movement which in 1894
counted nearly two millions of votes and
about 1900 active newspapers, and there
fore we had to build from the ground up
In 1904 We had almost nothing to start
with in the way of party organization,
campaign funds and newspaper support;
we had only three months in which to
work These things being first consid-
ered some fair idea of what was accom-
plished can be had only when the official
returns are known.
Up to this time no official statement
has been made of the vote, and L can
only guess what it was from information
conveyed to me by friends in various
parts of the country. These sources, OF
course, are not very reliable. Basing
estimate upon them, however, my opin-
Ion is that l received something like half
million votes scattered through
many states, north and south, east and
west, to indicate that the sentiment which
gives its moral support to the peoples
party is national and not sectional. I
have found everywhere that the current
was strong and deep in favor of JEFF
fersonian democracy. I believe today
that if all those who believed in that
theory of government could be united In
harmonious political action we could
sweep the country
Mr.. Roosevelt's Overwhelming major
ity was not so much due to the fact that
our people believe in class legislation. and
The reign Of special privileges. 1t was
not by any means an endorsement of
corporation tyranny; the greed of the
trusts, or of the methods of combined
capital Mr.. Roosevelts majority over
Mr.. Parker was due mainly to two
things-one was the immense personal
popularity of Mr.. Roosevelt himself, and
the other WAS the immense unpopularity
of Mr.. cleveland's second adminstra-
tion. Unfortunately for Mr.. Parker, he
became completely identified with the
rnarauders who plundered the govern
ment during Mr. Cleveland's second ad-
mnistratlon, that he had TO bear all the
odium which they had incurred.
People Take Revenge.
"The people have never had chance
to show Just what they thought of that
second administration. Mr. Bryan's two
campaigns did not give them the oppor-
tunity; it was only when the old Cleve-
land combination secured the defeat of
Bryan and Hearst and dictated the nom-
fnation of Mr.. Parker, that the mass got
h.
candidate the intense hatred which they
had been nursing for years against such
men Ciley and Belmont and Carlisle
and Cleve,and himself. They knew that
] could not be elected. and they were so
eager to make the best of the opportun-
ity TO safe guard the country against a
repetition of that saturnalia of class leg
islation which marked Cevelands second
administration that they rushed to
Roosevelt and gave him majority which
does not under ordinary circumstances
lelong to the republican party.
In other words, the personality of Mr..
Roosevelt, and the unpopularity of Par
ker's environment carried into the repub-
liean column vast multitudes of men, who
Under ordinary circumstances would not
be found there.
My own plans for the future embrace
complete organiza tion of the people
along Jeffersonian democracy the re-es-
tematic propaganda of Jeffersonian poll
cies in order that in 1908 there shall be
party OF genuine opposition to the re-
publican party and its present policies.
II political history teaches anything, 1t
is that old parties never accomplish any
reform unless they are irresistably driven
to 1t by pressure from without | hope at
least to be Of some use to my country
in aiding those who will apply that pres
sure II is immaterial to me who does
the work which the reformers want, just
so the work itself is done.
No Faith In Democracy.
Il have no faith whatever that reforms
will be accomplished by the democratic
party 1t is discredited in the ewes OF the
people by a series of crushing defeats.
but 1t has been vacciliating in its
course, 1t has changed IT'S principles SO
often, has run from extreme to an
other so recently, had such a magnifi-
cent opportunity in 1892 to work out the
reforms to which 1t stood pledged and
made such a wretched use of that oppor-
tunity that it cannot inspire the conf
denee which leads to success
"Slnce 1892 the democratic party has al
most entirely boxed the compass in po-
ltical profession of faith 1t has been
for pretty much everything until this
year. when it stood for everything or
nothing according to the Interpretation
which the voter choose to put upon its
ambiguous platform.
Mr. Bryan, while great democrat. Is
not the democratic party. There are other
distinguished democrats Nho are yet to
be heard from, and thev may not endurss
his populist platform. There is John
Sharp Williams of Mississippi there is
Joseph w Bailey of Texas, there is Sen
ator Tillman of South Carolina, there is
Senator Morgan of Alabama, there is
Senator Daniel of Virginia; in fact, there
are quite a number of distinguished DEM
ocrats who may claim the right to put in
word before the next national demo-
cratic platform is fixed They may not
be willing to take. for instance, Mr..
Bryan's forty-seven different systems Of
government railroads; they may not be
in favor of some other planks in his plat
form. Be that as IL may, Mr.. Bryan has
no more right at the present to say what
the democratic platform shall be 10
in 1903 than any other distinguished man.
For the next four years the democratic
creed must remain what the St. Louis
convention Of 1904 made it. and the ma