The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1904-11-16
WATSON EXPLAINS
Populist Candidate Discusses
Result of Election.
WILL NOW RALLY FORCES
Declares Hate for Cleveland p as Vent
ed on Parker-Says Ne Reforms
Can Be Expected from Demo.
cratic Party.

Thomas E. Watson gave out state
meat at New York Sunday, which, in
part, is as follows:
1T should be borne in mind that at
the time the Springfield convention
rendered me the presidential nomina'
ton. the peoples party had had no
real existence as a factor in national
politics for eight years. In the presi'
dental election of 1900 it gave to its
nominee only 5000 votes. To that ex-
tent had the fusion of 1896 swallowed
UP a movement which in 1894 counted
nearly two millions Of voters, and
about 1900 active newspapers, and
therefore, 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 ia work.
These things being first Gonsid cred,
some fair idea OF what was accom-
plished can be had only when the Off.
cial returns are known.
up to this time no official state
znent has been made of the vote, and
Il can only guess what it was from in
formation conveyed to me by frienls
in various parts of the country. These
sources, of course, are not very relia
BILE. Basing an estimate upon them.
however, my opinion is that received
something like half a million votes,
scattered through so many states,
north and south, east and west, to in
dicste that the sentiment which gives
its, moral support to the peoples party
is national and not sectional.
Il have found everywhere that the
current was strong and deep in favor
of Jeffersonian democracy. | believe
today that if all those who believe in
that theory of government could be
united in harmonious political action,
we could sweep the country.
"Mr. ROosevxelt's overwhelming
majority was not so much due 10 the
fact that our people believe in class
legislation and the reign of special
privileges. 1t was not by ny means an
Endorsement of corporation tyranny
the greed of the trusts or the meth
DDS of combined capital Mr. Roose-
yet's 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 administration.
Unfortunately for Mr. Parker, he be-
came so completely identified with the
marauders who plundered the govern.
ment duriag Mr. Cleveland's second
administration that he had to bear all
the odsGm which they had incurred.
Watsons Plan for Future.
NY own plans for the future en-
brace a complete organization of the
people along the lines of Jeffersonian
democracy, the establishment of re-
form papers, and a systematic propa-
ganda Of Jeffersonian principles IN Or
der that in 1908 there shall be q party
vi SCAAulAlC OpDOoll4OH " tliC IClJubiI
can party and its present policies. If
political history teaches anything it is
that old parties never accomplish any
reform unless they are irresistibly
driven to it by pressure from without.
| hope at least to be of some use to
my country in aiding those who will
apply that pressure. 1t is immaterial
TO me who does the work which the
reformers want done, so that the work
itself is done
Il have no faith whatever that re.
forms will be accomplished by the
democratic party. 1t is discredited in
the eyes of the people by a series Of
crushing defeats. but it has been so
vsccilating in it's course, it has chang
ed it's principles so often, has run from
one extreme to another so recently.
had such a magnificent opportunity in
1892 to work out the reforms to
which it stood pledged AMI made such
wretched use of that opportunity
that it cannot inspire the confidence
which leads to success. Since 1892
the democratic party has almost en-
tirely boxed the compass in political
profession of faith. II mas been for
pretty much everything until this year.
when it stood for everything or moth
ing, according to the Interpretation
which the voter chose to put upon its
ambiguous platform
Japan Wants Sixty Millions,