Evening journal., 1904-11-14
WATSON ON ELECTION
Peoples Party Candidate Gives His
View Of the Landslide.
SCORES CLEVELAND DEMOCRACY

" RSeoNFSi%S SPN'e'iey NNN 81
ker's UnpopuIarity and Democrats
Present Hopeless Situation.
New York, Nov IA. - Thamas f.
Watson gave out the following state
ment:
1T should be borne in mind that
at the time the Springfield convention
rendered me the presidential nomina-
tion, the Peoples party had no
real existence es a factor in national
politics for eight years. In the presi-
Dental election of 1900 it gave TO it's
nominee only $4,000 votes. To that
extent had the fusion of 1896 swal-
lowed up a movement which in 1894
counted nearly 1000 900 votes and
about 1900 active newspapers, there
fore we had TO build from the ground
I'D in 1904 ! have found everywhere
that the current was strong and deep
in favor of Jeffersonian Democracy. /
believe today that If all those who be-
lieve in that theory OF government
/ could be united in harmonious poliu-
cal action, we could sweep the coun-
, try.
''Mr. Roosevelt's overwhelming ma
! iority was not so much due to the
fact that our people believe in class
| legislation and the reign OF special
| privilege. 1t was not by any means an
endorsement of corporation tyranny,
the greed Of the trusts or the methods
of combined capital. Mr.. Roosevelt's
majority over Mr. Parker was due
mainly to two things. one was the i'm
mense personal popularity of Mr.
Roosevelt himself, and the other was
the immense unpOpularity of Mr.
Cleveland's second administration. IN
fortunately for Mr.. Parker, he became
so completely identified with the ma
rauders who plundered the govern
ment during Mr.. Cleveland's second
administration that he had to bear all
the odium which they had incurred.
| The people have never had a chancc
to show just what they thought of that
second administration. Mr. Bryan's
two campaigns did not give them the
opportunity; it was only when the old
Cleveland combination secured the de-
feat of Bryan and Hearst, and die
tated the nomination of Mr.. Parkcr
that the masses got the opportun. y
TO vent upon a national candidate the
intense hatred which they had been
nursing for years against such men a.
! Olney and Belmont and Carlisle and
Cleveland himself. They knew that
could not be elected, and they were sc
eager to make the best of the oppor
, tunity to safeguard the country against
a repetition of that saturnalia of class
legislation which marked Cleveland
second administration, that they
rushed to Roosevelt and gave him &
majority which does not under ordi
p nary circumstances belong to the Re
= publican party.
r 81 have no faith whatever that re
+ forms will be accomplished by tn
] Democratic party In short, the Demo
: cratic party presents a hopeless situa
2 ton. The Bryanites cannot drive on
!, the plutocratic element. the plutocrati
: element cannot drive out Mr.. Bryan
q They exhaust their strength with in
e ternal struggles. leaving the part.
where its enemies can always defea
it at the polls. There is this furthe
weakness in the program of MI
Bryan. The plutocratic clement ha
shown that it can safely defy him an
l. combat him. although he is the nomi
D nee. whereas he submits to then
when they put up a plutocratic nomt
). nee. From a party so hopelessly d
a vided, it is the rankest folly, in m
judgment, to expect any reforms. Fror
year to year it is a dreary go roun
and round of one faction fighting al
n other faction, each of which alternate
ly whips the other, and neither G
g which whips the enemy.
II "Am discouraged? BY no means.
n began with nothing. worked thre
months and got 100000 votes. The me
who followed me are men of convi'
ton, earnest, enthusiastic, uniteI
= Parker started out with 100000 {
e votes and lost some 100000 in tn
e campaign. Those who followed him ar
demoralized and disheartened.
"Discouragement? The Democrat
camp is the place where that is to b
found. THOMAS E. WATSON"