The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-07-14

Now leading democrats have been In
the Office of The Independent who,
while denouncing Parker and declar-
ing that they will neither support nor
vote for Parker and Davis, assert
most vehemently that they will not
support Watson and Tibbles. They
declare that they will vote for Roose-
welt and Fairbanks. A few have been
kind enough to declare that they would
vote for Tibbles if they could do that
without voting for Watson, but as
they cannot, they will vote for Roose-
welt or even the prOhibitiOnist ticket.
II is well known that gratitude IN
politics is an earnest expectation OF
favors to be received, but the kind OF
gratitude expressed by such demo-
Gratis as mentioned above is new or
der of things. It is kind that the
devil himself might be proud OF. Tom
Watson, the retiring scholar, not
strong in body, came all the way from
Georgia in 1886 to Lincoln and deliv-
cred as statesmanlike, learned elo-
quent and logical an address as was
ever heard in this city Of universities
and the home of Bryan. At the close
of that address he said. AS between
Bryan and Mark Hanna, am for
Bryan" That address was a great
factor in carrying Nebraska for BrJ-
an TO populist it seems that the
logical counterpart of that address
now would be one from Bryan in
which he would declare: AS be-
tween Watson and Parker, am fer
Watson"
AS to the democrats in Nebraska,
whom populist support OF their great
leader had made him a worldwide
character, The Independent can tell
them with as much certainty as if the
event was an accomplished fact, that
such talk will put them back in this
state where they were when the pop
ulist party was organized-an entire
ly negligible quantity. Do they re-
member the time when the peoples
party assembled in state convention
at Hastings with no thought in the
mind of any delegate, but to nominate
ticket composed only Of popnlists,
that the democrats sent a committee
there to ask for one place on the state
ticket? We did nominate one demo-
crat G. j. Smyth, as honest man
as ever lived and as good an officer
as the state ever had. The demo-
cratic party in the state of Nebraska
was at that time negligible quantity
in the politics of the state. By the
vote of $4,000 populists it was brought
to be force in national politics. In
return for such assistance, some of
these democrats now say they will
vote the republican ticket in prefer
ence to that of the populists.
Brethren, it is all very well. The
peoples party will take care of itself.
1t is not an ephemeral organization. It
was founded to endure and will en-
dure. There are today at least 3,000,-
600 independent voters in the United
States who are not partisanly insane,
who do not put a party name above
principles, and they will be heard from
next November.
The populists of the United States
are today pointing with exultation and
hope to their platform adopted at
Springfield. There is no lodging of
issues, no declaring that the manip-
ulutiOu VI Iuc treasury duu lue Udu-
agement of the finances of the country
is not an issue, no evasion of any
thing of vital interest to the masses of
the people. 1t says what it means and
means what it says. Many of the
things demanded, the people of other
countries already enjoy. Wall street
and the corporations had no hand in
making that platform Around the
principles contained in that platform
the people will rally in ever inereas-
ing numbers 1t was altogether fitting
that neither Jefferson nor Jackson
were named in the democratic national
convention and not a quotation was
made from their writings or speeches.
These democrats OF Nebraska who pre-
fer TO support the principles of Ham
ilton and Nick Biddle can vote for
Parker or Roosevelt. They have and
can have no place in the army OF re-
form. The world advances. Popullsm
leads the advance. The mossbacks.
reactionists and those afflicted with
that terrible disease, partisan insan-
ity, are the stragglers following,
against their will and because they
must. far In the rear They stick To
tho M rtu n. a ma and O..nfn /.