The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1904-11-17
WATSON ON ELECTION
Peoples Party Candidate Gives His
View of the Landslide.
ecoRes CLEVELAND DEMOCRACY
SAYS Overwhelming Majority Was Due
to Roosevelt's Popularity and Par
ker's Unpopulsrity and Democrats
Present a Homeless Situation.

Present Hopeless Situation.
New York. Nov. II. - 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-
don. the Peoples party had no
real existence as a factor IN national
politics for eight years. In Che presl
Dental election OF 1900 it gave 10 IFS
nominee only 10000 votes. To that
extent had the fusion of 1896 swat
lowed up a movement which IN lS'f
counted nearly 2.0o0.oOO votes ana
ahout 1900 active newspapers. there
fore we had to build from the ground
up in 1904. have found everywhere
mat the current was strong and deep
i'm favor of .lefforsonian Democracy J
believe today that 81 all those who be-
lieve i'm that theory of government
could be united in harmoni' politi-
cal action. We could sweeT IN pun
try -
Mr.. Rooseyolts Overwhelming ma
iority was not so much due to the
TACT that our people believe in class
legislation and the reign of special
privilege. It was not by any means an
endorsement of corporation tyranny
the greed of the trusts or the methods
of combined capital. Mr. Roosevelt \
majority over Mr. Parker was due
mainly 10 two things. one was the i'm
mense personal popularity OF Mr.
Roosevelt himself. and the other was
he immense unpopularity OF Mr.
Clevelaud's second administration. Un-
fortunately for Mr Parker he became
so completely identified with the ma
RAIDERS who plundered the govern
ment during Mn Cleveland second
administration that he had 10 bear all
the odium '~lich they had Incurred.
The people have never had a chance
10 show Just what they thought OF that
second administration MI BRYAN S
two campaigns aid not give them the
opportunity. 10 was only when the old
Cleveland combination secured the de-
feat OF BRYAN and Hearst. and die
lated the nomination of Mr. Parker.
hat the masses gOt the opportunity
20 vent upon a national candidate the
intense hatred which they had been
nursing for years against such men as
Olnev and Belmont and Carlisle and
Cleveland himself They knew thar J
could not be elected. and they We're so
eager 10 make the best OF the oppor-
tunity to safeguard the country against
a repetition OF that saturnalia OF class
legislation which marked Cleyeland's
second administration. that they
rushed 40 Roosevelt and gave him a
majority which does not under 0rdi-
nary circumstances belong 10 the Re
publican party
Il have no faith whatever that re-
forms will be accomplished by the
Democratic party In short the Demo
cratic party presents a hopeless situa-
ton. The Bryanites cannot drive ont
the plutocratic element. the plutocratic
element cannot drive out Nj Bryan.
They exhaust their strength with in
ternal struggles, leaving He party
where its enemies can always defeat
it at the polls There is this further
weakness in the program of Mr..
Bryan. The plutocratic element has
shown that it can safely defy him and
combat him although he is the nomi-
nee. whereas he submits TO them
when they put up a plutocrauc nomi-
nee. From a party so hopelessly di-
vided. il is the rankest folly in my
judgment. to expect any reforms From
year to year it is a dreary 20 round
and round OF one faction fighting an
other faction. each OF which alternate
~ whips the other. and neither of
which whips the enemy.
"Am discouraged? BY no means. |
began with nothing worked three
months and got 100000 votes The men
who followed me are men OF cOnyic-
zion earnest. enthusiastic. united.
Parker started out with 100000 Of
votes aud lost some 100000 in the
campaign. Those who followed him are
demoralized and disheartened.
"Discoura cement The Democratic
camp is the place where that is to be
se...a TInMAG l. W ATGnNW