The independent., 1904-12-22

Bryan, drove still other hundreds Of
thousands of old-time populist voters
te yete the republican ticket. in order
to avert the possible calamity Of Mr..
Parker's election. Thus. while dis
avowing at all times any sympathy
with republican policies Mr.. Watson
hecama nerhans nnconsciOuslY. the
most effective republican vote getter
In the campaign, not excepting the
vice presidential candidate and cabinet
officers themselves. In stating this,
to my mind a self-eyident fact, do
not do so in the spirit of criticism but
to account to considerable extent Tor
the unprecedented majority with which
Mr.. Roosevelt was elected and espe-
cially to account for the unexpected and
meager vote that Mr.. Watson himself
received. The populist party ought
to have stood at least third in the race
instead of fifth, and believe would
have done SO if Mr.. Watson, himself,
and the reform press, had unitedly
labored to build up our own cause in
stead of directing their greatest efforts
in trying to tear down one, and only
one, of our numerous rivals. There
was never moment during the cam
paign when any well informed man
could see either hope or danger OF Mr..
Parker's election. Excepting with the
republicans 1t was not race for pres
ent results but scoring for future
positions. II the pOpulist party has
any sympathy or any friends outside
OF its now decimated ranks it is with
the Bryan element of the democratic
party. We have for years accused the
democrats of stealing bodily our plat
form. In 1896 and 1900 we stood
practically on the same platform and
voted for the same candidate. Mr.
Bryan was our candidate as we'll as
the democratic candidate. While he
! felt it to be his duty during the last
campaign to support a candidate who
stood upon a platform and was COM
mitted to policies that he could not
wholly endorse, he himself has elimi-
mated nothing from, and changed moth
ing in mis- former political creed. Nor
has his personal following done so.
Nor is it likely that his party will
again do so, at least, for many years
to come. am no democrat in party
sense. I have voted the populist tick
ct, national, state and county, since
there was a populist party. I was at
Its birth and may live to attend its
funeral | love it's principles and en-
dorse them fully. | care nothing for
the name or for any other party name.
1t has already done a great work in
this country, and if it dies tomorrow,
or next year, it will be entitled to- a
decent burial. The populist party has
done more to mould public opinion in
this country and to shape national
thought upon great national and econ
Omic issues, in the last dozen years,
than all other political organizations
combined. While often bitterly de-
nouncing it's alleged vagaries, the two
old parties have either openly adopted
many of it's tenents or quickly put into
practice it's proposed reforms. The
boldest to do SO. and to the greatest
extent has been the democratic party
under the leadership of w. j. Bryan.
He has been wise enough to know
good thing when he saw it, and honest
enough to adopt it, and able enough
to cause its approval by Others And
here, or along this line, and growing
out of these facts, in my opinion, is
where the trouble lies. and will con-
tinue to be found. 1t is the maelstrom
into which passion and blind prejudice
have been driving the populist party
gradually for years. Much of this has
been and is now being directed against
Mr.. Bryan personally for no better rea-
son than that III he is a populist in
principle why is he not populist in
affiliation. l am not going to attempt
to answer this question, nor do / think
it makes any difference what his rea-
sons may be- While it might not be
Mr. Bryan's reason, it seems to me