Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-10-19
wATsoNe PEN IN ACID.
PopuIist Candidate In letter of Accept
ance Is Vitriolic.

Thomas E.. Watson's letter formally
accepting the Popuiist nomination for
President, has been made public. The
letter, which Is addressed TO Samuel w.
Williams, chairman of the committee on
notification is about 1880 words long
1t denounces fercely the Democratic
party and its candidate, declares the gold
standard ''unscientifc and wrong" as
serts that those who produce wealth in
the United States are robbed OF the
fruits of t.,r labor and charges com
bined capital with a plot to crush out
individual liberty by downing the labor
unions.
The only hope for the middle and low
er classes" as Mr.. Watson terms them.
he sees is the rise and growth TO success
of third party, not subject 10 corpora
ton domination. Constructively. he pro-
poses a national board Of arbitration TO
pass upon disputes between capital and
labor, the adoption of the initiative and
referendum for the making of federal
laws and the ownership of public utili-
ties.
The letter opens with lament by Mr..
Watson over the tendency of humanity
to submit TO the domination of few,
who use their power for oppression. Pass
ing from historical examples to the con-
dition Of things now In the United States,
he finds Symptoms which always have
characterized the diseased nation when
afflicted by class legislation" The cor
porations, according TO the Popuist can
didate, now rule the land and the people.
"A blacker chapter than that which re-
cords how both the old political parties
united to despoil the common people of
the land says Mr.. Watson, SIS not TO be
found in the annals of class legislation"
Attacking the gold standard, the can
Gdate says:
The gold star lard is not .irrev ocably
hxed. because It is unscientihc aud wrong
Nothing Is more certain than that the PEG
pie Of this country will continue thei- strug-
gle until they have a national currency
which the money power cannot controi, and
%hien answers the purI 2se OF perfecting
from which the buccaneers OF modern f.
nance draw the irresistible weapons with
which they attack values and raid the mar
kets
In what Mr.. Watson terms the farm
ing out to the national banks Of the pow
or, privilege and profit of supplying the
country with paper currency" he finds Il
system whereby the privileged fatten
upon usury at the expense of the I'M
privileged" and hold "despotic power"
Both the Republican and Democratic
parties are ''irrevocably fixed" Mr. Wat
son says, in their support Of the national
banks.
In discussing telegraph, telephone, ex-
press and railroad management, the let
ter says:
No other people among civilized nations
are so cursed with corporate tyranny as
ourselves. Half a dozen corporate kings
can meet in the Office Of J. P. Morgan and
can tax the life out Of any city or town In
the United States. BY a stroke Of the pen
they can add hundreds Of millions of dol
lars to the burdens of the people They
enable the trust to Stay Its rivals by grant
Ing rebates, or special rates, which make
competition impossible. They debauch pub
lie morals by their methods Of gaining what
they want from governors. legislators,
Judges. editors politicians and members OK
Congress.
Passing 60 a denunciation Of the dead
ly principle" Of compound interest. Mr.
Watson attacks the Standard Oil Com
pauy. ]. p. Morgan, T.. rev Carnegie
August Belmont, ArthJr ,. German and
Charles NJ. Schwab fol financial opera
tons which. he says. have caused "a
rising tide of angry discomfort" all over
the country. These evils all would be
cured by the application of Popuhstic
ideas, according TO Mr.. Watson.