The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-07-22
A BRYAN GHOST, LAID.
Congressional Records DO Not Bear
Out WatsOn's Charges.

Washington, July 13.-An effort is
being made to convice Southern men
that Hon. William ]. Bryan, again a
candidate for the presidency, has no
admiration for the soldier Of the Con-
federacy and that he even went SO far
as to refuse to vote for Charles F.
Crisp. Of Georgia, for speaker Of the
ffty-second congress- because the lat
ter was a distinguished ex-Confeder.
ate.
This allegation is reported in a
signed dispatch from Thomas E. Wat
son, the Populist candidate for the
presidency, to the New York World,
which also appeared in the Sun this
morning. The allegation is denied
both by Mr.. Bryan's friends and by
Independent Democrats in Washing.
ton. as we'll as by Mr.. Bryan himself,
who yesterday received from a North
Carolina editor a dispatch, reading:
tom Watson quotes you as saying
you would never vote for q Confed-
crate vetrean. Does this misrepresent
your" .t
The reply Mr.. Bryan sent to this in
Quiry was that he had never made
any such statement: that he had vot-
ed for Confederate veteran for
speaker Of the house Of representatives
on three occasions; that he had voted
for Mr.. Crisp twice on roll calls, first
in the afty.second congress and again
In the fifty.third, and voted in caucus
for him in the fifty-third. He recon-
mended former Confederate for
postmaster at Lincoln. and while in
congress enjoyed the best relations
with the former Confederates.
A Beam I'm WatsOn's Eye?
The reply which Mr.. Bryan sent to
the North Carolina editor IL borne out
by the ofiicial records. These records
show that "Tom" Watson was a men,
ber Of the same fifty.second congress
with Mr.. Bryan and that while Mr..
Bryan IL on record as having voted
for Mr.. Crisp for speaker, Mr.. Wat.
son. who was the candidate OF the
Farmers Alliance for speaker in op-
position to Mr.. Crisp, voted for him
self for speaker.
Until recently the charge had never
been heard In Washington that Mr..
Bryan ever had said he would not
vote for Mr.. Crisp because the latter
was an ex.Confederate. Mr.. Bryan
has strong following in the house Of
representatives. but there were last
winter ex-Confederates in both sem
ate and house who at that time pre-
ferred that the Democratic party
should nominate some other than
Mr.. Bryan at Denver. But from none
OF these ever came the allegation that
Mr.. Bryan was unfffendly to ex-Con-
federates, and II they had known such
to be the case they undoubtedly would
have used that fact for all it was
worth In On effort to dissuade the
South from indorsing his candidacy.
There are few politicians now in
Washington. but II congress were in
session t is claimed by those who are
here that the allegation could easily
be disproved by many men who were
In the thick Of the famous speaker
ship fight in the fifty-second congress,
such men as Hon. Hilary A. Herbert
OF Alabama, now practicing law here,
but at that time chairman Of the
house naval affairs committee under
appointment Of Speaker Crisp, and al
so Hon. James d. Richardson. Of Ten
nessee. who now lives in Washington,
as the ranking Scottish Rite Mason Of
the country and who was an ardent
supporter Of Benton McMillin, of Ten
nessee. In the Crisp speakership fight.
But both Messrs. Herbert and Rich
ardson are away. the former being in
the province Of Ontario. Canada. and
the latter at Murfreesboro. Tenn.
Col. ]. r. Bright. than whom there
Is no better posted man on political
subjects in Washington. son Of former
Senator Bright. Of Indiana. and who
was Col. Ransdell's predecessor as
sergeant-at-arms Of the senate, said
to a correspondent Of the Sun today
that the charge made by Mr.. Watson
and circulated by others in the South
for the purpose Of injuring Mr.. Bry-
ans candidacy was absurd and entire
ly without foundation. Col. Bright ie
thoroughly familiar with the inside
detrails Of the speakership fght. He
says he recalls distinct how Nj.
Bryan voted and that he never heard