Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-07-28
WATSON ATTACKS Mr.. BRYAN.
Populist Candidate For President Opens
Camnainn at Macon.

4 pdiBH Ill MdcOIl, Gd-J ldSI 1HuISudy
night in a speech Of one hour to an
audience that taxed the capacity OF
the Grand opera house, He asked for
Georgia's electoral vote and said that
II necessary he would give them to
Bryan to defeat Taft. His assaults
were all directed at Bryan, however,
and his praises were for Roosevelt and
! Taft. His charge against Bryan Of re-
fusing to vote for Crisp for speaker in
| the Democratic caucus because Of his
being Confederate was heard in 81
lence, but his attack on the Nebraskan
for his attitude in giving the negroes
comfort in the Brownsville matter was
repeatedly applauded.
Mr.. Watson spoke as follows:
The greatest purpose OF my life now
Is to put the south back into the posi-
| ton Of national influence which she
held before the civil war, and to bring
back the reign Of Democratic princi-
Piles as they were practiced in the 40s
and sos.
The greatest obstacle in the way is
the apathy Of the south ITSELF II the
| southern people would arouse them
selves they could easily throw Off the
domination of the eastern capitalist
who exploits the southern states
through the machinery Of the Demo-
cratic party.
You call yourselves Demccrats-An-
drew Jackson Democrats-ThomasJ JEFF
ferson Democrats-andy you have never
stopped to inquire what are the princi-
Piles for which Andrew Jackson and
Thomas Jefferson stood. You allow
your editors to do your thinking for
you. You allow your partisan leaders
to dictate convictions for you.
For Gods sake, rouse yourselves;
assert your individuality, and vote ac-
cording to the dictates Of your own con-
science. No ballot is thrown away
when 1t represents the conscientious
convictions Of him who casts It.
You are asked to vote for Mr.. Bry-
an and yet Mr.. Bryan's platform is one
which Andrew Jackson would have
spurned, and Thomas Jefferson despis-
ed. 1t represents disgraceful surren-
der Of principle. In 1885, Mr.. Bryan
claimed to be as good a Populist as
Watson.
For eight years he wore every shred
Of clothing which Populism had in its
wardrobe. In 1904 he abandoned his
Populist raiment and entered zealously
into the Parker campaign, which he
himself had denounced as a sell-out to
the Wall street element Of the Demo-
cratic party.
In excuse Of his political apostacy In
1904, he pleaded the majority rule,
claiming that as a party man 1t was
necessary for him to bow to its will.
But that excuse no longer avails. In
Denver he was absolutely in despotic
control Of the Democratic party. What
ever he wanted done, was done. Who
ever he wanted thrown out was bounc-
ed. The platform Is just what he made
1t, and that platform is one Of the most
shameful abandonments Of principle
that political history presents. The
man who in 1895 declared his unalter-
able opposition to the single gold
standard is now hero Of the gold
standardites. The man who In 1896
proclaimed the eternal opposition to
the national banking system Is now Of
fering props to insure the permanence
of the system. The man who in 1896
professed to be in favor Of our consti-
tutional money system has gone over
to Wall street. bag and baggage, clam
oring for asset currency to be issued by
the government and loaned to the
banks, with only the faintest possible
word Of rebuke to those who passed
the Infamous Aldrich- -Vreeland bill.
This Denver platform Is not Dem
ocratic platform, unless the mere say
so Of William ]. Bryan constitutes
Democracy.
What right has he to demand the
ocratic in principle, upon such plat
form as this?
And particularly, what right has he
to expect the support Of the south?
Upon one principle alone can he hope
to get 1t and that is upon the idea that
the south is compelled to vote the Dem
ocratic ticket, no matter how offensive
in principle the platform may be, nor
how much the candidate may insult
her.
can understand how southern DEM
ocracy may come along and vote for
Bryan, Just as it has swallowed many
bitter dose in the past
There appears to be a charm about
the name Democratic" which takes
away from southern people their intel
ligence, their independence, their pride.
The Democratic party, in one Of its
national conventions, declared that 1t
adored the fourteenth amendment
Yet the south made no protest at
language which should have made every
drop Of her blood tingle with infinite
indignation. The Democratic party has
compelled the south to vote for candi-
dates who practice social equality with
negroes, and the south reeled blindly,
into the attitude Of pitiable humiliation.
Mr.. Bryan understands the helpless
ness of the south and exploits it to the
very utmost. From the southern states
he must draw 156 Of the 242 electoral
votes that are necessary to his success,
and yet he has treated the southern
states as a purely negligible quantity.
In return for her 156 electoral votes she
gets nothing-absolutely nothing. The
platform recognizes no interest Of
hers.
But Is the south going to tolerate
that line of conduct? Will she not de-
mand of Mr.. Bryan that he be as
friendly to her as Mr.. Roosevelt and
Mr.. Taft have been? Why should the
south be friend of man who Is
afraid to speak out on her side?
The platform upon which l stand
represents the Democracy Of Jefferson
and Jackson, applied to modern con-
ditions. Put into law, it would give
back to our country the prosperity 1t
anjoyed in the decade preceding the