Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-18
GEORGIA BY DEFAULT
Bryan Gets Delegates for Lack
of Other Leaders.
Il
Indifference Is GENERAL
No One Expects the Nebraskan to
Be Elected.
CANDIDACY OF TOM WATSON
is GENERAL
CANDIDACY OF TOM WATSON
Preparing to Eliminate the Objec-
tionable Colored Vote by Property
and Educational Qualification.
RY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.

There is curious political situation
down here. l have not yet met one dem
ocrat of prominence who is in favor of
the nomination of Mr.. Bryan for Presi-
dent by his party at Denver, and at the
same time l have not yet met one demo-
crat of prominence who is opposing him.
The southern democrats all talk against
Bryan, but will send delegates to the ma
tional convention instructed to vote for
his nomination. Everybody takes it for
granted that he will be the candidate;
that his nomination cannot be prevented
and hence they have not tried to do any
thing to prevent it. Bryan's domination
of the party is absolute. 1t was accurate
ly illustrated in a cartoon by Bergman in
The Washington Evening Star the other
day. The democratic donkey stood before
the rnegaphone of the talking machine
like the dog in the advertising picture.
with a seraphic smile upon its face and
wearing the legend, He hears his mas
tiers voice." Bryan is the master and al
though there is a deep resentment and
| widespread distrust. the southern demo-
Gratis will support him at the convention
and at the polls.
Some years ago, at the Kansas CITY
convention, David B. Hill and other op-
ponents of The Peerless One discovered
| when it was too late that they had ma
| jOrity against Bryan and that they might
have prevented his nomination If they
had concentrated the opposition. But they
did not learn this important fact until
| they had lost their opportunity. just as
they are losing their opportunity now.
cannot discover that any attempt has
been made to organize the opposition 10
Bryan in the south In support of any 9TH
er candidate. although it would be COM
paratively easy to do so if an active eff
fort were made in behalf of such man
as Judge Gray. | do not believe that Gov.
Johnson would be much more popular in
the south than Bryan, but Gray has the
respect and confidence of everybody; he
lives south of Mason and Dixons line.
the democratic leaders in the southern
states know all about him and would sup
port him gladly il any one of influence
would take the lead and work up an or
ganization in his support. He would COM
mand larger following and get more
delegates in the south than any other per-
son. If nothing is done in his behalf
Bryan will get the delegation from
Georgia simply by default.
Bryan's Election Not Expected.
1t is also a curious fact that every body
expects Bryan to be defeated again at the
polls, and nobody seems to care whether
he is elected or not. One prominent dem
ocrat asserted that in his opinion it was
essential for the welfare of the democratic
party to eliminate Bryan. and the only !
way that he could be eliminated was to
let him be defeated third time for the
presidency. Then. he thought. Bryan
one else a chance. And he quoted the
late Sam Jones. the eccentric revivalist
who once described Bryan as a big
brown OK that won't let the calves go out
or the cows go in.
There is no apprehension here. so far
as l can ascertain. about Bryan's atti-
tude on the negro question simply be-
cause nobody expects him to be elected.
and the probability of his ever exercising
is so remote that his views are
not considered Of any particular impor-
lance.
At the same time, no man in American
history. not even Thomas Jefferson or
Andrew Jackson, was ever able to domi
nate the democratic party as Bryan does
today. The thinking men of the south
do not believe in his theories Of govern
ment; they do not indorse his platform,
but they admire his oratory and admit
his integrity Of character and purpose.
Another gentleman of prominence ex-
pressed the opinion that it would be bet
ter for the south to have a republican
President for many years to come. be-
party in that section would split on the
of patronage. Now, south
ern white men stand together the
great national questions and run their
purely upon local issues. de-
voting their entire attention to matters
affecting the welfare of the communities.
Tom Watson's Candidacy.
Georgia however, already has a presi-
Dental candidate. Tom" Watson one
Of the most picturesque and eccentric
characters in the state. has been nomi-
mated by the populists for President. as
he was for Vice President several years
ago. when he received Odd, 667 votes. OF
these 25,GO were cast for him by the
Crackers or poor white class of Geor-
gia sincere. honest element of the
population, VINO believe in him and read
MS two newspapers. the Jefersonian
Magazine and Tom Watson's Jefferso
Man Weekly. Watson assumes TO wear
he mantle of President Jefferson and to
insists the only pure branded-in-the-
bottle democratic principles now going
He lives at the little town of Thompson.
On the railroad between Atlanta and Au-
gusta, where he has a printing Office to
publish his papers. He was born and
"a Used in that town. was educated at
Mercer University. studied law and has
been in politics all his life. He comes
from one Of the finest families in Geor-
gia. His great-grandfather was a revo-
hero and his mother was of ex-
celent Quaker stock. Watson practices a
little law in connection with his news
speciality of defending the poor white
class in litigation. He served term in
Congress- where he created a sensation
by accusing several Of his fellow-mem
bers of the House of Representatives of |
and licentious habits, and
was called to the bar for censure. The
next campaign he ran again and was de-
feated by j. c. c. Black. who, over
scrupulous. declined to accept the certif-
Icate of election because Watson charg-
ed him with fraud. Most people think
that Black should have paid no attention
to his wild and reckless assertions, but
was triumphantly successful. Watson
then turned his attention to presidential |
politics and has since made it his bust
Gess to run for President 'for love of no
IOriety and excitement. Watson is against |
Bryan and. indeed, is against everybody
except himself general principles, as
serting that he alone represents the pure
democracy and Is infallible in his inter-
probation of the truth. There have been
symptoms of an alliance between Mr.
Watson and Mr.. Hearst. and it would not
be unnatural for them to get together and
form a combination against the regular
ticket.
Spread Of Republican Views.
I have inquired of number of promi-
nent citizens-business men as well os
politic;ans-whether there is any proba-
biity Of the formation of a white repub-
Iican party here. Samuel G. McI.endon,
who has clear head and an impartial |
Judgment answered my question by say |
ing
.Such a thing is possible when the Issue