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Vol. XVI.
LINCOLN, NEB., JULY 7,1904.
No. 7.
m a ti yi The Ticket Nominated at 3
i a mo 1 1 o Dies j Cosn?g, 5
Watso
.jt THE TICKET.
Jt
For President . J
jf THOMAS E. WATSON
of Georgia.
& For Vice President
Jt - , THOMAS H. TIBBLES J
of Nebraska.
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The people's party national conven
tion met in Springfield, 111., July 4.
A few delegates arrived Friday and
Saturday, but the most of them came
in Sunday and Sunday night, al
though there were some who did not
get in . until Tuesday on account of
delayed trains. The Fourth of July,
the exposition and the democratic con
vention at St. Louis mixed up the
train service and many special . trains
were, put on the roads on account of
each. - "'
The published announcement was
that the convention would meet at
-12 o'clock noon on the Fourth. Who
ever made that arrangement certainly
forgot all the schooling he ever got in
populism. Much more than half of
the delegates were farmers and work
ingmen who were all accustomed to
regular meals and the principal one
at noon. The consequence was that
at the hour announced, there was no
body around the Arsenal where the
convention was to be held and it was
2 p. m. before they began to assemble.
Springfield is a nice" little town,
made famous by having been the
home of Lincoln. There are blocks in
some sections of the town almost
wholly composed of saloons. Here also
is the seat of the state government and
the home of the republican governor
who has become famous as the only
governor in the United States who
sells offices for campaign subscrip
tions, all of which go to him and of
which no public accounting is made.
The convention was called to order
and opened with prayer. It was an
nounced that the mayor would make a
speech of welcome, but he rerused to
put in an appearance or send a repre
sentative. He did not want to be dis
graced by having it said that he even
'went insde of a building where such
a set of men were assembled. . The
chairman of the Illinois populist state
committee therefore, on behalf of the
populists of the state, gave us all a
hearty welcome.- None of the leading
citizens of Springfield would disgrace
themselves by even becoming specta
tors in the hall, where standing oppo
site was the state house over which
their boodling governor presides. In
their eyes, it was respectable to sup
port a boodling governor, but. a dis
grace to be seen associating with men
who toil on the farms, do business in
the cities, or honored members of the
bar from other states, if those men In
sisted upon upholding the principles of
the great Soul who made their city
immortal by residing in it -
In the back seats of the convention
hall there was a frthge of men who
toil, "worUingmen," as they failed
themselves. These men were very in
dignant at the action of the mayor in
refusing to appear and one of then
arose and said that on behalf of the
workingmen of the city he wished to
extend a hearty welcome to the dele
gates of the populist national conven
tion. He assured us the workingmeo
of the city would extend a hand of
greeting and good cheer, to every man
who had honored the city with hia
presence, for they were In large part,
as he could see, men who were toilers
like himself. He was greeted .with a
big round of cheers. -
The two national chairmen of the
two factions of the party flipped a
penny to see which should call the
convention to order, and Eumistcn
won. So he called the convention to
order and Jo Parker read the call. ,
Weller of Iowa was the temporary
chairman.
We had some excellent instrumental
music by a Springfield organization,
and then Senator Allen delivered an
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Thomas E. Wftson
address whivh was of such hifth char- unanimously without "dotting an I or
acter that it should live in literature, crossing a T." The statement of the
entitled "Two Civilizations." After money question was universally said
that the work of the convention was to be the best that the populist party
begun In earnest. The committees ever made, as it places the populist
were appointed and given leave to re- contention nquarely upon constitu-
tire The remainder of the afternoon tlonal grounds. The preamble came
and evening was devoted to speech- in for its khare of commendation,
making. Itev. Mr. Nelson of St. Louis We wtro all in "the enemy s conn-
bein among the number. try" hre sure enough. The Idea of
The more sorlous work of course the (Uiz'nis st cmod to be that polithfl
fp'l upon the committee on platform. ronnUta wholly In getting ofllce and
It jMHFittldcd at the St. NMcholoa hotel they vxim-m aupreme lontempt lor
and remained In ciwlun until 3 a. in. men who nlUn them-lven with a par-
Karly the ntxt mornlus thy were ty that has. In their eyes, no hoiw of
hard at It asaln, and It wan 2 o'clock Kttln-4 the unices. A man who would
In tho aftcrnomi before It wa rea!y Npend IiIh lime itlniply advocating prln
for presentation. When It was Anally clple, they i.Kik upon a a lunatic,
prejiented to the convention, almost As fur their part, thy want no hand
eveiy entente wan received with a In uh Idlmy. Several men here
round of cheern and at the cUmc of th have openly defindtl, during the con-
readliu the convention art we to a veuttoii, the tale of public uiiu by
man, ami Kvt it another round or (Kiverttur Vattn, One of them whl:
two. almost duplicating the retepiloii 'The a;p.iutlve m belong to the
of the Omaha platform when It wn noverr.or. They ure prt of the ir-
preAuted la l'Jl It wai a !ptl nuUlten of hU oitklal hulloo, ami h
Thomas H. Tibbies
has right to dispose of them as he Congressman Sutherland of Nebraska
pleases. All governors have done the made a speech when the state of Ne
same thing and this cant is only in- biaska was called. He went over the
dulged In by another set who want splendid record of Senator Allen, in
to have the jower of dolns the same the senate and on the bench, told how
thing themselves." ho was the only man in the senate who
Arter the submission of the plat- ever brought a trust magnate to bay
form the question of candidate, whkh and forced him into the courts as Alien
had been constantly discussed, tame had Havemyer. He recited the fact
up for action. Senator Allen had pt r- that of all the benators of the people's
nUtently refused to become a candl- party, Alien was the only one that
date. All that he could be Induced to had stood true and was still a pop
nay was that if there was a general ulMt, that he was always ready to da
desire on the part of the convention the work of the party and was to be
that he should undertake the r?pon found In our county, state, and na
xtbiltty and burden he would not re- tlonal conventions whenever elected
fuse, but to make a coutd he would as a delegate, doing the duty of a prl
not The delegate from the north vale In the ranks as cheerrully as la
nnd w-t thought they could poll more Unwe uIkU and most honorable l
votes with Allen at the head of the tions which he had occupied, but ha
tUlct and tho from the ninth cloed with the Matemcut that Seia
thought they could poll mor with lor Allen would ut permit him (Mr.
Watson in that hwlthm. Jo Parker Sutherland) to tireut his name a
made the nominating h for Wat- can It Ute Nverthel'. the ct nrcn
iin In vvhUh he made a strenuous- tion persisted In votlnit for Senator
po-a for Watnwn s nomination. V. Allen mull he sent pusitlre orthrs to