Newspaper Page Text
THE JEFFERSONIAN
Vol. 111. No. 15.
WATSON NAMED TOR PRE RY POPULISTS
St. Louis, Mo., April 3. —For president of
the United States, Thomas E. Watson, of
Georgia.
For vice president of the United States,
Samuel Williams, of Indiana.
The foregoing ticket was nominated today
by the people’s party convention, after two
stormy sessions, during which the Nebraska
and the Minnesota delegations bolted because
they could not procure a postponement of the
convention until after the nominations had
been made by the democratic convention, so
that the people’s party might nominate W. J.
Bryan for president, if he were defeated at
the democratic convention.
The Nebraska men fought desperately to
the last, and when Jay W. Forrest, of Albany,
N. Y., mounted the platform to place Watson
in nomination, they withdrew from the con
vention, followed by the Minnesota delegation,
which consisted of one man, T. J. Weighan.
If Bryan is nominated at Denver, the men
who walked out of today’s convention say
that they and the populists of Nebraska will
support him to a man.
How Nebraska Lost Out.
The downfall of Nebraska came swiftly in
the afternoon and into a pit they themselves
had digged the delegation from Nebraska
tumbled. They were filibustering against a
nomination for president, when Jos. A. Par
ker, of Louisville, begged leave to ask “a
couple of questions” of Nebraska.
Parker desired to know whether the Ne
braskans were working for the nomination of
Bryan. They said they were not. He then
read from Bryan’s paper a plank from the
platform of the Nebraska populist state con
vention indorsing Bryan, and wanted to know
whether they stood by it. The Nebraskans
parried the question, but Parker insisted on
a categorical answer. The Nebraska delegates
finally admitted that they favored Bryan.
From that instant Bryan’s cause in the con
vention was lost.
Debate on the proposal to postpone the con
vention and the discussion of the phraseology
of the money plank in the platform consumed
the greater part of the day. The discussion
was long but all the oratory went for naught,
as the plank adopted was that recommended
by the resolutions committee. The platform
was adopted as reported from the committee
on resolutions.
Mr. Watson was not present, but Mr. Wil
liams returned thanks to the convention in a
brief speech, in which he promised to do all
things possible for the success of the ticket.
Ferris Heads National Committee.
At a meeting tonight of the new national
committee, James B. Ferris, of Joliet, 111.,
A Weekly Paper Edited by THOS. E. WATSON and J. D. WATSON.
Atlanta, Ga., Thursday, April 9, 1908.
was re-elected chairman and
of Albany, N. Y., was chosen .. ~
The platform, after setting forth
government has been controlled so as to placv
the rights of property above the rights of hu
manity, and that financial combinations have
exerted too much power over congress, gives
the position of the party on finance as fol
lows :
“The issuing of money is a function of gov
ernment and should not be delegated to cor
poration or individual. The constitution gives
to congress alone the power to issue money’
and regulate the value thereof. We there
fore demand that all money shall be issued
by the government direct to the people, with
out the intervention of banks, and be a full
legal tender for all debt's, public and private,
and in quantities to supply the necessity of
the country. We demand that postal savings
banks be instituted for the savings of the
people. ’ ’
Alien ownership of public lands is opposed,
and lands now held by aliens or by corpora
tions which have violated the conditions of
their grants should be restowdLto the public
domain.
Government ownership of railroads is urged
on the ground that that policy would prevent
unjust discriminations. , Also that in order
to perfect the post#} service the government
should own and operate the general telegraph
and telephone systems and provide a parcels
post.
To Curb the Trusts.
“As to those trusts and monopolies which
are not public utilities or natural monopolies
we demand that these special privileges which
they now enjoy and which alone enable them
to exist, should be immediately withdrawn.
Corporations being the creatures of govern
ment should be subjected to such government
al regulation and control as will adequately
protect the public. We demand the taxation
of monopoly privileges, while they remain in
private hands,, to the extent of the value of
the privilege granted.
“We demand that congress shall enact a
general law uniformly regulating the powers
and duties of all incorporated companies do
ing interstate business.
“As a means of placing all public ques
tions directly under the control of the peo
ple we demand that legal provision be made
under which the people may exercise the ini
tiative and referendum, and proportionate
representation and direct vote for all public
officers with the right of recall.
Against Injunction Government.
“We believe in the right of those who la
bor to organize for their mutual protection
and benefit, and encourage the efforts of the
'nle’s party to preserve this right invio
s Cy We condemn the recent attempt to de
the power of trade unions through the
ist use of the federal injunctions substi
tuting government by injunction for free gov
ernment. ’ ’
The platform favors the enactment of legis
lation looking to the improvement of condi
tions of the wage earners, demands the abol
ition of child labor and the suppressing of
sweatshops, opposes the use of convict labor
in competition with free labor, demands the
exclusion from American shores of foreign
pauper labor; favors the eight-hour day; de
mands the enactment of an employers’ liabil
ity bill within constitutional bounds; declares
that, in times of depression when working
men are thrown into an enforced idleness,
works of public improvements should be at
once inaugurated, emphasizes the declaration
of the Omaha platform that “wealth belongs
to him who creates it, and every dollar taken
from labor without a just equivalent is rob
•bery, ” and opposes gambling in futures.
On the subject of injunctions the platform
says:
“We condemn all unwarranted assumption
of authority of the inferior federal courts in
annulling by injunction the laws of the sev
eral states, and therefore demand of congress
such legislation as shall inhibit such usurpa
tion and restrict to the supreme court of the
United States alone the exercise of this great
power. ’ ’ —Atlanta Constitution.
LABOR LEADER’S FAREWELL.
John Mitchell, who had been for ten years
at the head of the union representing the
coal diggers of the United States and Canada,
took his farewell of the men he has well
served at the convention in Indianapolis, Ind.,
last week. There were 1,000 delegates pres
ent representing the United Mine Workers,
and it was evident in the scenes which fol
lowed Mr. Mitchell’s leave-taking, how strong
his hold had become. The formal proceedings
ended with the singing of “My Country ’Tis
of Thee,” and then followed the parting
words of the retiring president. He conclud
ed as follows:
“My boys—and I will call you my boys,
even though some of you are nearly twice as
old as I am, I regard you as my boys—be
as good union men now and in the time to
come as you have been while 1 was directing
your affairs. God bless you again! I am
leaving this movement, not because I want to
leave you, but because I have to leave you.
I say to you now, gentlemen, may God bless
our movement! May he look down on our
(Continued on Page Twelve.)
Price Five Cents.