The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-02-23

ST. LOUIS, Feb 22.-The aurora borealis
| was outdone in st. Louis today. For bril-
| liant uncertainty, no political gathering
| probably ever surpassed the extraordinary
conglomeratiOn representing nearly a
dozen national organizations of farmers,
laborers, Prohibitlonists, and what not,
which began its session in the great music
hall where four years ago Grover Cleveland
| was put in nomination for the presidency.
TOday's pyrotechnics all whirled around
the burning question, whether a brand
new third party nominee should be put up
to run this fall against Cleveland and Har-
rison. or whomever else the Democrats
and Republicans may choose as leaders in
the coming national campaign. The talk
| among the hundreds of delegates that
| crowded into Music hall was that the two
! old parties, by supreme effort of the dis
satisfied element, could each be deprived
OF majority of the electoral college, and
! then that the third party would hold the
! balance of power and dictate the name of
! the man who should for four long years
take possession of the White House. Could
the Prohibitionists be pacified and dragged
! into the fold with declaration in favor of
the naturalization of the liquor traffic?
Was one of the subjects most eagerly dis
cussed. Probably the liveliest topic was
whether the Leland Stanford men would
!
| purpose, the forcing of the nomination of
| a third presidential candidate before the
! Democratic or Republican conventions
| were held. j. Z. Hare and +. c. Snow,
| two prominent Kansas men, were under
stood TO be quietly circulating among the
! delegates, pulling every possible string in
this direction for Stanford. The idea was
| that should the big Californian be made
| the third party standard bearer he would
stand chance of endorsement in the
other national bodies later on.
Before Ben lamin Terrell of Texas let fall
the gavel calling the convention to order
the big hall was lively with discussion of
the national committee of the Peoples
party. The report of Secretary SchilIing
showed that less than $50 remained in the
party eXchequer, and that of 81, 200 sub
| scribed at the Cincinnati convention, only
one subscriber at Cincinnati had turned
in cent. Chairman Taubeneck was au-
thoriZed to appoint a committee of ten to
canvass for funds. Suddenly in the up
roar and confusion an important movement
was made. Before the committeeman
seemingly realized what they were doing
they had recorded themselves viva voce as
| though it were routine matter, as order
ing the Peoples party executive commit
tee to make such arrangements as might
! be necessary for national nominating
convention. Then Mr. Fortune of Indiana
stood upon a chair and set forth how like
paradise the Hoosier metropolis wouldbe in
which to nominate Il presidential candi-
date. A halt was demanded by Marion
Cannon, state president of the California
Farmers Alliance, who was the first toap-
parently appreciate the significance of
what was being done. After a red-hot
wraugle, participated in by Davis of Texas,
McCrankin of Indiana and Washburne of
Massachusetts, IL WAS agreed before doing
E,,.- l, :. L.
convention. 1t was said that if the con-
vention failed to take action looking to the
nomination of presidential candidate,
the Peoples party would go ahead upon
its own hook instanter.
The Kansas delegation was the only one
that entered the hall in a body. There
were 800 of the Sunhower delegates headed
by y. +. Willis, president of the state
Alliance, and they were greeted with wild
shouts by the other delegations. While
Mr.. Schneider of Kansas, chairman of the
committee on arrangements, was placing
the various delegations in their proper
places IN the hall, he made from the stage
rafting Fourth of July address, in
which he said that the convention mad as
sembled to form new Declaration of In
dependence. The prediction brought
down the house.
1t was 2;l5 p. m. when Mr. Terrell called
the convention TO order While Mr. Ter
rell was getting the convention under
way the talk among the delegates was
that President Leonard of the Missouri
State Alliance would be temporary chair
mau and that the permanent chairman
ship would be between Messrs. Polk and
Powderly.
THE PROCEEDINGS.
The proceedings were opened bv PRAYER.
Miss Alice Mitchell of the National
Wpn,nn'c 4
Spangled Banner" and President Wal
bridge of the st. Louis city council wei
coined the convention to ST Louis.
General Master Workman Powderly.
who mp to this time had been quietly sit
ting among the Pennsylvania delegates,
was called 10 the stage by Mr Terrell Mr..
PowCerly was given an ovation as he
mounted the platform, and was given the
seat of honor.
Considerable surprise was ELECTED by the
fact that Mr. Terrell went right on, .as a
matter OF course, acting as chairman of
the convention, as though there were no
such thing as temporary or permanent
organization. Mr.. Terrell, it is generally
understood, does not favor an immediate
third party presidential nomination, and
/ it began TO look as II he had concluded TO
shape the thing that way while he held
the relnS- This impression was deepeued
when he proceeded TO read a type written
Z document urging the convention 10 confine
its demands 10 land transportation, taxa
tion and money, leaving moral reforms
until they had more time. This would
leave the prohibition issue out IN the cold.
and toward the rear OF the stage among
the distinguished guests could be seen
Miss Frances +. Willard frowning. while
the third party or bust delegates
throughout the nall gave equal signs OF
dissatisfaction. President Polk Of the
National Farmers Alliance was at this
point introduced by Mr. Terrell. and tna
announcement WAS made that Mr.. Polk's
address would be followed by one from
Mr. powderly and another from Mr.. Don
nelly. At the mention OF these three Dos.
sihle presidential candidates the couven-
tion manifested much interest, and for the
time being The delegates forgot that the
convention was yet without even tempo
rSry organization and still in the hands of
Mr.. Terrell
President Polk said that the farmers
had assembled here for the purpose OF per
forming \ solemn aud responsible duty
On Vail street and ou boards of trade
money was per cent. la any OF the
small towns, on the other baud. money
WAS ali the WAY from 10 TO - per cent
That WAS Whist had 10 be righted The
farmers. lie declared, paid over ~ per
cent. oI the taxes. and II money can be
borrowed IN New York GA cotton aud
wheat st I per cent, why cannot the
same thing be done in the west tSad
forbid he said that he should arouse unv
sectional feeling IN cEis conyeusioa he
c0mpsred tie gain IL wealth OF the New
EuglaBd states aS compared VITA ihe
producing states OF the west auG south,