The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-02-28
THE THIRD PARTY.
The Industrial Conference Manipulated by
the Donnelly-Wea Element.

ST. LOUIS. Feb. 27.-Now that the dis
turbed dust of Music hall has settled back
to the pristine resting place from which ii
was rudely flung by the shouting throng
! of Industrial reformers, some peculiar
facts are revealing themselves in the clear
ing atmosphere, and they do not demon
strate particularly strongly that the re-
cent conference was n spontaneous upriS-
| ing of the down-trodden toiler Of the earth,
| but, rather, that it was controlled and run
| by a few men whose executive abilities
| have shown them to be no mean order of
| leaders. Indeed, to come down to cold
facts, the entire affair, from the issuing Of
the call for the Ocala convention 10 the
present day, has been cody and calmly
| planned, and not only planned but exc
cuted, by little coterie whose names are
j. b. Weaver, Ignatius Donneliy, Herman
f. Taubeneck, g. f. Washburne, j. H.
Davis, G. c. Post of Georgia and J. l..
Norton of Chicago. Al this is learned
directly from one of the leaders
After the Ocala call went out the con-
ference at Cincinnati was held, and re-
form party thrown upon the world With
out going into the details, it is only neces-
sary to say here that it early became
evident that the southern element was
strongly opposed to independent political
action and that the leaders in this line
were DIR. Macune, Benjamin Terrell of
Texas and Congressman Livingston of
Georgia. Those in favor of such action
said that something decisive had to be
done and done quickly. At indianapolis
Is became still more strongly apparent,
and the promoters of the third party be-
gan to formulate their plan. 1t was moth
ing more at first than that Weaver and
Donnelly should put themselves forward
and draw the fire of the enemy, thus
giving Washburne and Taubeneck an op-
portunity to concentrate their forces for
IN attack on the flank. How well the
plan succeeded is well known. At meet
ing after meeting the third party idea was
pushed. Matters were now SO shaping
themselves that it was becoming necessary
to destroy the influence of the southern
leaders opposed to third-party action, |
especially that Of Livingston, Macune and !
Terrell. Here the Observation-Disclosures |
party showed its finesse. With the aid of |
Post of Georgia and j. II. Davis of Texas, |
the Alliances OF these two states were so |
worked upon as to come to the support of |
the third party, thus repudiating their ex-
isting leaders and leaving them without /
a constituency. As a result of this stua-
tion, which was planned for and deliber-
ately worked out, Watson became the real |
leader of the Georgia Alliance.
The anti-third party feeling having thus
been practically stamped out, the steerers |
came to st. Louis and began their work
here to control the convention. 1t was
known that Livingston was coming.
threatening to bolt If any action contrary
to his wishes were taken, and herein lies
the significance of the Georgia'contest and
the row over 1t In the convention hall The
first skirmish occurred on the first day.
when Hayes attempted to make Terrell
the czar of the body by giving him power to
appoint all the committees. though he was
Observation-Disclosures |
How Weaver headed this off is already a
matter of history IL the scheme had been
successful, it is known that Terrell would
have appointed only anti-third party men,
and so he. Macune and Livingston would
have been in control. Weaver's action.
however, put him in the chair, and the
WaShburn-Taub beneck element were again
in the saddle. Then came Donnelly's res
Olution regarding the credentials commit
tee. 1t was passed aud the third-party
men breathed still more freely
phe next scheme WAS to spring a row in
The convention and publicly show that the
southern anti-third party leaders were
without constituency. How well this
was done the proceedings of the convention
show. The next step of these fine workers
who had, so far, had matters their own
way, was to create such a third party sentl-
nent of public character as TO carry the
party men forward in the rush
and so prevent their voices being heard
| his they did by still keeping Weaver and
Oonnelly before the body as the targets.
while they themselves, having secured an
continents as SergeantS-at-arms circulat-
ID among the delegates, and, passing the
word along TO their true and tried men. kept
he sentiment on their side. They had
nearly reached the consummation of their
hopes when sudden movement byPowder- 1
V almost caused..a stampede On his motion
IN ADJOURNMENT for two hours was taken |
)urluS this time the Willard minority
platform was hurriedly put in shape. and
when the convention reassembled il was
presented. Then ensued the confusion al. {
eady described DOnnelly succeeded in |
moothing the tangle and in an instant the
platform was passed with q whoop. The
hlrd party schemers had won, and the So {
allied spontaneous uprising" of the people !
declared Tor independent political action.
I did, but 1t was by the will ot a steering
ommlttee led by Washburne, Taubeueck, I
Weaver and Donnelly that had succeeded
n moldlng the sentiment months before I
he convention and keeping it in shape !
uring ali the hubbub.