The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-09-10
FUSION N IOWA.
Driving the In telligcnt Democrats Int
the Republican Party.

the Republican Party.
Des Moinss Special 70 New York Tribune.
There are thousands of Disguised Demo-
Gratis in Iowa this year. The cause Of
their disgust is the combination which
their party has entered into with the Pop
ulists. In At least four of the eleven dis
tricts the Democrats have adopted as their
standard bearers men Of the most ultra
Populistic ieanings. In only single dis
trict, the Sixth. has the party had the
courage to refuse the overtures of the fol-
lowers of Waiteism and Lewellingism. In
the other districts the farce has still to be
enacted
In some cases these combinations are
due TO Democratic indifference. There are
thousands Of Democrats in the state who
do not expect to see their party successful,
even in the sense of polling respectable
minority vote. There is nothing in these
districts 70 keep mp an organization for,
and naturally the party leadership falls
into the hands of those who want to use il
to aid their wild theories. But not all of
1t is due to the hopelessness and indiffer-
ence of the Democratic party. 1t is a fact
that cannot be successfully denied that the
Democratic party in Iowa is in many
places hopelessiy mixed up with Populism.
The recent plank in the state platform,
indorsing Cleveland's silver views instead
of those of Gen. Weaver, cannot be taken
as any indication of what Democracy in
Iowa stands for. That convention was
meagerly attended, and those who did at
tend were mostly Office holders or men
who were the friends OF Office holders, or
those who expected offices yet. The silver
declarations. therefore, meant nothing.
This was brought out as soon as the con-
gress conventions were held, in only few
of which the doctrines proclaimed by the
state convention have been Endorsed. The
congress districts have generally stood
close to the Weaver platform
The four districts in which the Populists
and Democrats have pooled their issues
are the Seventh, where the Democrats in
dorsed the nominee of the Populists, ]. Z.
Bancroft; the Eighth, where they have a
joint candidate in Frank @ Stuart; the
Ninth, where they h ave the joint candi-
date, Gen, James b. Weaver, and she
Tenth, where the partnership is vested in
]. c. Baker, who was nominated by the
Populists first.
The mildest of these Populists is Mr..
Barefoot, in the Seventh district He is
en- elderly man. who has in his later years
been webbing around great deal. He
has in vain been hunting for the solution
Of all earthly political problems. He has
declared his adherence to many strange
beliefs. he Is not . rampant silver man,
as understood by the extreme Popuiists,
but his leanings are queer enough to re-
commend him TO that class Of political re-
formers.
In the Eighth district they have the
strangest OF ell political nondescripts.
Stuart has a record as socialist reaching
back into Colorado, where he entered the
state legislature. and seems TO have gotten
into some difficulties with the police au-
thorities over matters growing largely out
of sociaiistic doctrines. He was for a
time editorial writer on the Des Moines
Leader, and while in that place was in the
habit of INDUCING in wild opinions which
shocked the staid Democrats who read the
paper. Recently be published what he
calls his political creed, in which he
placed twelve articles. The most import
ant were SO follows: Free coinage OF sill
YER; the unconditional repeal Of all legal
tender laws: the like repeal of all laws for
the collection of debts; the like repeal of
all laws for the creation of private cor
porations: the repeal OF all United States
patent laws; the repeal of all laws for the
upbuilding and maintenance of a standing
army; the unconditional repeal of all tariff
legislation; public ownership of railways,
telegraph lines, street railways. stock
yards, market yards and everything, in
short, that is of public nature. To all of
these other qualities Stuart adds a healthy
faith In the single tax theories of Henry
George, and while in Des Moines affiliated
with society for the promotion of these
principles. II there is any other political
lad or ism to which Stuart has not ex-
pressed allegiance it is simply due TO the
fact that 1t has not been brought to his at
tention. To those who know him it 10 q
strange case of politics that brings this
man into the field as Q congress candidate
OF two parties, and one OF them the Demo-
cratic party, which has been supposed 10
have some conservatism, 81 least in Iowa.
and whose leading spokesman, Ex-eiov.
Bolss, recently so severely denounced all
these isms that lead 10 state Of semi
anarchy.
OF the candidate Ia the Ninth district ID
IL not necessary 10 speak. His record be-
longs 10 the whole country. Two years
ago he was the leader of the Populists in
the presidential ighE His most notorious
action since Is the Endorsement of Kelley
ism here last spring. In both OF those in-
stances the Democrats here denounced
him and bis views as tending toward So
cislism. Now they are indorsing him for
congress.
The nominee Of the Democrats and
Popu!ists In the Tenth district, ]. @.
Baker, Is almost unknown. He Is Popu-
list OF royal blood. The Democrats pro-
ceeded TO nominate . man of their own,
but the man nominated against Congress
man Dolliyer promptly declined the JOB of
running against that popular man, and SO
they adopted Baker and Bakers platform.
IL must not be supposed that the Demo
Gratis all indorse these nominations and
these surrsnders of their principles. bat
most Of them do, aud BY election time the
members OF the party will very generally
have been persuaded 10 vote FOR the mon
grels- In the Ninth district there Is
good-sirsd revolt among Democrats led by
Charles +. Chase, q prominent leader Of
Atlantic In Gass county. In the Tenth
district there Is 3 smaller revolt. led by l..
r LANCE, C.eveiand's postmaster a.
Lanrens.