The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-07-19

Thsy Doa,t Want Any More Fusisn-.
And : One-Issus Platform u Too
Marrow for Them TO stand Upon.
Tho currency Qdiestlon. M
The Populist. Convention, recently.
held in Iowa. is an important one in
the pace 1T sets for other States to fol-
low, as we'll as the light it throws on
some matters that have been pretty
widely discussed in reform papers re-
Gently. It has been charged that Gen
eral Weaver, Chairman Taubeneck
and a few others, were working to the
end Of having the Peoples party drop
every other issue except that Of free
silver, and form a fusion or union Of
forces with all who favored free silver,
regardless of party. Mr.. Weaver n
his friends, knowing the aversion
which existed in the Peoples party
+, against fusion, would not call it by
that name, but Insisted rather on call
ing 1t "Huddle and fight They OBJ
jected, also, to the charge that the
fight was to be made on the single is
sue Of silver, but insisted that it was
to cover the whole financial grounds.
n evidence developed by the Iowa
Convention had a tendency to show
that there was some kind Of a dicker'
In that State by which a fusion on The
silver issue was to be contaminated.
The Leader, a Democratic paper, pub
l1shed in Des Moines, says: Some OF
the most influential leaders Of the
Populist party, who had been encour-
aged by the apparent growth OF the
silver sentiment among Democrats and
Republicans, had devised a plan of
campaign which involved two princi-
pal points and upon which it has hoped
to carry the State: First, an express
sion from the Populist Convention that
as it considered the silver question the
leading n before the people and the
particular reform which should be at
tempted, the Populists Of the State
were willing to combine with any party
in Iowa which would also declare for
the free coinage Of silver at 16 to i:
second, that the nominee of the con-
vention should be a free-silver Demo-
crat, whose nomination the Democrats
OF Iowa, at Mar3halltown, with some
show Of consistency, could indorse.
The candidate who was selected for
this double candidacy was no less a
person than ex-Congressman White.
This plan was laid before leading sill
yer Democrats and had their indorse-
ment. They were to work to capture the
Democratic Convention, while General
Weaver and his friends attended to
the Populist Convention. The details
of this conspiracy, If such 1t may be
called, have never heretofore been pub
lished, but that it existed those con
cerned will hardly car to deny"
In our opinion, it was we'll that
General Weaver and his friends" were
not able to attend" to the Populist
Convention. General Weaver has been
a leader of the reform movement in
Iowa, that we know of, since 1878. The
policy unusually pursued there has
been to fuse. While some one would
occasionally succeed in being elected
to office, the growth of the movement
has been so retarded that Iowa is be-
hind every other State that forms her
border. AS General Weaver has been
the leader, it shows that there is some
thing defective, either in the policy or
the leader. We do not doubt General
Weaver's honesty and patriotism. We
concede his ability as a speaker and
campaigner. But as a politician he is
a dead failure. It is a pity to humiliate
such a valiant soldier as the General.
But since he insisted upon doing some
thing he was not qualified to do, and
pursuing a policy that is condemned
by nine-tenths of the voters in the Peo-
pies party, it is we'll that he met de-
feat in his own State. The Populists
in Iowa, declare to. the world by their
action, that they have had enough OF
fusion, and political dickering. Gen
eral Weaver and his friends ought to
see by this time hat to further insist
on Popu1ists voting anything but a
straight Populist ticket, on the prin-
ciples laid down in the Omaha plat
form, is to create confusion and dis
sension in the ranks Of the party, as
well as lose the respect Of the millions
Of voters who are looking around for a
party that has brave leaders, and the
courage Of his convictions. It is useless
to still further try to disguise the fact
that the basis Of this proposed union
nf forces was To he free silver solely