Birmingham state herald., 1896-07-21
SENATOR JONES AT WHEEL Steering the Bryan Ship With
 Consummate Skill. PROPOSITIONS TO THE POPS Backed by an Argument to the Leaders That
 Is Unanswerable. HE INSISTS ON SEWALL'S ENDORSEMENT The Situation Is Clouded Somewhat, but the Tall Form of the Nebraskan Looms Through the Mist-Claims and
 Counter Claims.
HE INSISTS ON sEwALLs ENDORSEMENT

St. Louis, July 20.-Although the Bryan propaganda is receiving the support of many of the populist leaders, the real work of advancing his interests has been entrusted to Senator Jones of Arkansas, the chairman of the national democratic committee. It must be said for Senator Jones that he is engineering the Bryan boom skillfully, and 1t Is none the less skillful because the Arkansas senator chooses to remain in the background. He has his headquarters at the Planters hotel, where he has been receiving all the morning certain ones of the more prominent populists who desire Bryan's nomination by their convention. The proposition which Jones advances is this: [ In return for popullst and silver republi- can support one member of each party will be placed on the democratic nation al executive committee. In states where the populists greatly outnumber the dem oerats the populists are to control the nominations for congress and the princi- pal state offices. In other states where the strength of the democrats is more uniform satisfactory arrangement will be made with respect to the state and congressional tickets, the purpose in each case being to secure the election of free silver representatives to the house. The scheme finds great favor with such of the populists as Jones has consulted. The argument of the latter is that if Bry- an is not nominated half of the populists, in the west especially, will vote for him, and the effect of this will be to disrupt the party.
 It may be stated in this connection that Jones insists strenuously that not only shall Bryan be nominated, but Sewall as well.
 At last nights conference he insisted ho cl. 1ar, .ixr ia l., Sdhered to, and he f1atly refused to en-
 frtain any proposition that looked only sO the nomination of Bryan and the repu- diation of the democratic nominee for second place on the ticket.
 Senator Jones sent for Jerry Simpson, with other popullst leaders, and explain ed to him something of the details of the proposition he had to offer. Governor Stone of Missouri was present also T. M. Patterson, head of the contesting Colorado delegation for seats In the pop ulist convention. Senator Jones said the important thing was that the cam paign should be conducted not only harmoniously, but unitedly, by all the sll- yer forces, and to that end he pledged himself should the conventions in St. Louis this week indorse or nominate Bryan and Sewall to appoint as mem- bers of the national democratic com mittee representative each of the pop ulist and national silver parties The advantage of this, it was explained, would be that these representatives, to- gether with one of the democratic party, on the executive committee could go to states where 1t was necessary to make an adjustment of local matters growing out of the division of voters, and perfect and execute that adjustment with satisfac- tion to all parties and 1t would be bind- ing upon all.
 Governor Stone, 1t is said, added his indorsement to the pledge by Senator Jones. This conference lasted an hour or more, and a Knowledge of what had oc- cured and the promise made had an ex- ting effect upon the effort to se- cure the indorsement or nomination of Bryan by the populist convention.