The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-11-25
PAUL. MINI, wEDn DAY NOV 25 1896

Gen. Weaver, the man who has helped
to sell out two or three reform move
ments, In type written address placed
Mr.. Bryan in nomination. 20
Gen. Field seconded the nomination
and then moved that the rules be sus-
pended and Bryan's nomination made
unanimous.
Chairman Allen put the question
amidst storm of Kisses and noes, and
declared it carried. W --.~..
At this unwarranted and unprecedent-
ed usurpatiOn of power the scene which
followed was almost indescribable.
Whole delegations rose to their feet and
yelled their disapproval and defiance.
The protest was SO strong and unyield-
ing that Allen was compelled to change
his decision and submit to a call of
states. Then followed six or seven
hours of oratory, most of which could
have been dispensed with. But the gag
which the Bryan managers had evident
ly tried to put on the convention to shut
out the nomination of other candidates
had failed, and Col. S. F. Norton, of IL
linois, was nominated by the middle-of-
the-roaders. While the roll call was
proceeding Bob Schilling tried to get a
recess until they could hear from Bryan,
but he was howled down and Chairman
Allen ordered the roll call to proceed
When Missouri was reached Hon. A.
H. Livingston rose to nominate Coxey
and protest against the Endorsement of
a Democratic nominee. AS soon as he
raised his voice against the action NOM
mating Bryan, Allen shut him off, al
though his time was not half expired
While Judge Green, of Nebraska, had
the platform in the interest of Bryan,
he was asked this question:
Can you tell whether or not Mr.. Bry-
an indorses our PLATFORM"
Green's answer was:
Il will answer you, sir, by saying
know Mr.. Bryan. I know him PERSONAL
ly. He is my personal friend, and 1
know he is as true Populist as you are,
or as l am"
Yet notwithstanding this and similar
assertions were made time and again in
the convention, Senator Allen says in his
letter of notification that your nomina-
tion by the Peoples party was not, there
fore, made with any thought that you
were Populist or that you accepted all
the doctrines declared by the st. Louis
platform"
This shows the double dealing of the
Bryan managers at St. Louis.
THE CAPSTONE OF PERFIDITY.
While the roll call for a vote of states
was proceeding Gov. Stone, of Missouri,
came into the convention hurriedly, and
going to Chairman Allen with several
kilograms in his hand, said:
"Mr. Bryan will not run on the Popul-
ist ticket, without Mr.. Sewall, even if the
convention nominates him."
Allen was greatly agitated, several
parties on the platform overheard the
conversation and it was demanded that
the announcement be made, but Allen
would not permit the roll call to be in
terrupted. Tom Patterson implored
Cyclone Davis to announce thai Gov.
Stone had an important telegram which
Mr.. Bryan desired to have read before
the convention. Eugene Smith, of Illi-
nois, told Cyclone" not to do it. The
pressure to have the telegram read be-
came so strong from those on the stand
that Allen turned the convention over
to Weaver and retired to one of the
small rooms in the north end of the
building with Gov. Stone, Tom Patter-
son, and perhaps one or two others. He
returned in few minutes visibly ex-
cited, whispered a few words to Gen.
Weaver, and Weaver than went out and
conversed with Stone and Patterson
about the kilograms. 1t developed that
National Chairman Jones had been in
communication with Bryan owe a
leased wire, and that Mr.. Bryan fatty
refused to be considered as a candidate
of the Populists apart from Sewall.
Weaver and Allen knew this in good
time to put The convention at rights but
decided not to do so.
Then Tom Patterson demanded of
Gov. Stone that he read them anyhow,
but the governor said that he was not
a delegate, and being a Democrat it
would be presumptuous on his part to
interfere in any way with the conduct
of Populist convention. He said that
he had asked that the information be
given through the proper channel and it
had been denied him.
This remark seemed to infuriate Sen
ator Allen and he retorted fiercely; .~-r
1--WE are not ours, and cannot be treat
ed that way" =, ~,, -.s-.,. ..>..e -.
Soon the rumor of the telegram leaked
out over the hall and the excitement be-
came intense.
Ignatius Donnelly mounted chair
and announced that he understood Bryan
had sent telegram to the convention
declining to accept the nomination.
"The Chair has for some minutes un-
derstood that a fictitious telegram of
that character was in existance." replied
Chairman Allen; "No attention will be
paid to it"
Here Senator Allen willfully lied.
Soon after this Stump" Ashby, of
Texas, got upon a chair and demanded
to know if there was such telegram.
There is not" replied Chairman AL
len.
"And has not been?" persisted Ash
by. .-...
"And has not been," repeated Allen
The dispatch which Mr.. Bryan sent on
Saturday, and which he confidently ex-
pected would be read to the convention
was as Notwithstanding to one of the
gentlemen who was permitted to see the
original:
considering all the circumstances
and conditions have concluded that the
Populist convention should not consider
my name for the presidency, but if it de-
terminates to nominate me, nOtwith-
standing this declaration, that there may
be no understanding, desire in advance
to say that l shall not during the cam
paign discuss any other issues than those
outlined in the Chicago platform. de-
sire above everything else to be instru-