The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-20
DELEGATES TO ST. LOUIS SEEM TO
BE IN A QUANDARY AS TO
THEIR POSITION.
MIDDLE OF THE ROAD MEN.
WITH FUSIONISTS ON ONE SIDE
AND BRYANITEs ON THE 9TH
'ER-THE SITUATION.
SOUTH OPPOSED TO BRYAN.
Taubeneck Also Has Strong Fol.
lowing In His Demand for an
Independent Ticket.

ST. LOUIS, Mo-, July 19-Few of
the delegates to he Populists convention
have arrived, but among the leaders
who have reached the city, very bit
ter war has already developed. They
seem to be aligning themselves for q
three-cornered fight; first, those who
favor straight Endorsement or nomi-
nation of Bryan and Sewall which will
bring to the Chicago ticket the support
of the Populists; second, those who de-
sire a fusion electoral ticket which
will maintain he Populist party or
ganization intact and place the lead
ers in position to demand recogni-
ton in the event the ticket is success
full ,and third, what are known as the
Middle Of the Road Populists who
favor an Independent platform and
ticket and who oppose fusion in any
form. The latter, If present indica-
t1ons count for anything, will event
| ually be overruled. The Middle of
the Road" men, however, will prove
strong and valuable allies Of the lead
ers of the second class, Who Seem de-
termined to preserve their party or
ganization at all hazards, but who
profess an earnest desire to combine
all the silver strength if way can be
found to give them recognition. The
real fight, 1t is believed, will come be-
tween this faction and those who are
in favor Of putting behind them for,
the present all pride of party for the
sake Of the silver cause to which they
are pledged.
Chairman Taubeneck, chairman Of
this middle wing, gave out a statement
inin ho pIo Of Ici0
electors as the only condition on which
he is willing to join hands with the
free silver Democracy. But, even with
fusion electors he wants a set Of Pop
ulist nominees, the purpose being, if
his plan is carried out, to elect Bryan
president, and Populist vice-presI-
dent.
TAUBENECK'S INTERVIEW
met with a storm Of protests from the
faction which advocates straight en-
dorsement of Bryan and Sewall as the
only chance of solidifying the silver
forces and gaining victory. Mr.. Pat
tersOn, of Colorado, who heads the
regular Colorado delegation, came out
in an interview tonight in which he
denounced Taubeneck's plan as not
only impracticable but impossible He
declared that insistence upon such
plan would saver of a deal and leopard
iZe the cause of silver to which all pro-
fessed to be, and should be devoted
While he counselled the maintenance
Of the Populist organization in the
future, he went so far as to intimate
that those who now sought to place 1t
above the cause of silver We're look
ing to their personal advancement and
such loaves and fishes as might come
to them with the advent of q silver
administration.
Among those Populists who have ar
rived from the South, there is much
opposition to the plan of indorsing
Bryan and Sewa.i without conditions.
Senator Butler of North Carolina, who
heartily favors harmonizing all the
silver elements as the only way to win,
points out the strong enmity between
the Populists and the Democrats in
the South, and expresses the opinion
that unless the Populist organization
is recognized in the fight, through
fusion electors, it will be impossible to
secure the support of the rank and file
of the Populists of the South for the
Chicago ticket.
George F. Washburne, of Boston,
chairman of the Eastern wing of the
Populists, returned today from a visit
tC Mr.. Bryan at Lincoln where he
went presumably to confer with the
candidate concerning his endorsement
of the Populist He was outspoken in
his expression that the Chicago ticket
should be endorsed and the people be
given an opportunity to express clear
verdict on the issue.
All the indications are that the con,
vention will be very lively affair
with the certainty of much bitter
wrangling, the probability of some sem
sational incidents and of a bolt of lar
ger or smaller dimensions, no matter
what the ultimate decision Of the con,
vention is. The leaders of the Ameri-
can silver party, who are here, appear
to be all of one mind-that Bryan and
Sewall should be indorsed. They op-
pose anything which will tend to cloud
the issue of victory for silver or
divide the silver strength. They ex-
pect by their action to exercise a
strong influence over the other conven-
tion, especially as there seems to be
disposition to arrange joint COM
promises Of the silver and Populist
leaders.