Great Falls weekly tribune., 1896-09-18
FUSION IS ACCOMPLISHED
The POpulists and Democrats Have
Now Only One County Ticket
in the Field
A New Candidate in the Person Of
Il. p. McNair for County
Commissioner.

Wednesday the Gemocratic and popu-
list committees, who LEyo been working
for some time past to bring about
fusion on the county ticket, succeeded
in bringing their work to satisfactory
conclusion. The trend Of public events
in a political way was such a. TO make il
more and more apparent that mistake
had been made at the recent democratic
and populist county conventions in put
ting up two separate tickets. The con-
ventions when they assembled both went
on record by large majorities as fayoring
fusion, but the division proposed was not
satisfactory to the populists and.the plan
failed Since that time the action of the
state conventions of both parties in max
ing fusion resulted in Strengthening
the sentiment in both parties for com
plete fusion all along the line. The
| action taken in other states showed that
this action commended itself to both
parties all over the country as being the
logical result Of the alliance made be-
tween populists and democrats to secure
the triumph Of the great principle which
binds them together, the free and un-
limited coinage Of silver at ratio of 1G
to l.
| Acting under the impulse of these
| factors, the two committees met with a
| determination to overcome every OBJ
stacle to SUCCESS and pat single ticket
in the field which would wrest the con-
troll of county affairs from the republican
ring, which has SO long distributed po-
litical pie to its favored members. AS a
| preliminary step all the candidates on
both sides with one solitary exception
placed their designations in the hands of
their respective county committees,
cheerfully expressing willingness to
sacrifice their ambitions for the good of
the party. Then the committees went to
work with determination to succeed.
Tuesday night was spent in vain at
tempt to come to an agreement, although
a good deal of progress was made. Last
night, however, the fusion was agreed
on, the following ticket being selected:
For district judge-J. b. Leslie.
For clerk of the district court-O. M
Holmes.
For entatives-Anthony Morton
G. F. Stork, E. r. Carroll, George O'Mal-
ley, e. H. Stanton.
For treasurer-W. II. Gelsthorpe.
For sheriff.. II. Donlin.
For attorney-M. M. Lyter.
For clerk and recorder--L. M. Nc.
Donnell
For commissioners -J j. j. Patterson
James Il. Erickson, B. p. McNair
| For assessor-William Birkenbuel.
For auditor-Robert E. Hendry.
For superintendent Of schools Miss
Ina Craven.
For eurveyor-M. S. Parker
For administrator-H. J. Skinner.
For coroner-C. y. Brady.
For justices of the peace, Great Falls
, township - H. S. Greene, p. Ii. Hughes
In one case only, did the committees
go outside the tickets already in the
field. and that was in the case of B. p
: McNair, for county commissioner, Fol
! long time both parties held out tc
: name two of the three commissioners
and no agreement could be made. AS {
final resort it was agreed to compromise
Oh u new nlan. Each side chose one
commissioner and on a ballot for thirC
man, b. =. McNair was chosen. 1t was
felt that the ticket should have two
, | commissioners from Greht EallS, as by
this arrangement all sections of the
country would be more likely to receive
just and equal treatment in the matter o
roads and other matters in which they are
interested. Tho country people have com
planned heretofore that when majorit,
of the board came from the country, the!
made a deal by which the sections O.
country in which the commits
sioners lived we're liberally treated
, while other sections we're shameful,
neglected. 1t was this consideration
largely added to the fact that Mr.. hlc
Nair was gentleman of recognized bus
mess abiity,that resulted in his selection
unanimously.
The news of the completed fusior
} spread rapidly and resulted in a panic
among the republican candidates. who
} in some instances, conceded that the
} fusion ticket meant defeat