The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-07-16
Populists Will Not Approve the
Chicago Nominee Without
a Fight.
THE PLATTE ORATOR FEARED.
Interviews With Prominent Peoples
Party Men Who Favor the
Boy Speaker.
THE CALLS HEADQUARTERS,
HOTEL LINDELL,

ST. LOUIS, Mo-, July Is.
There will be fight in the Populist
National Convention over the proposed
Endorsement of William ]. Bryan for Pres.
ident of the United States. It may be
long and bitter-it may be short and de-
cisive. Already the combatants on both
sides are here in large numbers. They are
active, aggressive and uncompromising.
The middle-of-the-road boys will not give
up the struggle until they have been COM
pletely vanquished. They want no quar-
ter and will give none. They are fighting
for the life of their party and against the
Endorsement of a Democrat for any Fed
eral office, great or small. This wing of
the party is encouraged in its efforts to
down Bryan in the convention by Chair
man Taubeneck and the other officers of
the National Committee. Taubeneck
draws a salary of $4,000 a year and the
other officers of the party are paid in pro-
portion.
Despite their efforts the Bryan boom is
growing. His shouters are arriving here
by every train, and when the leading
silver advocates of the country get on the
ground they will greatly swell the Bryan
procession. The Populists that are fight
ing the Nebraskan are fearful that be
should suddenly wave into town during
a session OF the convention and stampede
it by one of his whirIwind speeches. They
feel that they could not resist the pre- s.
sure of his eloquence and are praying that
his footsteps may be directed elsewhere.
The fact is they live in daily fear of Bryan.
They realize that his Endorsement means
the annihilation of their party.
kilograms have been pouring into head
quarters to-day from Nebraska. Kansas,
Colorado, South Dakota, Arkansas and
some of the Southern States, all declaring
for Bryan.
Interest in the coming convention is in
creasing daily, and by the end of the week
it VIII be at fever heat. It promises to be
the most important gathering of National
Populists in the history of the party. It
means a perpetuation of life or eternal
death. Missouri has divided on the main
question. One wing is for indorsing Bryan
and Sewall, while another wing will sup
port the proposition to name a straight
ticket and adopt platform.
Ex-Governor Waite of Colorado, who
will head the delegation from that State,
is out for indorsing Bryan and Sewall,
and will begin work for it as soon as he
reaches st. Louis. He is backed by the
delegation from Colorado, which puts a
damper on the plan of the anti-Bryan
wing to put forward Senator Teller as a
Presidential candidate.
The advance guard of the Tennessee
delegation, which came in last night, has
full-fedged Vice-Presidential boom for
w. H. Mimms of that State. Ex-Governor
Buchanan, who has charge of the Mimms
boom, does not like SewaIl, but is not
strongly opposed to Bryan. If it could be
so arranged that the Democratic Presi-
Dental nominee could be given first place
and Mimms second the Tennessee crowd
would be satisfied. Otherwise, the Ten
nessee delegates, together with those from
other Southern States, will join the
middle-o f-the-road faction and attempt to
swing the convention into line for an in
dependent party ticket. While Governor
Buchanan declines to state his position a
to indorsing Bryan, it is evident from his
talk that he favors such course on the
part of the Populists.
bryan is a fine man." he said this
morning, land the only way to secure free
silver is by union of forces. The Demo-
cratic platform and ticket is vindication
of the men who bolted the Chicago con-
vention four years ago."
ut is said, Governor, that the Southern
Populists will not accept Bryan as their
candidate, because they do not want to
return to the Democratic party. How
about that?"
"1hey would not be returning to the
Democratic party" answered the Tenues-
seean. 1.-The party would be returning to
them. True Populism is pure Democ-
-Jeffersonian Democracy-and the
origin of the Peoples party was the de-
parUure from pure Democracy by the
Democratic party when it allowed Cleve-
land and the Eastern contingent to take
the helm. In adopting the Populist plat
form and nominating man like Bryan
the democrats have returned to the prin-
ciples of pure Democracy"
The biggest fight next to the one indoors
ing the candidates will be that over the
platform. A very strong wing of the party,
headed by Chairman Taubenbeck, Ser
geant-at-Arms Mcdowell, Chairman Roz-
zelle of the Missouri State Committee and
many members of the National Committee,
proposes to make fight for the adoption
of the Omaha platform instead of an in
dorsement of the Chicago declaration.
II do not know what course may be
taken by the National Committee, said
the chairman. "It will hold its first session
the day before the convention meets, and
while l have no doubt the individual
members will work for what they consider
the wisest and safest course for the party
to pursue there will be no attempt to
dictate to the convention as body what it
shall do"
Notwithstanding this statement it is un-
derstood that there will be sharp clash
between the National Committee and the
leaders of the party who are to come to st.
Louis to work for Bryan.
]. I. Flynn, delegate at large from Cali
fornia to the convention for the American
Bimetallic League, arrived in town to-day.
He is the editor of the Populist, published
in San Francisco. Mr.. FLYNN was not