The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-07-22


Talking With Their Vocal Organs and
Knocking the Fusionists Into the Hat
They Were Not Talking Through. the
Sly and Thrifty Bryan People Were OF
by Themselves. Corraling the Undecided
Delegate and Fastening Schemes Down
to the Floor With Large spike-Nsiis.
ST. Louis, July N.-Another dark, dis
mai day broke this morning. The dull
lesden clouds drizzled and the conven-
ton city was wet and dripping. But
the rank and file Of the Popuiists, who
are early to bed and early to rise. were
astir before six o'clock and about the
hotels discussing the situation, silver.
initiative and referendum. and income
tax The corridors of the Lindell were
crowded before z o'clock and the ora
tons at headquarters of the middle-of-
the-road men at the Laclede had begun
before that hour. The leaders, Of course.
were late in putting in an appearance.
The Bryan managers were In a jubilant
frame Of mind. They confidently claim
ed this morning that they had passed
the Rubicon and that their control Of
the convention was practically assured.
There were conditions and details yet
! to be worked out, but they believed they
! had won the victory-the nomination or
endorsement of the Chicago ticket.
| The attempt of some of the Populists
| to force the withdrawal of Sewan and
the nomination Of a Populist for vice
| president had been defeated by the
stand taken by Bryan's friends, and the
| positive answer of Chairman Jones of
| the Democratic national committee that
such thing could not be considered and
would not be tolerated.
DIDN'T LET UP A BIT.
Notwithstanding their confidence in
| their ability to effect a combination, the
Bryan managers, however, did not re-
lax their efforts. They had a most COM
plete organization and every man had
instructions for the day. They met and
canVasSed every incoming delegation
and t up the work Of PROSECUTING
among those already here Although
they early claimed the victory they be-
lieved there would be bolt of the radi-
calls, and, paradoxical as 1t may seem,
bolt Of the extremists Is what some OF
the most level-headed said they desired.
The Democratic managers are certainly
not averse to a split which would car
ny out Of the convention the extreme
men. They claimed the allegiance Of
some Of these men would do the ticket
infinitely more harm than good. The
battle, Of course, would come on the
floor of the convention hall and no one
doubted that there would be a display
Of bitterness and bad blood.
The national committee wrestled with
the question Of organization today. The
Bryan men put forward General Weaver
for temporary chairman. This was
shrewd move. They did not believe the
opposition would care to make q fight
against their late standard bearer.
STRA1GHT-OUTS ORGANIZE
The middle Of the road Populists rec
ognized today that the organization Of
the Bryan men was telling and made
an effort to effect one themselves. Up
to this morning they had maintain open
headquarters at the LaClede hotel
where the arriving delegates were re-
quested to come in and register, procure
badge. report as to what their state
delegation would do, and then saunter
forth into the hotel Hobbies and toin
in the talk. But no chairman, secre-
tary, sergeant-at-arms, or other Off
GERS had been elected Such a. cam
paign could make little headway against
the organized forces of the Bryan men,
who were acting with system. A meet
ing OF the middle of the road men was
called and an attempt made to organ iZe
but the non-arrival of delegates led to
their deferring action. Many Of them.
II was claimed, were on the way here.
and would arrive during the day to
join their ranks
The anti-Bryan men on the national
committee and those who have been
prominent in the movement to secure
an endorsement of Bryan and the norni
nation of a Populist for vice president.
with fusion on electors, did not place
themselves at the head of the middle
OF the road men, although there were
some conferences between them and the
anti-Bryan, or, rather. anti-Sewall, men
were supposed to be advising the more
radical among them.
ROW BEGINS AT ONCE
The attempt of the middle Of theroad
men TO organize resulted in a very
spirited meeting. A. II. LIVINGSTON of |
Missouri was elected temporary chair |
man and Allie Reed Of Iowa, temporary
secretary. A row began as soon as the |
meeting was organized. A delegate from |
Oklahoma named Albright pointed out |
man seated in front of the chairman |
and declared that he had been around |
the various hotels distributing Mark /
Hanna's money for The purpose Of pre- |
venting the endorsement of Bryan, and |
defeating the silver party. The man
proved to be Silas Ross Of Buffalo, ". Y. |
Ross denied in the most emphatic man !
ner that he had been engaged in any |
such business, or had ever seen the Ok |
lahoma man before Albright claimed |
that Ross had represented himself as /
from Baltimore and other portions of |
the country. but upon close questioning |
he admitted that he might be mistaken, |
and saying that the man looked very |
much like Ross.
Later in the evening Hackstaff of |
Colorado entered and made a speech. |
The Okiahoman arose and said Hack |
staff was the man. Hackstaf imme- |
diate,y denied that ne had ever seen the
Oklahoma man before or that he was /
engaged in anything but an effort TO |
secure straight-out Populisi caadi-
date for president
The Oklahoma man seemed TO be IN
certain and went out after motion had /
been adopted requesting the Bryan men
TO leave the hall Before the last part /
or this interesting incident occurred.
and shortly before the meeting was call /
ed TO order. motion was carried with a |
whoop that none but a straight-ou:
Populist should be nominated for presi-
dent. Then occurred a row over the
fact that men with Bryan badges were
in the room II was claimed by the mid
die OF the road Populists that these
Bryan men should either get out or de-