The San Francisco call., 1896-07-22
BLOWS ARE EXCHANGED.
Lively Fight OF Illinois Factions
While the Populist National
Committee Is-in Session.


ST. LOUIS, Mo-, July 21.-The contest
ing delegations from Illinois before the
Populist National Committee got mixed
up in the hallway outside the room IN
which the committee was hearing their
respective claims this evening and blows
were exchanged. The committee met at
9 P. NJ, and had been in session only a few
m inutes when the contestants. headed by
Burns and Hogan, made some remarks
about the DR.. Taylor faction. which Tay-
ior resented. The lie was passed and in a
second the two factions were mixed up on
the floor. DIR. Taylor was thrown down
twice. He used his fists to good adyan-
tage and landed several blows on the faces
of his opponents. The men were pulled
apart, but got together a second time. DR..
Taylor was thrown and several men piled
up on top of him. There were threats of
resorting to firearms. when the police ar
rived Nand restored order. Taylor tri-
umphed before the committee.
The committee first assembled shortly
after noon behind closed doors, with Hon
II. E. Taubeneck presiding. The roll call
showed the presence of nearly all the
members of the committee. Before going
into secret session Chairman Taubeneck
announced that there were a few minor
contests, and that the committee would
complete the temporary roll and select
temporary officers For himself, he said,
he had no choice for temporary chair
man.
There are but two contests of import
anee, those from Colorado and Illinois.
The former involves the entire State dele
CATION, and the latter twenty-seven dele
gates from Cook County (Chicago). The
Colorado contestants are headed by ex-
Governor Waite, but he having declared in
favor of Bryan's nomination his colleagues
deposed him tor another leader.
On the matter of temporary chairman
the two candidates were General Weaver
of Iowa, who represented the Bryan
Sewall element, and Senator Butler of
North Carolina, who is opposed to the in
dorsement of the Dem ocratic ticket
After the matter of the mem bership of
the committee itself had been determined
the committee proceeded to consider the
applications by number of States for an
increased representation in the conven-
tion. In making up the table of delegates
for this convention the National Commit
tee was compelled to act upon data con-
tanned in various political almanacs. In
the cases of a numb ber of States this infor-
nation proved inaccurate. The commit
teemen from each Southern State demon
strated by certified copies of tabulation of
votes in their States that the Populists
were entitled to an increase in the number
of delegates of from one to five, the latter
being allowed Texas. The several Terri
tories were allowed six delegates instead
-
right of representation as States-that is,
one delegate for its delegate in Congress
and one for each 1000 votes-which made
its total representation nine. Recess was
then taken.
Immediately upon reassembling this
afternoon the committee took up the
Cook County (Ill.) contest. After a
lengthy argument Mr.. Donnelly OF Mime
sofa moved, in the interests of harmony,
that the two delegations be seated each
member to have q half vote. This was
agreed to-49 to IS.
The announcement of the result was re-
ceiyed with much satisfaction by the
members of the Burns-Hogan faction in
the corridor, but DIR. Taylor of Chicago
sent a message to the committee saying
he should decline to sit in the convention
with his opponents.
After deciding q case from the Nine
teenth Ohio District the committee pro-
ceeded to the selection OF temporary chair
man. General Weaver OF Iowa, who had
been spoken of as the Bryan candidate for
the place, was not mentioned. Mr.. Guth-
rie of North Carolina, the probable Popu-
list candidate for Governor of that State,
presented the name of Senator Marion
Butler of North Carolina. Mr.. Branch of
Georgia named Ignatius Donnelly of Min
nesota. A delegate from Kansas pre-