The San Francisco call., 1896-05-13
Leaders of the Suffrage Fight
Calamity Treated by the
Delegates.
PLANKs IN THE PLATFORM.
Considerable Argument Before the
Committee Relating to the
Tariff Question.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, May .12.-The
Populists have proved that they are work.
ingmen and that their convention is their
workshop by the earnessness which they
have displayed in the proceedings But
they have made haste slowly. The re-
suit of the days effort from 10 in the
morning until near midnight was tenn.
porary set of officers and the usual num-
Der of committees, only one of which, on
credentials reported.
The chairman, c. A. Barlow of San Luis
Obispo, has not met with any objection
from either the A. P. A. element or the
other element which is opposed to
mingIlng religion with politics. Mr..
Barlow acquitted himself very we'll indeed.
He handled the gavel with the same deft-
ness of touch and the same brilliancy of
technique as that displayed by Paderewski
or Ysaye on their favorite instruments.
He is well acquainted with the members
and by the aid of the cards showing the
names of the counties from which thew
hailed or thundered, as the case may be.
he managed to introduce them properly
to the rest of the delegates. Those same
printed cards by the way. are an ortho-
graphical curiosity. Solano is spelled
Salano, MADEIRA is converted into Madara.
Tehama is made to read Tahama, and
many of the other counties have been
sadly disigured in a similar way by
printer who seems to be greatly in want of
a little red school house as part of his lit
erary apparatus.
Populists are not ounces, and to-day
many of the cards were taken away for re-
pairs and returned with the names of the
| counties properly spelled In Spencerian
| script. The committee on platform had a
hard time of it.
They went out shortly after noon and
spent the recess till O'Clock in fitting nm
platform to tit the local conditions and
at the same time to be in harmony with
the Omaha platform. The session of this
committee developed the fault that there
are large number of orators gathered to-
gethel and discord and procrastination are
in the midst of them.
The tariff question, brought out by a
plank submitted by Mr.. Gator started the
ball rolling and kept it rolling up to an
extremely unpopulisticalIy late hour. The
Omaha platform has deftly straddled the
tariff proposition and Mr.. Gator endeay-
ored to have the straddle removed and to
induce the party in California to say
something on the matter.
Murphy of Shasta, the protege of Sheriff
Houston of that county. one of three
Sheriffs in this State elected on the
straight Populist ticket, made a bitter
fight against the Gator resolution and was
assisted by ]. V. Webster. ex-Populist
nominee for Governor, and Gator was ably
supported by Burnette G. Haskell of San
Francisco and L. F. Smith of Santa Clara.
But it was so much time wasted, for the
battle may have to be fought over again
to- morrow on the floor of the convention.
The State Central Committee occupied
the recess hours and worried away late in
the evening over the subject of raising the
wherewithal to carry on the campaign and
to help elect the Legislative ticket. Several
propositions we're made in the executive
session, one of them being for each county
to assess it's Populist residents so cents or
81 apiece.
1t was estimated that not less than
$4,000 would be required and that $50 600
would come nearer satisfying the require
ments of the campaign. Some dissatisfac-
ton was expressed by several members of
the committee as to the manner in which
Secretary Bush had handled the finances.
They thought that more economy should
be practiced.
Not much interest is being taken in the
matter of the nomination of Lieutenant
Governor. T. w. III. Shanahan of Shasta
and Douglass I. Foster of Fresno are most
spoken of, but Sheriff Houston of Shasta
said last night that Mr.. Shanahan was not
candidate for any Office under the sun.
Fowler has many friends. He has great
force of character and can handle con-
vention with the skill of veteran.
The Congressional fight in Grove L.
Johnson's district is attracting some at
tention. Some of ex-Attorney-General
A. l.. Hart's friends are working quietly
to have him nominated Hart himself
says nothing, but laughs and shakes his
curled locks when the subject is men.
toned. He is said to be deadly political
enemy of Grove L. Johnson, and his
friends claim that if nominated he would
roast Johnson in every precinct in the dis
trict on his funding bill record.
The convention viii l reassemble at
O'Clock tomorrow morning. The Second
Cong r essional District convention will
meet at half-past in the morning, an
hour which only granger would suggest.
Susan B. Anthony, Mrs. A. A. Sargent.
Ida A. Harper and Mrs. Hobart of the
Woman Suffrage Association, made ring
ing speeches to the convention and were
warmly received. Mrs. Elizabeth Pur-
nell formerly schoolteacher in this city
and woman of varied intellectual attain.
ments, made one of the best speeches OF
| the day.
II