Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-07-18
THE POPULISTS.
The Leaders are Not Sure Where They
Stand Their Position Not Strong
Enough to Enforce Demands Upon
the DemOcracy---Rank and File Are
for Bryan.

St. Louis. Mo, July 17.-TIhe arrivals
of Delegates TO the national PcPulFst
and silver conventions were net nu-
n.arous to-day. To-mOm'ow the naiIon-
al executive committee and the Peop-es
Party will held a conference here 10 ar
ranIge matters fer the na'cicIal coIh-
mtttee and the ccnVerulon, boph CT
,wbiclh VIII meet next week The con-
mittee is conlpC1ed CT II. Z. Taubend3k,
chairman, of tbs city; n. c. RAnklil'
treasurer. Of Terra Haute, Ind; j. II.
Turner. Washington, d. c., ar1 Law
renee McPsrtlin, !LOckpOrt, n. y, sec
retaries, and Igpacus Donrelly, Has
things, Mimi George +. WaIhDuIn, Bos-
ton; J. II. Davis, Sulphur Springs, rex
George =. Gather, Walnut Grove, Ala;
v o. Strickler Omaha or th'-lse, j. n.
Davis. OF Texas. and George F. Wash
burn. of Boton, are the only members
Lcre. burt the Others are eXreccad TO
reach the city to-ncTrow in time for
the meeting.
Chairman Tantecleck is in Chicago,
where he went last night. Inquiry at
the executive commi1tee heaQquartsr5
failed to elicit any information about his
wish there. One afternoon paper says
he went as an envoy exI.a0rC.r1iy,
bearing terms Of CapItulaIon from tne
Middle Of the Road Pcpulig.s' to the
Nsaicna! Democracy. The paper then
gees on TO say: The Middle CT tho
Road people, he'd by the men who have
control oe the national machine ard
who are exceedingly anxious to retain
IL, are badly frightened.
..For fear of an endorsement CT Bryan
and Sewall, which is to Inevitably fol-
low the converting Of the Fopu'ist5,
would throw them cut entirely, IKE ami
Bryan members, most Cf wh5m have
some sort of office in the present ma
tional organization, are said to be eager
to get terms which will leave them in
power.
"They have run up the white flag and
are prepared 10 surrender unccrrLtion-
a,cy if they fail to secure their terms.
"They want the Democrats to agree
to the proposition that bo1h parties
shall maintain distinct Opsanizations-
or. in other words, that the PopuliSts
shall keep UP their national organiza-
tion-and both run electcra. tickets
with Bryan as the Presidential candi-
Cnte
up ito the time Chairman Taubeneck
started so hurriedly for Chicago. the
machine Populiss had received no ccm-
fort from the Democrats.
"The masses of the Peoples Party
was so so,idly for Bryan that there WIS
no hope in that direction.
mark Hanna's men were confident
that the could hold the Middle of the
Road people in line, but Chairman Tau
beneck's trip to Chicago put them at
SEA. Their mission wss to prevent an
Endorsement O. Bryan If possible, and TO
create a split if necessary to do il.
The evident desire of Chairman
Taubeneck and his co-workeTs to get
in out of the storm has changed ths
situation"
Inquiry among a number Of the prom
inent Populsts here failed to corroborate
the statement that Taubeneck had gone
to Chicago to confere with Democratic
leaders there. 1t was stated that the OBJ
ject Of his visit was to confer with DR..
Taylor, a member of the National Commit
tee and a prominent Populst, as TO what
SlOu4l DC QJut dL ti4b tUINtullUH III TtBdIV
to placing a national ticket In the field by
the Peoples party. The opinion resulting
from this conference will be presented at
the meeting Of the executive committee
tomorrow.
"If the Democrats will give US our share
Of the electors there will be no difficulty
in the way of united action for silver"
said Sergeant-at-Arms Mcdowell, of the
Populist National Convention, In the
course Of an interview. Talks with other
leading Populists showed this to be the
situation. there being a we'll defined feel
irg against endorsing the Chicago conven-
tion ticket. The Popu!sts' plan is to divide
the electors in each Stats according TO the
Populist ard Democratic parties, the
stronger candidate to take all the electors
after the election, This they contend will
insure the election of a silver man. where
as If each party put up a separate can
didate AID did not fuse on e,ectcrs, the
silver vote would be divided ard the fight
for silver lost