The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-07-23
BRYAN HAS THE BIG MEN
nUT "MIDDEE OF THE R0AD" MEN CONTROL POP PULIST CONTENTION.

Minority Fights Hnrd--Extremists win
 Probably Bolt and Join the Silver Party
 A Union Against Sewall-Southern
 Populist Likely to Be Selected for the
 Second Place on the Ticket.
 St. Louis, July 22.-The New York World special says: Certain facts emerge from the seeming chaos of the populist convention in St. Louis.
 First-The "middle-of-the peo- pie have a majority of the delegates at this stage of the fighting.
 Second-The Bryanites have nearly all the generalship and three-fourths of the prominent leaders of the party.
 Whether generalship can be made to tell against the force of numbers in a orotracted fight remains to be seen. On that point history records a stand-off.
 The middle of- -the-roaders' had made up their minds last night to fight Senator Marion Butler for temporary chairman. The man they put forward at the time was Eugene c. Kearby of Dallas, Tex, who will be the populist candidate for governor this fall.
 But Kearby discovered that he had a weak voice and incontinently backed down, although he can roar like the bull of Bashan.
 Then o. E. Jones of Missouri was fixed upon. This morning it was dis covered that MT. Jones Is not dele gate, so his chances would seem to be dwindling, although a little detail like that should present no embarrassment in populist convention. Populists Love to Talk.
 The populists will do we'll if they get settled down to business by noon. The populist loves to talk, likes not rules end sits restive under anything which looks like close order or discipline.
 There are strong signs that the Bry- antics have gotten themselves into shape for effective work, despite their being in a minority.
 They have the advantage of the as- sistance of about 1.500 gold democratic wire pul1ers from Missouri, Illinois and other adjoining states, all of course in the interest of Bryan and harmony.
 They are not particularly obtrusive, but they have helped fill up the scanty representation on certain Bryan dele gations, so that when the convention sits it will come nearer to having a full membership than has been antici- pated.
 The Bryan Program. The Bryan program, as mapped out by Senator Butler and indorsed by the leaders who are falling into the rear of the North Carolina manager, is to fix up the committees to-day so that no reports will be possible before to-mor- row.
 The flood gates of oratory will be opened in the committee rooms and de- lay will be the Bryan watchword. Tonight grand mass meeting of the delegates and alternates is planned for at Convention hall It will be a sort of executive session, from which the general public will be excluded. There, one after another, the great party leaders of populism Senator Marion Butler, Senator Peffer, Senator | Allen, ex-Congressman Jerry Simpson and ". A. Harris of Kansas; Lafe l Pence of Colorado and others will talk earnestly to the delegates about the gravity of the situation and the neces- | sity for uniting on Bryan So unanimous is the sentiment of the | really great men of the party in favor | of indorsing Bryan that it Is hoped their influence will prevail and a ma. 1 jority will be turned in his direction | That is the utmost which can be ex- pected.
 Minority Sure to Bolt
 The minority of extremists are surt 1 to bolt. A bolt is recognized and es. l abolished custom of populism. Wher the lines are tightly drawn the side
 which is beaten bolts.
 If the middle of the road" populists win when the fighting comes to the mair