The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-07-24
THE POPULISTS, TOO
CANNOT GET ALONG WITHOUT A
BOLT.

|
wrangles and Uglinsss That Beat IN
Hear In Their Convention At VI. Louis
Bryan Evidently 70 be Endorsed, bm
Sewall Repudiated.
The Populists national convention
now in session at st. Louis proves tn,
ngliest in all the year and is sure I.
have a bolt. as every party convention
has this far in tn 9 qeersst Of all years
Only it is more amusing than all. thu
rest in the wrangliiines and the par
liamentary incapacity 1t exhibits.
The fight is over the endorsement o
Bryan, which is evidently going to be
done. The test vote came yesterday ir
the choice Of Senator Allen, who war
the candidate ofthe Bryan men, fol
permanent chairman bv vote OF X
to 564. The plan is to give him q
stiff Populist platform to stand on, tc
put up some one else than Sewall fol
vice president, and to make the cam
paign as separate organization. But
the southern delegates especially. who
have had bitter fights with the demo.
Gratis: and many OF whom have be
come protection ists by their associa
tion with :Republicsns,ss are opposed
to any mixing whatever with Demo
Gratis and they will bolt il it is done
They aie led by Eoxey Gov. Buchanan
Of Tennessee, Capt Kalb OF Alabama,
and Cyclone Davis OF Texas. Their
only trouble is that they can't agree
among themselves on any ticket, though
Eugene V. Debs seems to be more a
favorite than any one else. Men like
Senators Butler, PETER and Alien,
Jerry Simpson, Gen. Weaver are in
favor OF endorsement in some way. The
baloting is expected to begin o-day.
The Populist national convention,
another exciting gathetering and ex-
hibition Of the tendency OF all poll
tical forces to fly of on tangent this
year, opened at st. Louis Wednesday
morning. Nearly a score of women
delegate from western states were in
their seats. Colorado has five women
in its delegation. Gov. Stone Of Mis-.
souri, gave an address OF welcome and
Senator Marion Butler Of North
Carolina was made Temporary chair
man. There was plan to run Judge
o. d. Jones Of Missouri against him,
but it was given up.
The Populists do net make up their
representation on basis OF Lopula-
tion, as the other parties do. Instead
OF two delegates for every representa-
tive in congress, they give one, and
apportion the remainder according to
the populist vote cast at the last cleo
tion. In this way New York gets only
A delegates, while North Carolina
and Texas have 95 each. Illinois has
"a delegates, while Tennessee has II.
The populist vote being principally
IN the south and west, it follows that
those sections have great preponder-
ance Of strength in this convention.
In round numbers, the sections OF
the country are reprcsented as follows !:
The south, GOO Delegates or nearly
one-haif of the, .ghele; the east, 100;
the north Including Ohio and to the
Missouri river, 240; and the west
beyond the Missouri. 356.
Senator Butler in his address charged
the.old parties with bringing the coun-
try to the verge of bankruptcy and said
it was time for new party. 4 hope
that this convention will not turn
itself into Democratic annex. If
the peoples party was to go out Of ex
istence tomorrow the Democratic
party would immediately repud diate
their platform. We have raised an
issue so great that We have split both
of the old parties in twain upon it. +"
Mr.. Butler said the Standard OIL
Trust could not exist today if ii were
not in league with the railroad COM
panies.
The convention met Tuesday but
all the time thus far has
beeen exhausted in wrang!tng. Gester
day was exhaustd over contested seats,
and the credentials and resolutions
had neither finished their
work.
Both sides are profuse i'll charging
the other with selling out one to
Hanna and the other to Jones And
il does look as if Jones had been
liberal in promising patronage.
Fully 80 per cent. of the delegates
are aid to be opposed to taking Sewall
on their ticket.
More than half of the delegates
Tuesday sat in their shirt sleeves and
some without shoes or stockings.
There are only few hundred specu-
lators in the galleries sufficient to sea
u, 600. Because 81 admission Is
Gen. Vandevoort of Nebraska, ex-
commander of the G.. A. r. is one
Of the aspirants for the nomination.
Tuesday nights session had to be
abandoned because no arrangement
lad been made for lights-which the
middle of the road men. or opponents
If Biyan, charged to purpose to shut
IF a speech by Mary A. Lease on
heir side.
A no bolt resolution was voted down