The San Francisco call., 1896-06-09
PEPPER OF LOS ANGELES TALKS
Replies in Bitter Phrase to Bakers Pub
fshe6 Statement-WGr of the
RimetuIfsts.

| LOS ANGELES, CAL, June 8.-CoA-
siderable interest has been awakened here
among the silver party adherents over the
controversy in THE CALL between Messrs.
| Udell and Pepper on the one hand and
| G. w. Baker of Oakland on the other.
Peppers attention was to-day called tc
Bakers statements. printed in Sunday IS
| CALL, anent the late letter of J. j. Mott,
chairman of the American B1metallic
Union to himself (Pepper). After a care
| full reading of Bakers statement and
UdelI's letter, contained in the same issue,
Pepper said:
Mr.. Baker seems determined to mis-
understand and pervert the substance of
Chairman Motifs letter to me, a correct
synopsis of which was printed in THE
CALL under date of Los Angeles, June 3,
which read and now approve. The dis
patch said nothing about the Officers of
the Bimetallic Union having been
changed by the National committee, as
was alleged by Baker in his letter to THE
GALL. Mr.. Motifs letter very appro-
priately recognized me as chairman OF the
California State Executive Committee, and
directed me to attend to the work of or
ganizing the silver party in this State, to
the end that strong and able delegation
go to the National Convention of our party
on July % at St. Louis. AS correctly
quoted by Mr.. Udell, Mr.. Mott says:
b" AS chairman of the State Committee
you are in authority over the State and
have the power to name committees, pro-
visionally, for the Congressional districts
and order the work Only this and moth
ing more.
II am gratifed TO learn that Mr.. Baker
has some time to devote to the interests of
our party; would that he had done so
months and months ago. Had he, Motifs
letter of instruction to me would never
have been written. | have no desire to in
terfere with Mr.. Bakers work in any man
ner whatever, but, as Mr.. Udell says, our
Congressional district convention work
shall go forward regardless Of Baker or
any one else. We have Motifs instruc-
tions in black and white and we propose
to abide by them to the best of our ability.
"Mr. Baker had been derelict in his
attention to silver interests in the State so
long that suppose Chairman Mott saw fit
to discipline him. 1 read with pleasure
the comments of Mr.. Udell. He is right.
OuI CulS lS Iu6 hISl tQdJ i ever
had that Mr.. Baker is so intimately con-
nected with the Southern Pacific Railroad
Company.
81 desire to state further that our organi-
zation, of which Mr.. UdelI is secretary,
antedates, in point OF time. any other silver
organization in this State, and believe in
the United States; and further, it sprang
from the people here, and their popular
conventions for that purpose, held at Nc
Donald Hall. in the city of Los Angeles, in
the winter of 1894 and 1895.
"It makes me smile to see Baker prate
of bogus calls for conventions. If there is
anything bogus about this business it
emanates from Baker himself. 1 should
like to ask Mr.. Baker where, how and from
whom did he acquire the title of chairman
OF the Bimetallists of California When
he has answered this question may ask
him another"
The Congressional conventions referred
to in this controversy will be held as fol-
lows: First District, at Santa Rosa, on
July 13; Second Di strict, st Sacramento,
on July ID; Third District, at Oakland,
July 10; Fourth District at San Francisco,
July II; Fifth District, at San Jose, July
8; Sixth District, at Los AngeIes, July IL;
Seventh District, at Fresno, July 8.