The San Francisco call., 1896-07-20
THREATEN A BOLT.
Leading Populists Prefer McKIn-
ley's Election to Political
Oblivion,


ley's Election to Political T..
Oblivion.
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, July 19.-The situation
tonight is Bryan and anti-Bryan. More
strictly speaking, it is Bryan as against
some members of the Populist party yet
to be named.
At the present writing not more than
800 OF the 1900 delegates to the Populist
Convention have arrived, and these are
individual members who constitute the
advance guard OF a number of delegations
from the South and West. 1t is yet too
early to predict with reasonable certainty
what decision the convention may reach,
but from the surface indications to-day it
would appear that the sentiment for BRYAN
will be very strong If, indeed, his friends
be not in majority when the roll is
called.
The leaders, so far as they have arrived,
are divided in their preference. Some are
enthusiastic in his support. Among these
is General ]. B. Weaver of Iowa, who
made the race for the Presidency on the
Populist ticket iour years ago. The others,
and among them are Mr.. Taubeneck, the
chairman of the National Committee, i'm
patiently repudiate the suggestion of
Bryan's name and assert that his nomina-
tion would fall like a wet blanket uron
the party. Between these two extremes
stand the delegates less known-earnest,
thoughtful men, who are not am bilious of
leadership, desirous only of the good of
the party-who express no opinion but are
willing to accept the conventions wishes
be they what they NAV.
There was tank to-day of bolt if Bryan
be nominated. Bolting, or what is tanta-
mount to bolting, has become the fsshion
in this campaign, and the Populist lead
ers who oppose Bryan discuss it's proba-
bility with more indifference, perhaps
for the object lesson presented to them by
The Republican, and Democratic conven-
tions- Whom they would select under
these circumstances they do not say.
They have not gone so far as to consider
the question, nor will they until one or
the other horn of the dilemma is presented
to them. They do not hesitate to saw
however, that bolt would lose to the sill
verites the electoral votes of Kentucky.
Tennessee. Alabama and Florida, and GER
tainly result in the election of McKinIey.
This Is the threat that may be held over
the heads of their party brethren, but
with what success can only be conjectured.
There is but one thing the anti Bryan
men fear-that is the possibility that some
one may make ringing speech, full Of
apt illusions to the boy orator of the
Platte and his long devotion to silver, that
may sweep the convention off its feet and
bring about his nomination in a whirl-
wind of enthusiasmA even as Bryan him
self succeeded in doing in Chicago less
than fortnight ago. In such an event
the list of malcontents might be so re.
duced as to make a bolt impossible, but
this is not expected. 1t is thought that if
Bryan is nominated or Endorsed it will be
by sheer force of numbers and not through
any adyentitious aids.
The opposition to Bryan springs from
two causes. The first, and this is the one
most generally advanced, is the complete
obliteration of the party which would
follow his nomination, and the second is
distrust in some quarters that the
Democrats would not act fairly with them
in the division of the electoral vote. Those
who entertain this latter view are Southern
Populists, who claim to have been counted
out" by their Democratic opponents when
they have carried State and Congressional
elections and who fear that repetition
OF such methods would be practiced this
year if Mckinley. failed to secure q ma
iority Of the Electoral College votes.
But these are IN the minority and are
limited to the Southern delegates. The
Northern and Western men entertain no
such fear. Those from that part of the
country who oppose Bryan do so because
they believe that the party that they have
done SO much to organize and develop
would be swallowed up in the greater
prestige and prominence of the Demo
cratic party, and that they and the princi-
ples they hold would pass from off the
political stage.
Then there is another objection. They
do not like the impression to go out that
they have no men within their own ranks
OF sufficient ability to carry their standard
to victory. They are very proud, are these
Populists, OF their political development.
They have seen the party grow from small
beginnings to its present strength, now
estimated to be something in excess of
100000 voters. Thev have been reyiIed
and prosecuted, they say, on all hands.
Yet they have prospered in spite of these
prosecutions, and it Is for these reasons
that they wish to perpetuate the party