Birmingham state herald., 1896-07-23
F CHICAGO TICKET "GOES"
Kill Off Sewall and Force the Nomination of a
 Southern Pop
SAID TO BE THE vs.N OF TIE klcKERs
Say They Hops s9 Confuse the Electoral Vote So a; Throw the Election Into senate." Where
 fA Have Cinch.

St. Louis, July 22.-Both the free sil- yer conventions assembling here got un- der way today to a partial extent, but neither advanced far enough to enable any accurate forecast to be made of the probable outcome of it's proceedings. The national silver people, meeting In the music hall of the exposition building, had much the smoother path to travel. It met, listened to an able address by Representative Newlands, It's temporary chairman, and a still more taking speech by MT. William P. St. John of New York, which fairly captured the convention. It appointed a committee to confer with the convention of the peoples party, and started in on the preparation of plat form, and of the inevitable address to the American people.
 Thirty-two states we're represented on the floor of the convention by about 250 delegates. No sort of doubt is entertain ed that the national silver convention will indorse the nomination of Bryan and Sewall after waiting a decent time to ob- tain a report from their committee on conference with the populists.
 The course of the peoples party in the hall lately occupied by the republican convention, as foreshadowed by the first days proceedings, will not be anything like harmonious The convention pro- BT66SeQ uO tndh u ttlhPNh ai VT ganization, the youthful senator from North Carolina, MT. Marion Butler, being made the temporary chairman. Threats uttered the night before and repeated with emphasis in the early morning by the middle of the road" men that they would force a test vote by antagonizlng the selection of Mir. Butler by the nation al committee with the nomination of Judge o. D. Jones of Missouri all evapo- rated into thin air before the convention pnf Wa fof harmony, but unmistakably indicated a leaning towards a separate populist tick ct and a separate platform.
 Before the temporary chairman had entered upon his opening speech certain of the southern delegates freely stated their intention to bolt if the Chicago nominees were indorsed. They privately spoke of the absolute necessity of main- taining the peoples party organization intact in their respective states so as to control the state offices. One of the most outspoken of these southern recalcitrants said he could not go home to his state if he carried with him an indorsement of the democratic ticket by the populist
 convention. He frankly admitted that If he and those who were acting with him
 could not prevent the indorsement Qf Bryan their ifrevocable purpose was to kill off Sewall, to give place to south ern populist and thus to so confuse the electoral votes for vice president as to throw the election into the United States senate, where they would have matters their own way.
 With all these difficulties ahead, the peoples party moved very slowly. The committee on credentials, apparently for the purpose of gaining time, protracted it's deliberations over the utterly unim- portant contested cases, none of which could affect the results.
 At 215 the convention took a recess until 8 D. m., and when it then reas- sembled some one had failed to make the necessary arrangements for turning on the electric lights and the darkness of the convention hall was simply made visible by few tallow dips furnished
 by the reporters and telegraph compa-
 nies. Under such circumstances the
 transaction of business was impossible and nothing further was done. At 8.53 o'clock the convention adjourned until tomorrow at 10 o'clock. at which hour the silver convention will also assemble.