Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-08-13
FOR BATTLE.
Meeting of the Democratic State Gen.
trail Committees Still Some
Talk of Fusion.
From the Kansas City Times

--
From the Kansas City Times.
Chairman Cook of the Democratic
State central committee has called a
meeting of that committee to be held
in St. Louis next Thursday. At this
meeting the committee will organize
for business and outline its plan of
campaign. Another very important
matter will probably come up for some
sort of action at this meeting. This
is the question as to whether the DEM
ocratIc party of Missouri shall seek to
form combination with the Populists
or not on the electoral ticket. Some
of the members of the committee still
seem possessed of the belief that the
committee is vested with authority to
go ahead and make any kind of a deal
it sees fit-with Chairman Rozelle
and the Populist State committee.
A strong faction, headed by Cover
nor Stone, has been in favor of fusing
on electors ever since the Chicago
convention. The ''new crowd' is a
fusion crowd. Sam B. Cook is for
fusion, so is J. W. Farris, who sailed
forth into prominence astride the i'll
fated Bland boom; so is Senator Mont
Cochran, and SO are many others.
HISTORY OF THE FUSION MOVE.
The fusion scheme was all mapped
out some time ago, and after Cover
nor Stone had succeeded in getting the
Populist convention to give its State
central committee the power to make
a deal with the Democrats, if by so
doing it could secure some electoral
votes from Missouri for Watson, the
fusion advocates thought that they
had smooth sailing. There was no
installing the temper of the Jefferson
City convention, however. The Mis-
souri, Populists, in convention, did not
show a disposition to combine in any
way with the Democrats which could
be accepted. They seemed more de-
termined to protest against the action
of the St. Louis Popuiist convention
than to carry out its mandates. The
delegates who favored the fusion plan
at the jefferson City convention APP
preciated the fact that it would take
smooth political work to carry it
through. At the last moment, when
many of the delegates had gone home,
they put a pair of gum shoes on it
and tried to slip it through.
The story of how it failed to slip was
told in the Times yesterday. The res
olution, as it was finally passed, after
being shorn of any suggestion of tus-
ion, reads simply:
"Resolred, That the Democratic State
Committee be invested with full pow
er and authority to fill any and all va
cancies that may occur on the State
and electoral tickets"
F~USIoNISTS HAVE NOT YET GIVEN UP.
The plan of the fusionists is to have
some of the men named as national
electors resign, and then to have the
State committee fill their places with
the names of men on the Populist
ticket, and they claim to see the power
for this in the simple little resolution
which, according to the gives
the State committee no power not
heretofore held by it.
Chairman Cook, when asked con-
corning the matter, said that he could
not speak for the committee before it
had met, or anticipate it's actions. He
said, however, that the committee I'M
doubtedly had a right to fill vacancies
with anyone it pleased, with the in
ference that it could place the names
of Populists upon the ticket if it wish
ed to.
John Carroll, who made the motion
which cut the fusion heart out of the
Farris resolution, said most emphati-
caily that the State Central Commit
tee had no more authority to put the
name of a Populist elector upon the
ticket than it had to take off Lon V.
Stephens name and substitute that of
r. E. Lewis.
The Populist State committee has
decided to make no advances to the
Democratic State committee. "I'll
not run after them," said Chairman
Rozelle the other day; elf they want
to see me they must hunt me up"
A conference of the members of the
State committee will be held before
the meeting of the committee, and it
is expected that Governor Stone will
be present to give his advice as to
what is to be done.