The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-07-21
THE PROSPECTS.
POpulists DO Much Talking But
Very Little Business.

POpulists Do Much Talking But
Very Little Business.
ST. LOUIS. July 20.-The prospect for
g compromise, which some Of the people
affected for 2 while today to consider
probable. has disappeared. 1t met its
fate in the Bryan camp. The COM
promise proposition looking to the re-
tention of Mr.. Bryan at the head of
the ticket and substituting Populist
for Mr.. Sewan for vice-president was
sprung in the small hours OF the mora
ing in a DromiScuouS meeting of the
party leaders. 1t was afterwards
adopted by the executive committee of
the national committee and was by
them exploited as a panacea which
would ease all the ills of the situation
by uniting all the factions. The south
ern delegations accepted the scheme
with avdity on the theory that il would
aid Them in maintaining the entirety
of the party, for which they held out
so vigorously. The Bryan people had
no sooner heard of the proposition
than a Bryan meeting was called,
which in the forcibe language Of one
who attende5. proceeded to immedi-
afely jump on it with both feet" This
Bryan meeting and the one which fol-
lowed between representative of the
Bryan element and the executive COM
1l1irIee constituted the important events
of the day The result of these meet
ings is a probable split in the party
and the likelihood that the matter of
endorsing Bryan or nominating an
other candidate or the nomination of
Bryan and another candidate than
Sewau for vice-president will have to
be fought out in the convention.
The interesting proceedings began by
i0s aT ba aNarl1fiN-a Or,1it
in one room and a meeting Of the
Bryan managers in another The
prominent men of the Bryan movement
included Hon. ]. Il. Weaver. Hon. T.
II. Patterson, Senator Stewart, Senator
Allen, Jerry Simpson and many others
were present at the Bryan meeting,
where a very brief exchange OF views
was sufficient to convince all present
that the proposition would not be en-
Tertained for a moment. While the
meeting was in progress messenger
was received from the executive COM
mittee asking that representatives of
that element meet the executive Off
Gals for a conference on the compro-
mise proposition. This request was ac-
ceded TO and Messrs. Weaver, Patter-
son and Stewart were dispatched for
that purpose. The joint meeting was a
most spirited one, resulting in a short
clash between the two factions. 1t
was the first time the issue had been
Joined, and there was no mincing of
words on either side. Nessrs Davis of
Texas and ponnediy of Minnesota stood
out stifffy for the compromise, and de-
clared that IL Bryan people could not
be satisfied with this proposition it
would be necessary to take the fight
into the convention, which would they
claimed, present a spectacle as humiliat-
ing 10 the Popullst party as il WoulQ pc
rfx~-,, los
it would be impossible to secure the
assent of the rank and file to an un-
qualified endorsement of the entire
Democratic ticket and that a complete
surrender would inevitably result in
the disintegratlon and dismember-
ment OF the party. This they
declared that they would never permit
without a struggle to the bitter end.
On the other side Messrs. Weaver. Pat
terson and Stewart spoke, and they
met the assertions of their ANTAGONISTS
with the statement that the party could
only be maintained by falling into line
with another party which had adopted
so many of the Populisl principles and
nominated candidates so friendly To
those principles. They maintained
that the opportunity was one which
would probably never again be present.
ed 10 secure t1le success of Populistic
principles. They contended that it was
patriotic duty to accept the Demo-
cratic nominees; that wise party policy
demanded this course, and that if the
opportunity was lost, Bryan defeated
and the country continued upon the
gold standard platform, the irreconcila-
bles would be alone to blame. Further
more, they declared the responsibility
should be placed where it belonged and
that the country. should know the facts
regardless Of individual sensibilsties
They asserted that whatever course
the Popnlist convention might pursue
The SUCCESS of the party who were look
lag more to relief from distress than
to the advancement of personal am