The Portland daily press., 1896-07-20
A BOLT THREATENED
Hot Fight Between Bryan and Anti
Bryan Forces.
THE BATTLE Is NOW FAIRLY on
AT Sc. LOUIS.

Delegates From Strong Populist States Say
They VIII Leave Convention if Demo-
| cratic Candidates Are Forced ON Them
Gen. Weaver Fayors Bryan and Sew
all.
| ST. Louis, July 19.-The situation to-
| night is Bryan and anti-B Bryan, or more
strictly speaking Bryan against some
members Of the Populist party yet to be
named. Not more than l50 of the 1900
delegates to the Populist convention have
arrived. These are individual members,
who constitute the advance guard Of a
number of delegations in the South and
West. 1t is TOO early to predict with
reasonable certaiLty what decision the
convention may reach, but from surface
indications today, it would appear that
the sentiment for Bryan will be very
strong, If indeed his friends be- not in the
majority when the roll is called The
leaders as far as they have arrived are
divided in their preference Some are
enthusiastic in his support. Among
'A-S91 SAS OSAAs WChFOl I'll OulO, WuV
made race for President On the Populist
ticket four years ago. Others, and among
these are Taubeneok, impatiently re-
pudiate the suggestion of Bryan's name,
and assert that his nomination would
fall like wet blanket upon the party.
There was talk today of a bolt if Bryan
| is nominated. They have not gone so
n n dor +t1er ton vH0c
favor. There Is but one thing the anti
| Bryan men fear, and thnt is the posi-
| blilty that some one may make O 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 it's feet, and bring about his nomine-
| tion in whirlwind of enthusiasm, eyoIl
as Bryan himself succeeded in doing at
! Chicago. In such event the list of NAL
| contents might he SO reduced as 60 make
a bolt impossible. This is not expected.
| Ihe opposition to Bryan springs from
| two causes. The first Is the complete
obliteration of the party, which would
| follow his nomination, and the second
| is the distrust in some quarters, that the
| Democrats would not act fairly with the
| Populist in the division of the electoral
vote.
Gen. Weaver thinks the nomination of
Bryan is the eminently proper course
for the convention to follow. He would
also include Sewall in the nomination.
He says thece would be no Inconsistency
in the Populist support of Sewell, who
| was Greenback-D Democrat always
| q The opinion that Rryan should not be
nominated is endorsed by some of the
ablest men i'll the party. These say that
the nomination of Bryan is dictated
| lar tv hv 1,ci 3or tpv
who hope to secure local preferment
through state or national ticket. Cen
eraP' Coxey of Common veal fame, is an
other of tho conspicuous Populists VINO
| cannot be convinced that Bryan's nomi-
nation BY the party would be to its best
| interests.
1t Is a curious fact that some Southern
| Populists have been converted from free
| traders to extreme protecuionists through
| theic affiliations of late years with the
| Republicans. While some of these men
place silver above the tariff as a national
| Issue, there age others unwilling to give
] their support to tariff reformer, but
say as between Uhe two they would prefer
Mckinley. Generally speaking the dele
gates care nathing for the tariff. With
them the Vii absor bing question is
money, more silver money.
| To secure this they will make any
sacrifice and 60 to any extreme. Sabbath
brought in but few arrivals Of delegates
| to the convention.
| Principal among them were Reu ben
Kolb, Populist candidate for governor of
Alabama. There are contests from but
| two stases to engage the attention of the
| National committee, Illinois and Colo
RADIO.
Enquiry among the Alabama, Georgia,
Tennessee and Texas delegates tonight
discloses the fact that under no oiroum-
stances will they accept Bryan and Sewall
as the head of the ticket. They say if
she con vention dominates Bryan and
| Sewal, they will bolt and hold another
| convention. They assert that they will
be aided in this movement by the Cali
fornia and Florida delegations.