Birmingham state herald., 1896-07-19
FIGHT OVER ENDORSEMENT
Middle of the Road" Pops Want Ticket of
 Their Own.
BUT THE RANK AND FILE FAVOR BRYAN
The Sentiment in His Favor Among the sil- yer Party Men Is Very strong-Atti- tude of Senator Butler Is
 Conjectural.

Pt. lOulo, July io.- 1CtSSdlCS lO LiiC two national conventions to be held in St. Louis next week have begun to arrive in punches. Arrangements are rapidly being completed and by Tuesday every thing will be in readiness. The populist convention promises to be the liveliest ever held by that party. There is every indication that the sessions will be stormy from beginning to end. The fight will be over the indorsement of Bryan and Sewall the democratic nom- inees
 The middle of the road'' populists will want to put up a ticket of their own, but the rank and file of the party seem to favor indorsing the democratic can didateS.
 Chairman Taubeneck returned from Chicago this morning. It is common re- port here that his visit to Chicago was mainly to confer with Howard Taylor relative to the stand to be taken by the Illinois delegation on the work of the Chicago convention. Sergeant-at-Arms McDowell said. this morning that if his information was coSrect the delegations from Illinois, Indiana and Ohio were all to vote against Bryan and Sewall at the populist convention next week.
 About twenty-five delegates to the populist convention attended meet ing of the St. Louis central committee last night and listened to speeches by Owen of Tennessee, Gelstrop of Cobra do, Reid of Iowa and others in favor or the middle of the road' course or ac- ton. After the speech-makbg the com, mittee held a secret session ana aoopteo the following resolution:
 "Resolved, That while the plutocrat newspapers, and especially democratic newspapers, are publishing prazehiy that populist individuals and organlza- fions are indorsing Bryan to such an ex- sx,1s fo hat national yentiop would probably nominate or in dorse Bryan yet all the information coming from congressional conventions and the peoples party press shoWs plainly that 90 per cent of the popuhst voters are in the middle of the road, end that the convention will nominate none but populist, and that this con yention lend it's aid to further that re- sult' .,, L.
 The national silver convention Will pc held in the Grand Music hall at the ex- nosition building next Wednesday. The nnening session will begin about ID a. m. Sergeant-at-Arms Dowd has com, pleted arrangements for decorating ana adjusting the hall for convention pur- noses. A number of employees are eh- gagged in fitting 1t up for the .e occasnoi, thei, The telegraphlc companies strung tnelr wires into the building yesterday NIT. Dowd said today: We will have DIE convention here and place in nomlhatlo,imi a state and national ticket. There Vii be fully 1500 delegates and alternates III attendance, I am unable to say Whetn- or the convention will indorse Bryan. There is strong sentiment in hls 1avor among the members of the silver party; [ wish it understood that the nationai silver party will be separate anu us tinct from the populist conven,ion' U, which conyenes on the same date.
 MT. W. P. St. John, the gentleman slated for permanent chairman of the silver party's convention drew salary of $1S,0O0 a year for thirteen years as nresident of a New York bank. When he gave up the presidency and the salary with it last month it was claimed that he could have retained both by simply keeping his currency views 10 hiinseh.
 Francis P. Newlands. who is to serve as temporary chairman of the Music nall convention. is the only representative or the silver party in the Fifty-fourth con- press His home is in Nevada
 The Populist Executive Committee.
 The executive committee of the popu- list national committee<held us meetins al noon today. This committee consist cd of Fl. F. Taubeneck, chairman; M. C. Rankin of Terre Haute, J. H. Turner or Washington D. C.; Ignatius Donheiiy of Minnesota, George F. Washburn or Massachusetts, Lawrence McPartin or New York, George F. Gaitner ol Aia- hama and V. O. Strickler of Nebraska
 The business transacted related en- t,rely to the preliminary details of the conyention, all contests discussions on temporary organization, etc, being re- ferred to the meeting of the natlonad committee on Tuesday next.
 An arrangement mutually satisfactory was made with the Business Mems league with which the contract for hold ing the convention in St. Louis was made by which the sergeant-at-arms or the convention will sell all tickets to the 6000 will he dlStrlD- uted to the delegates, alternates. na- tionaI committeeman and the press, and 5000 more will be offered forssale Mon day morning at $1 day or s for the convention Each ticket will entitle the holder to a seat, and no more will be sold than there are chairs for in the hall. Tine receipts from the sale of tickets will 20 to the campaign fund of the party, and the committee hope that all the tick cts will be sold, thus netting them $ls,- 900.
 A middle of the road' headquarters was opened today in the Laclede hotel which. upon inquiry, was found to be an- tagonistic to Chairman Taubenecks 'middle of the road' policy You see. said the young man in charge, there are different views of the middle of the road Taubeneck's middle is really the republican side. for he wants to nomi- nate Teller. It is no more middle than the view taken by those who want to indorse Bryan-that is the democratic side."
 "Who is your candidate for president?"
 ''We have not selected one yet; so far we have been engaged in trying to head off the indorsement of Bryan or the nom- ination of a republican"
 In the meeting of the executive commit tee of the populist national committee to- day there was some talk in the hotel for Weaver for temporary chairman, but it could not be learned that 1t was based on anything substantial. So far little has been said about the platforms of the con ventions MT. Keeney of the silverites said he knew nothing about the matter, h11t Was of the oninion so far as that