The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-05-08
Rather Surprising Story That
Comes From Washington
That the A. p. A. May Join the
POpulists.
SOME DISAGREEMENT
)ver the Manner in Which the
Recent
Fight on Mckinley Has Been
Conducted.

Washington, May 8.--The biggest kind
of a political squal is said to Be on the
tapis for next week, when the supreme
council Of the American Protective as
sociation meets here
From an undoubted and trustworthy
sOurce-a man who has been prominent
in the recent political workings Of the
executive committee of the advisory
board, and who has kept track ofalI that
has been dOne-it is learned that trOu-
Bile is ahead, and that unless the spirit
Of compromise and brotherly feeling
prevails there viii be some bad scars
left Ia the A. p. A ranks when it is all
over There is not even an attempt to
conceal the fact that there is friction.
1t is manifest in the various 4 P A
papers, and in the talk Of the leaders
of the order
OF the thirteen members Of the exec
utive board, it is said that only seven,
a pare quorum, met here IN March to
go over the records of the candidates.
One Of the seven had TO be telegraph
for to make the quorum. The story
is that the western members present
were enthusiastic supporters of bIc
kinley, while the eastern men were
against him, the majority for Reed.
After dickering for several days the
committee could come to no under
standing The western men held out
for Mckinley and the eastern men
against him This misunders tanding,
it is said, is what induced the commit
tee TO hold a session in New York city,
afterWard in Boston ana later in Gin
cinnati Before the board finally ad-
journed Judge Stevens and the other
Mckinley men on the committee had
been convinced that Mckinley was not
the man they wanted. and agreed to
the report blacklisting him
The A. p. A men who are for Nc
kinley and many of those who are
against him are convinced that the ex-
ecutive committee made a bad blunder
They say that the committee listened
To
man; that Aickinley's enemies visited
the committee often while in session
mere and poured story after story into
the ears of the members. 1t was not
the business of the committed it is
said, to be Influenced by what they
were told 1t was their business to go
over the records of the candidates and
come to a conclusion from those rec
I ords-in other words to act upon the
! public career of q man and not upOn
his alleged private acts, such as his
church membership, his appointments
while governor. etc.
While it is said that there is a prob
ability that the supreme council will
undo what has been done by it's execu-
tive committee. it viii not commit itself
to Mckinley or any other Republican
candidate The council viii have a
knOtty problem to solve 1t viii have
to consider what its political course is
going to be and which of the parties it
is going to support. 1t win have to
make the best bargain it can some
/ where or Will lose all standing as a
/ political organization.
Ia the dilemma which will confront
/ the council it is stated that a. movement
4 VIII be made to turn the A. p. A. to
/ the silver party and POpulists and
/ bring about a grand fusion of the three
! bodies-sllver. Populists and A. p. A
win not the advisory board CON
I slider the Democratic candidates and do
( something to have the order recognized
/ at ChicagO?" the reporter asked the
man who was talking.
No. nothing viii be done along this
/ line We have no hope of doing any
/ thing in the Democratic convention. In
4 fact it is generally conceded that the
] Democrats viii adopt plank condemn
! ing the organization. AS see it, there
/ is nothing left for US to do now but
/ to fuse with the Populists and silver
men. They have invited US to be
/ present at their conventions in St.
Louis on July p. They are ready and
willing to welcome US, while the other
! parties are either giving us the cold
/ shoulder or openly cOndemning us.
/ Give US a ticket like Teller and Linton
| or TiIlman and Linton and the com
] bined forces viii sweep this country