The San Francisco call., 1896-05-10
POPUL|STS WILL
TALK OF FINANCE,
The Prospects of Their
State Convention on
Tuesday.
TO TRIM THE PLATFORM
There Will Be Women Delegates,
but No Proxies and No
Fights.
SILVER FOR THE CHIEF PLANK
The Local Delegation Decides TO Go to
Sacramento Early and to Stick
Together.

1D6 1OpullSI CldlS SOnNShl1Oh VIII
come to order in the Assem- bly, chamber of
the Capitol in the forenoon of day after
tomorrow, the 18th inst, and run for
about two days.
The active preparations for the conven-
ton which are going on are quiet and
businesslike. There is no hurrah in the
air, the party feels the strains of no struG-
giles about delegations, honors or policies,
no sensational com binations are talked
about and there is nothing for anybody to
get excited over unless it be the alleged
sweeping victory for the party in Califor-
MIA, concerning which the leaders talk
calmly with confidence and self-possession.
E. NJ. Wardell, the veteran chairman OF
the State Central Com mit.ee, went to Sac
ramento from this City yesterday after
noon to look after convention arrange
ments. Carleton H. Johnson, chairman
of the local executive committee, and some
others, probably including 7. ". Gator and
State Secretary r. E. Bush, will be on the
ground to-day. Tonight there will be
quite gathering of Populist delegates up
there, and by tomorrow night a majority
of the delegates will arrive. Of course
quite number of Populists will attend as
spectators.
The roll will contain the names of 800
delegates. At the convention of 1894, the
number was 80. There were fewer dele
gates elected this year by about seventy
five, but this year the members of the new
State Central Committee will sit as mem
bers of the convention.
The State Central Committee of sixty-six
members was selected by popular choice
along with the convention delegates. The
commi ttee will elect chairman and it
will unquestionabiy be f. NJ. Wardell of
Los Angeles, who has so fully the respect
and confidence of the party. The State
Central Committee will elect an executive
committee of seven members.
The convention will adopt platform,
elect thirty-nine delegates to the st. Louis
convention, nominate Presidential cleo
tors, nominate a United States Senator,
and do any other business which it doesn't
want to leave to the State Central Com
mittee, for there will be no second conven-
tion.
If the rasping sound of great ideas grind
ing against each other is heard at all it
will be while the platform is around, but
it is not likely that there will be much
struggling to get things in or keep them
out. The Peoples party is largely
made up of what are, with increasing fre-
quency, called reform" elements, and at
the convention of 1892 there was a torrent
of principles and things IN the platform
that the country and society needed, but
the party has become more homogeneous
and its principles wellsettled. The Omaha
| platform is yet its creed.
But then there is in the party this year
general plan to shorten platforms. The
party proposes to take up few great ideas
| and get the Silverites and Prohibitionists
and other elements to stand IN with them.
Sn of laff
| likely be short
The free coinage of silver plank will De
given the place of honor. The Populist
| campaign will be mainly on finance. The
abolition of National banks will be
| tackled in.
Direct legislation through the initia-
| tive and referendum will be the next i'm
| portant plank.
| The Populists are everywhere for equal
suffrage and always have been, and the
convention is so sure 10 indorse the suf-
| frage amendment that Miss Anthony and
other campaign leaders are not likely to
/ waste time and money opening headquar-
ters at Sacramento this week.
And the convention is so sure to declare
| for the Governmentow of railroads
| and against the funding bill that Steve
| Gage will not give his whiskers an extra
stroke on account Of the convention.
| Where the list of other things in the
Ouldud anu the nllnOS Oh Q6l e
| gates will be chopped off is hard to tell.
This is what T. V. Gator said yesterday
about the probable platform:
| In my opinion the principles OF the Omaha
platform will be reaffrmed. The platform
will declare for free silver, direct legislation,
| the restriction OF immigration, woman suffrage
| and the Government ownership of railroads,
all of which are in the Omaha platform
There will be some things pertaining TO State
| issues The convention will probably declare
| for ecOQOmy in the State and q
| ffty-cent limit on State taxation. 1t may
seem wise to deal with other State issues, such
| as the reduction of certain State salaries,
which are now as high as ever, while the prices
| of products have fallen.
| The Peoples party favors public improve
ments on a sufficient scale, and will doubtless
declare for system of good roads to be paid
| for in part out of money that ought to be saved
| in other directions.
There will probably be strong plank on the
readjustment of our system OF State taxation.
Personally favor making homesteads up to a
reasonable amount exempt from taxation and
incapable of being mortgaged, that the home,
from debt. Then l favor graduated tax on
land and land values, the ratio increasing with
| the proportion held by single individual
l expect the Populist ticket TO carry the
State. 1t will no doubt poll 10000 votes,
though last time it reached but SO 900. Our
vote has doubled every time and we can
double 1t this year easier than before.
A lot of Populists from the southern part
of the State will want to insert temper
ance plank, and this will be opposed on
the ground of expediency among others.
Preferential voting will be among the
things which will be pressed in the con-
yention and probably left out of the plat
form.
1t is not likely that more than two Con-
gressional District conventions will be
held. The First and Seventh may nomi-
nate Congressman. but the others will
wait. In the First District George w.
Monteith will likely receive the nomina-
tion. His championship of the railroad
strikers has won for him the hearty sup
port of the labor element.
One novel feature of the convention will
be the absence of proxies. Proxies won ..
go. This is the first time this rule has
been adopted in this State. Its purpose is
to head off anything like boss manipula-
tions. There will be just as many votes
as there are delegates present. County
committees have, in view Of this, provided
for appointments In place of delegates who
cannot attend, just before the convention.
There will be women delegates in that
convention, too. San Francisco will send