The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-01
FUSE Or NOT FUSE
POPS AND DEMOCRATS WILL TRY
TO COMBINE.
Decided Yesterday in Central Committee
Meeting TO Vote Together and Divide
up the Offices IL They Cen-ResoIutiou
toAppolnt Com mittees for the Division
of spoiIs Brings ups Good sized Wran-
gle That Makes the Meeting Red IN the
Face-Carries by a Vote of IL to 15 and
Men are Named by Chairman Ayres.

The Popul:st and Democratic central
committees met and mixed yesterday
To fuse or not TO fuse was the ques-
ton, and whether fusion fuses or not
the two parties have decided to fuse.
They all wanted to fuse but to fuse meant
to divide up and swap on the offices
and there is where the rub came in. The
Populist candidates for sheriff wanted
fusion but the Democrats demanded The
office OF sheriff and were promised it.
That, of course, .the Pop candidates
didn't want. Both committees met in
the Sedgwick block about 2 o'clock in
the afternoon and kept up a sweat till
the Democrats quit and the Pops leaked
away one at time and went home.
A committee from the Populist meet
ing was appointed 10 go over and make
formal proposition TO the Democrats to
fuse on the county ticket this fall. This
committee went, made the proposition,
and the Democrats accepted. Then
there were coinc:dent resolutions passed
IN both committees that a committee ap-'
pointed by W. A. Ayres should meet
cormittee appointed by the Democratic
chairman and the two committees agree
upon a division of the offices. The Dem
ocratic committee was appointed in
jiffy. When the proposition was sub
mittcod by Chairman Ayres in the Pop
ulist committee there was talk, lots OF
il, and hot talk at that.
Committeeman Sloan arose and said
that the whole thing was a slate pro-
ceeding and taking things out Of the
hands Of the people.
You are only getting up fight" he
said. The people ought TO be allowed
70 name their own candidates and do
their own voting. 1 am against this
committee being appointed now. It's a
slate and the people will bust H."
Then others talked and got hot, and
talked again. Representative Rutledge
was against naming the committee. He
said IL was an imposition upon the COM
mon people to get together, fix up
slate, swap off the offices and pick the
men. Committeeman GILLESPIE got up
With an injured and important air and
said this scheme reminded him Of the
time ne wanted to borrow some money
and the mortgage company tried to gull
him into a net.
I'm that mortgage was a clause" he
said. that demanded the payment OF
all interest coupons in gold. I wouldn't
sign il. Won't s,gn away to any mort
gage company, and 1 won't sign away TO
any slate"
To quote from Mother Goose, there
was blood on the moon. Chairman
Ayres tried to shut off discussion after
an hour as it was getting tiresome, and
many were leaving. But the anti-fus-
ionsts would talk
''You take lot of farmers with their
corn burned up and the weather hot and |
dry and they will talk" said Colonel |
Jocelyn. And they did. When a man /
had talked and sat down for a breath, |
while some other man took a whack pro |
or con, he got up and made another |
pass.
After Chairman Ayres finally got the /
matter OF appointing the committee |
brought to vote somebody demanded /
a roll call.
The vote stood IL to Is in favor Of ap-
fusion. The conventions were both call /
ed for the 18th OF September. or the third /
Wednesday, and the meeting melted |
AWAY in a sweat. On the committee to /
for fusion Chairman Ayres ap-
pointed Committeeman Gilmore, Rut- |
ledge, Sloan, A. Anderson and Seth High |
from the country. and Messrs. Arnold /
and Furnish from the city.