Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-05-13
NO FUSION.
Auburn Popu|ists Repudlate
All Fusion Tactics.
Say middle Of the Road" Patriots
Won't Bite at Bait.
No Third District Alliances with Democracy
for Them-Intefview on the Subject.
IeMistnn Journal.)

| The report sent ont from Waterville
last Saturday that the Democrats anu
I populiSts We're to unite IN the thlfd
| district and nominate a fusion cahui- =
! date for Congress. has created consul
| cradle interest and no small degree OF
! Indignation among members Il me
! faith all over the State. of all states IN
the Union, Maine Populsts pride them
! selves on having the straightes- sort III
middle of the road. In old GreenbacH
days they claim that they We're sold
/ out, and that the lesson Thea learned
! ,fould never be repeated. But ii is the
same old story. AS soon as there Is an
/ office in sight there are always enough
of the leaders ready to fuse with any
thing that will bring them within sight OF
| and in touch with the loaves and fishes.
| it is but justice to say that IN" hfedt
! majority of the party Is strongly OPP
pused to thus selling out theit prlhcl-
rles for a mess of State pottage. 1his
/ latest deal has especially excited iheis
, ire They claim, and apparently w'th
mach show of truth, that II carried out
! it NH completely disrupt the party ~
| that district. They also clam that the
Job is being put up by shrewi behI"-
cratic politicians for that express puf
| pose. II is very evident that thc men
! who take this view know mors apoel
! the game of politics than those "Ac are
advocating fusion. Fusion always hiis
| the weaker party. and this they aTt
wise enough to know. They also clam.
and history seems to bear them our ~
the assertion, that whenever a fusion
| deal Is made it always strengthens the
! .lcpubllcan party The Popuiists are
| democrats fused in Waldo county last
| fail and were almost completely wIpei
| off the earth.
! ON the contrary. they refused to iuss
/ in Androscnggin county, and as a con
| sequence largely increased Their vote
These are historical facts. and the Pop
, ulists who believe in a straight iigh.
are disposed to make the NEST OF Them
From all over the State comes the re-
pot of indignant opposition To thiS
! third district deal. The isepubhcahS
ar iubilaut, IS ii gives them a Walk
! over. ! have interviewed all tnv cad
ing pnpulists IN this vicinity. ar With
en- a singh exception they repniiate
the scheme The first man visited WAS
Joseph NJ S:uekman, who Is chairman
Of the Popuist State committee MI
/ Stockinan exhibited much feeling over
/ The matter and expressed himself lfte-
: w. He said: IF this proposed fusion
/ deal is carried out in the third district
! il vlp simply wipe the Popuists 81, the
man in that section. We are already
| badly dcmovaliZed ny Senator bu-ief $
fusion deals Of last fall, and nov, Jdsi
as the national party is taxing steps u
, conlplctely cut loose from Democracy,
| il is proposed. to commence 1t again
dolyn here in Maine. 1t is an nuSh TO
make a decent man blush. Their Is no
home Of oar eiecting man in ,hat dis
,rjct. anyway, so nothing but disgrace
; will result from such a deal. | sup
messed that Dr. Lancaster had more
sense than to be used as tool in this
, way by Democratic politicians Every
vote that he gets will be credited to the
Democratic party. The Populists VIII
not even be mentioned in the press dis
patches But the figures will be Moth
/ ing for even the Democrats to boast
about. Self respecting Populists will
all STAY at home ON election day. Ian
caster will not get enough votes in the
whole district to be counted as scattering
It VIII serve him right. if he goes into
i He is playing with fire and he viii get
badly singed before he gets through
I sincerely hope that this fusion story
NAV prove false and that the true Pop
ulists of the old Third District Will
stand firmly by their principles
This they can do by keep
ing entirely clear from the Demo
cratic party.
- no
! seen. He is an old-line greenbacker ana
bitterly opposed to mixing up with the
Democrats. Three years ago he ran Tor
Congress against Mr.. Dingley. lie could
easily have had Democratic endorse
ment at that time but he spurned all
overtures in that direction He Is very
bitter in denouncing the movement in the
third district. Mr.. Turner said:
81 can say all want to about this mat
ter in a very few words. 1t Is the Old
Democratic trick. They know that they
cannot elect man themselves and by
endorsing some putty man calling nm
self Il Populist it will give them Il hold
over our party in the future. If ever the
time comes that there is ghost of Il
chance to elect man against the Repub-
licans the Democrats VIII name one OF
!. their old leaders. No man calling him
self PopuliSt will count then. III Ian
caster allows himself to be used as a
decoy he will be Il dead duck in the polit-
zeal pond. Under such circumstances ne
, win not get even a respectable fragment
of the Populist vote. very much doubt
that any Populist ever issued such a call
rs is reported from the third district. |
) again repeat it is Democratic trick
and will get no encouragement or sup
port from the true Populists of Maine.
II object to any further fusion with
the silver Democracy on account of the
r bad faith exhibited by Mr.. Bryan and his
, managers toward the Populists at st.
| Louis. He notified his henchmen. Allen
and Jones. but did not notify the conven-
| tion. Those men were the JudaSes of
the occasion and msled the convention.
History repeats itself. No number two
fusion for me in Maine
. Capt. ]. f.. Ashe of Auburn. who was
the secretary of the State committee two
years ago, and who is one of the most
. influential leaders of the party. was next
visited. If anything he even more
| emphatic than the Others in his OPPOSE
ton to the scheme of fusion in the third
district.
II am a straight. middle-of-t the road
| Populist" said he. land have had all
want of this fusion business. If our men
| haven't learned any common-sense by
the fusion deals of the past then they
had better go to the Democrats for good.
That is where such men will land and
the quicker the better. We will have the
satisfaction of knowing that they will
be used mop rags by their new mas
tiers. / voted for Bryan last year but |