Evening star., 1897-06-14
WANT NO MORE FUSION
Michigan Populists Getting Back in the
Middle Of the Road.
Democrats Charge Them With Hog
gashness and Say They Are Glad
to BE Rid of Them.
specisi Correspondence of The Evening Star.

iicaHS last Ialf ana again mis- spring. re-
ceiving three of the best places on the
| fusion state ticket last fall, and this spring
| debating the nomination Of justice Of the
supreme court and naming one Of their
own number for one of the regents of the
state university in consideration of their
| support Of Bryan, free silver and fusion
The fusion ticket In both instances was
overwhelmingly defeated. and the populists
won neither glory nor offices, and even the
satisfaction Of helping 10 disburse a fat
campaign fund was denied them because
| there were no funds worth mentioning to
disburse
| A small faction of the populists bolted
the fusion this spring. acting under the
| leadership Of James Z. Mcbride, John o.
Labie, NJ O. Graves and others and the
straight ticket nominated polled about
1900 votes. The rest Of the popultsts will
get back into the middle of the rual wnen
aho.ner campaign opens, and the party
| Such as 1t Is. will be reunited with the
Oma ha and the st. Louis platforms as the
standards of faith
Chairman ScOtts Announcement.
John Scott. chairman of the Kent county
populist committee, who last fall was one
| OF the most ardent Of the fusion populists
| and who this spring was the fusion candi-
| date for city marshal. and defeated, an
| nounces himself through with fusions and
| combines for all time to come, and he
| voices the sentiments OF most of his breth-
| rem. He has issued a card to his fellow
populists. urging them to regain their old
| place in the political field as an independ-
ent party organization fighting for their
own reforms in their own way. and not to
| have traffic with other political parties,
which, after sapping their strength and
destroying their individuality, will cast
them aside as the old greenbackers were
cast aside. The cause of the slaughtered
white metal is as dear and as sacred to
| their hearts as ever, but they will fight for
II alone and not in concert with wicked
politicians. who. they think. do not mean
| more than half they profess
The democratic wing of the combine is
not even half sorry at the desertion of the
populists. although. for appearance sake,
| they profess a decent regret that the allies
| should see fit to break away The fact is
| the democrats in Michigan are thoroughly
weary of their populist comrades in the
Bryan fight and will rejoice to be rid of
them. They say the populists have been
| found to be hoggish suspicious and treach-
| erous. and while they contributed nothing
! to the funds, even the three populists who
| We're given places on the ticket last fall
| refusing to pay their assessments, they de-
| manded full share Of the funds raised by
| the democratic wing, and were the most
insistent raiders Of the campaign treasury
the party managers had to deal with
| Lost Much OF Their Strength.
The populists at the height of their vot-
ing strength numbered but 10000, and it is
| douotiui IL tuSy COulu pOH One-tn1rQ that
number now. The departure of the popu-
| lists will make a reconciliation of the two
| wings of the democracy easier 20 bring
| about. a movement that is already we'll
under way on basis of dropping the
| financial question from the party platform
entirely.
Although the republicans are not cam
| paiSEing with brass bands they are not
| slumbering, even in this off year. They
have the nucleus of an organization in
| every county and township. but these or
ganizations will not be called out until
| active field work is required
| In the meantime, their efforts are di-
rected in the lines of education. Two-page
| supplements are issued from a Detroit
| boiler plate factory at frequent inter-
walls for distribution among the readers of
the country weekly republican papers.
| These supplements are carefully prepared
one page usually being devoted to telling
| of the administration in Washington, with
descriptions of the White House and of
| the residences of the members of the cab
| met and other matters of general nature
| and the other page is fairly running over
/ with notes of returning prosperity telling
OF factories starting up, wages being in
creased and business reviving in every
| branch ct trade. The supplement cam
| paign is effective In dispelling the bus-
ness depression gloom among the farmers
| II nothing else, and Is believed to be good
i stuff to hold the farmers in line for sound
| money.
|
| The temperance question will be injected
| into the next campaign in a new FORM
| The Anti-Saloon League has been organ
lied, with headquarters in this city and
with w. r. Fox as its president. Who
make up the league and how extensive its
| organization are unknown and no claims
| are as yet made of voting strength. The
| league seems to have plenty of funds and
during the coming summer and all through
| the 1all and next winter will
school house and church campaign. The
| league will not go into the campaign as
| an Independent political party like the
prohibitionists, but will size I'D the NOM
inees on the tickets of the old parties and
select those whom they favor. The league
will make a special effort to elect a leeis-
iature which will enact laws regulating
the saloons to an extent that will drive
many or them out of existence One of the
active workers in this cause will be Jus
tice Z. b. Grant Of the state supreme court
VINO will make speeches all over the state
| In favor Of strfcter saloon laws
Arrangements are being made for the an.
nual convention of the National League of
Republican Clubs. which will open In De-
days. or until the business of the session
| is completed. The convention will bring
5000 to 5000 delegates to Detroit. and
elaborate preparations are being made for
their entertainment.
Representation Allowed,
n
titled to four delegates for each congress
sional district and six delegates at large
and the officers of the national league
the president and secretary of each
state league and the national vice
president and one Of the national
committeeman from each state and
territorial league will be ex-ofiicfo dele
gates. Each Of the American Republican
Coiored Clubs will also be entitled to one
delegate. Marcus Polfaski of Chicago is
leading candidate for the national Ieaaue
presidency. 1t is promised that the plat
form adopted will be for sound money
but 1t is probable that there will be a lively
scrap on the financial question, and that
some difficulty will be found in adopting
such resolutions without jamming them
through by main strength.
Government Bonds
Quotations reported by Corson & Macart-
ney. bankers.