The San Francisco call., 1897-01-04
HASKELL BLEW Up
THE POPUL|STS
His Petard Hoisted Some
Bright Engineers of
the Party.
The Victims Consider That Their
Disaster Means the Disrup.
tion of the Cause.
Some of the Growlings in Detail That
Issue From the Camp of the
Discounted.

Burnette G. Haskell's bomb exploded
Saturday night at the meeting OF the
Populist County Committee, and the
fragments OF those who were hoisted by
the retard were tum bling to earth yester-
day, emitting angry howls and snarlings
in their fall.
Haskell has succeeded in retiring such
old-timers in the party as E. S. Barney,
DR.. George W. Daywalt, Taylor Rogers,
George D. Gillespie, I. Y. Gator, Joseph
Asbury Johnson and John G. Gore, as
well as few others, and they do not pro-
pose to submit to the ordeal without ex-
pressing their ideas upon the involuntary
and rather unceremonious shake-up to
which they were subjected.
mo, we were not read out of the party.
They would not dare do thatl' is the
general and individual expression. ''But
there is no gainsaying that Burnette G..
Haskell has captured the works. "
'He is gifted fellow" stated j. a.
Johnson Yesterday. "He is plausible and
| doubt if there is more competent man
for organization or manipulation of par
ties, conventions or committee in these
United States. But he is the last man on
earth to stand up and preach, righteo us
ness and utmost rectitude of thought as
one VINO has never committed blunder' -
Mr.. Johnson and ]. G. Gore, the deposed
treasurer, appear to be of the opinion
that the Haskell coup d'etat will have a
neIarious and widespread effect on the
party IN the State-maybe giving it its
death blow.
Although I do not see how the vote
could be segregated, it was given out as
q, 900 in this State at the recent elections" 4"
said Mr.. johnson. LAS a matter of fact, /
have learned from people of our party
from all over California, that some 10000
votes were cast by Populists, third of
which went to the Republicans"
In summing up their judgment in the
matter, both Johnson ard Gore agreed
that the 1000, 900 votes claimed by the
Populists in the United States we're greatly
made up of Republican suffrage-men, who
for one cause or another quit their party
for the new one, but who returned to the
Republican banner when the Populists de-
cided to fuse with the hated Democracy.
Those who were ousted from the local
organization claim that the animus of the
scheme that left them stranded was not so
much that they were fusionists, because
they had fought against fusion to the last,
and only agreed to it when it was warmly
Endorsed by B. G. Haskell, but that Has
kell wanted complete control of the COM
mittee.
Under the party machinery the consti-
tuition and organization il this City is the
Assembly district delegate system. Has
kel's activity and suave manner, as well
as his assumed righteousness, have prac-
tically enabled him to control all the
clubs. He sees leaders and sends in the
names of only those who are fright" so far
as he is concerned as delegates to the
County Committee.
No delegates can be admitted to the
County Committee excepting by vote OF
the committee; hence, any gentleman OF
character and standing, whose influence
would be detrimental TO the Haskell
schemes and those of his confederates,
would not be admitted to a seat in the
committee.
A year hence, when the campaign opens
for 1898, the Haskell element will be in
control of the party organization, and OF
course will control the nominating con-
vention. For this reason it may properly
be assumed that Haskell has ostracized
the conservative element of the party.
The vote at Saturday nights meeting
was simply astounding. Those who are
now on the outside of the fence call it
raw" in the political vernacular. The
word "slate" was used also, and for yerifi-
cation they point to the tally sheet.
There were forty-two votes cast. Just
prior to polling the votes, Haskell and his
henchmen were active passing around