The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-22

Anaconda, Mont, Sept. H.-The
Democratic, Populist and silver Repub-
lican state conventions met at noon
today. In each the chief issue is fusion
or no fusion. Only two judges and
clerk of the supreme court and one
congressman are to be nominated, but
the coming session of the legislature
will elect a United States senator to
succeed Lee Mantle, and the strife for
this office complicates the situation
State Senator Edwin Norris of Dillon
was temporary chairman of the Demo-
cratic convention, and A. j. Campbell
of Butte was made permanent chair
man.
Senator Mantle of Butte was tenn
porary chairman of the silver Repub-
licans. He made an hours speech in
defense of the existence of the silver
Republican party. \. ]. Seligman Of
Helena was chosen permanent chair
man.
In the Populist convention Secretary
of State Hogan of Anaconda was tenn
pOrary and later permanent chairman.
Each of the three conventions
appointed the usual committees, and,
in addition, a conference committee on
fusion. All three then recessed until
o'clock this evening.
NO HOPE OF FUSION.
The conference committees were un-
! able to agree, and apparently all hope
J of fusion has gone. The proposition of
/ the Democrats was, first, that the two
| retiring judges of the supreme court
| be renOminated. One of them, Chief
Justice PembertOn, was elected six
years ago by a fusion of Democrats
and POpulists, and is generally re-
garded as a Democrat. The other, As
SOciate Justice PigOtt, is a straight-Out
Democrat The Democrats further pro-
posed that the nomination for clerk of
the supreme court should go to the
Popuhsts; that the silver Republicans
take the congressman, meaning their
nomination of the present congress-
man, Charles S. Hartman, and, lastly,
that the Populist and silver Republican
conventions pass a resolution agreeing
to the election OF a Democrat for
United States senator by the legisla-
ture. This last proposition met with
immediate dissent.
When the Democratic convention met
tonight, its conference committee re-
ported that it had made the fore
going proposal and that it had been
rejected. The report was promptly ac-
cepted and the committee discharged.
The convention adjourned to tomorrow
morning, when it is proposed to nomi-
nate a straight ticket.
Without waiting to hear the report of
its fusion committee, the silver Repub-
ican convention met tonight and ad-
Journed to tomorrow, in the hope of
inducing the Democrats to recede from
their position regarding the senator
ship. The silver Republicans are will
ing to accept all the terms but that.
The POpulist convention is still de-
batting the subject.
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.
The Democratic platform adopted to-
night endorses the Chicago platform,
declares emphatically for free coinage
at the ratio of 10 to 1, Loyalty accepts
the leadership of William j. Bryan,
cOngratulates the country on the re-
suits of the war with Spain, arraigns
the war department for criminal in
competency and inefHciency, opposes
any alliance with any European power,
condemns the unnecessary issue of in
terest-bearing bonds by the govern
ment under pretense of war necessities,
and calls for an honest administration
by the mineral land commissioners.
The platform says nothing about ter
ritorial expansion.