The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-09-14
AFFAIas IN WISCONSIN.


The Populists of our sister state, Wis
cousin. were disposed to fuse with the
Democrats, provided they got two places
on the joint ticket; but the Democrats,
believing that they could carry the state
without them, refused to make any con-
cessions to them; and thereupon the
Populists resolved to go it alone.
We are glad of the result. They should
never have put themselves in the atti-
tude of beggars at the back door of the
Democratic party.
Mr.. A. A. Worsely, of Racine, Wis,
was thereupon nominated for governor
by the Populists, and will make a ire
mendous campaign. He is a very able
| man. Those who attended the st. Louis
Peoples party convention in 1896 will
remember him as the man with the
stentorian voice.
He will only need to make one speech
in each county to reach the whole state.
He can stand on the steps of the court
house at the county seat, and let his
in the farthest end of the county will
stop their teams to listen, and the work.
men in the shops and factories will
! rush out, under the belief that Gabriel
has blown his horn
Bob Schilling thus sizes up the situa-
ton:
The Populists refused to fuse with the
Democrats in Wisconsin this fall and fol
these reasons:
Many prominent Democrats had urged the
Populists to join hands with them. and as
a result the latter were led to believe tina
an amlcable arrangement would be affected
Both parties appointed conference commit
tees III '""T state conv.",!un. and the
Democrats sent notice to the PoI.tllsts
committee to meet with TENN. At the joint
meeting everything seemed serene. The Pop
| ulists asked that they be given the secra-
tary Of state and a. minor state office. This
would have given the Popuiists practi cally
but one office on the state ticket.
Under the Infamous legislation of the Re-
publican party, the name of a candidate
can aHrear on the ballot but once. and if
he is nominated by two parties tie space
Will be left blank in the column of one of
the parties.
Last spring the name of the People S
Party appeared or the official ballot, but
inc NOMINATIONS OF the People S rarity and
the Democrats being the same no name
appeared under the Peoples Party head.
The Republican-made law further re-
Qulres that a party, to be entitled to have
its name printed on the official ballot, must
have cast at least one per cent of the total
vote at the last general election for the
highest candidate on its ticket. If no name
appeared unde" the head of the Peoples
Party this fall tie party would not be en-
titled to have its name on the official bal
lot for the next two years. For this reason
the Populists asked that of the minor
offices be allotted to them. the name to APP
pear only under the Peoples Party head
so that the votes cast for that office be
counted for the Peoples Party. This was
certainly a modest demand, and when the
joint conference committee adjourned the
Democrats left the Populists with perfect
good feeling and under the impression that
they would recommend the request to the
Democratic convention for adoption.
Instead they made an almost brutal re-
port, saying the Populists demanded anG
they submitted the demand without recon-
| mendation. The demand was voted down by
the Democratic machine men,
This was clearly an attempt to destroy
and disrupt the Peoples Party by causing i,
to lose its standing on the official ballot anC
soon as their state convention learned
Of the action a resolution to nominate ar
ndependet ticket was adopted unanimously
and with great enthusiasm.
| 1t is safe to say that many Democratic
! delegates did not understand this scheme
! of the machine men, but it stands as the
action of the Democrats of Wisconsin an(
! hence it is the duty of every reformer il
the state to stand by the only reform tickle
&, nominated and that is the headed by
| A. A. Worsley, the farmer candidate of thu
people.