Omaha daily bee., 1898-07-20
PRIMARIES FOR POPULISTS
State Campaign Will Open in Douglas
County, Thursday Evening.
THREE LOCAL CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR
Ieiser, Denver md Peabody Each
HustIing to Secure the Delegates
to the state Convention and
Each CONFIDENT.

The populist primaries in Douglas county
will be held Thursday evening from Z to Q
O'Clock, and simultaneously Herewith 1t
may be said that the state campaign, SO far
as that party Is concerned, will be opened.
The whole interest in the primaries in this
county centers around the nomination for
governor. and for the first time in years
there will be a genuine contest in many, II
not all of the wards and precincts, with at
least two tickets in the field.
John o.. Yeiser, D.. Glenn Deaver, and DR..
j. II. Peabody are all anxious to secure the
eighty-one delegates from this county to
further their candidacy for the guberna-
torial nomination. The first two named
have been active candidates for several
months, and have their fences well estab-
lished, with picket lines we'll out to the
front, and strong entertainments protect
ing their base OF supplies. DR.. Peabody, it
Is said, has been making n still hunt, but
II has not been until within the last few
days that he has openly announced himself
as a candidate. This latter fact is taken
to be an elemen; of weakness, for many
members of the party who are friendly to
the doctor. and who would gladly have sup
ported him had they known he was in the
field, have made other alliances which can
not now be successfully broken. Yet the
doctor is a good political worker. and with
his long residence in the city and extensive
acquaintance is apt to spring some sur
prises on the others.
Mr.. Yeiser was a member CT the last
legislature. made so in face of an adverse
majority at the polls by the abuse of
power by the populist majority in that Or
ganization. He became conspicuous there
by succeeding in having passed his initiative
nnI r,fnrarlnrn hill Nphtrh 1ao had mn
other effect up to date than occupying II
few pages of printed matter in the COM
piled statutes of the state and a nugatory
proceeding in court
Mr.. Beaver Is at present the steward
and bookkeeper at the Institute FOR the
Deaf and Dumb in this city, being an APP
pointee Of Governor Holcomb. He has
long been identified with the ropulist
party in this county and with local labor
circles. Four years ago he was the candi-
date Of his party for congress in this dis
trict against d. H. Mercer.
Candidacy.
DR.. Peabody is a member Of the alleged
reform police commission which was de-
clared to have no legal existence by the
supreme court of the state a few weeks ago,
but which still hangs on by the slender
thread of an injunction. 1t is suggested by
a populist, who is evidently not a friend
OF the doctors, that he trusted to a still
hunt and the efficacy of the police force to
win the Douglas county delegation, and only
announced his candidacy openly when the
supreme court decided that the members
of the police force were under no obliga-
lions to the doctor in his assumed legal
capacity.
The county convention which is to select
the delegates to the state convention is ia
be held Saturday afternoon, probably in the
Woodman hall in the Crounse block, al
though the place has not been definitely an
nounced. There will be 161 delegates in
the convention, eighty-one from the city
and eighty from South Omaha and the
country. There will be nine delegates from
each ward in the city, twenty from South
Omaha and four from each of the country
precincts. In addition to selecting the state
delegation the convention will choose a new
county committee.
AS to the result of the primaries little
can be said other than that the candidate.
seem to be confident Of success. The friend.
of Mr.. Yeiser think there is no longer an,
question that he will have a large majorit!
in the convention, strong enough to Civ,
him a solid delegation, and one which will
stay with him through the contest. Mr.
Beaver and his friends are also confident
but are not so boastful as the Yeiser fol
lowing. They say the outlook at this tim,
is more than favorable and think the vote
will show them in the lead. With DR.. Pea
body all appears to be problematical. n,
one will venture a guess and his friend
hint at surprises and unexpected develop
ments.
There are no less than eighteen candidate
mentioned for governor in all part!
OF the state under the fusion arrangement
OF these two are Observation-Disclosures Howar,
of Papillion and Attorney General Smyth o
Omaha. The Douglas county democrati
committee last Saturday selected the dele
cation to the democratic state convention
and it was instructed to work for the nomi
nation of Mr.. Smyth
The populist candidates include nearl
every district judge in the state of that pc
litical faith, Judge John r. Thompson O
Grand Island being looked upon as the mos
formidable one in the list. Congressma
Stark OF Aurora is still being discussed a
a candidate, notwithstanding his publishe
announcement to the contrary. Among tn
other populists said to have gubernatoria
ambitions are Speaker Gafin, Judge Wi
liam Neville, w. A. Poynter, Lieutenan
Governor Harris and Oil Inspector Edmis
ten.