The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-18
.POPULISTS HAVE A FREE FIGHT
ROW IN IDAHO OVER THE FU-
\ SION QUESTION.
Fusionists Were Victorious and the
Party Is Split Wide open-The
Lie Passed and Blows Struck.
(snecial to The Herald.l

Boise Ida, July 7.-After a most excit-
ing session. during the course of which
the lie was passed and blows were struck,
the Populist state central committee last
night rescinded its action in calling the
Populist state convention to meet IN
Moscow on Aug. 5, and recalled the con-
Vention to meet in this city on Aug. z4,
the date of the Democratic and Silver
Republican conventions, in order TO ar
range a fusion with those parties r II.
Blake was peremptorily ousted as chair
man and w. II. Taylor, OF Canyon coun-
ty, was elected TO succeed him. Blake
had refused 10 issue a call for the COM
mittee meeting.
For several hours the committee wran-
gled and ii was early morning before the
meetn : adjourned. There were 70 coun-
question of moving the convention to
Boise, as well as on all other questions,
was y to Z
Frank Walton, who led the solid seven
denounced in unmeasured terms the action
of the committee, during the course of
which he frequently made use of the
them to those who were behind the move
He said Secretary Jacobs had been al
lowed to vote as committeeman with
out having proxy and that Congress
man Gum voted on the proxy of a man
who had never been member of the
committee. 1t was a job. he asserted,
TO secure office for a few by a combina-
ton with the Silver Republicans and
Democrats at the expense of splitting the
Populist party wide open, but he did not
believe the goods could be delivered.
He pronounced the measures through
which control of the committee had been
secured as high-handed and Infamous.
A GENERAL MIX-UP.
During the course of the meeting Com
mitteeman Poston, of the solid seven,
stated the job was put up solely for the
purpose of re-electing Governor Steunen-
berg. Committeeman George Williams
ayax ba Ito md fxK-n ION
rushed at each other, but before more
than a couple of blows were struck they
were separated.
In less than a minute they rushed at
each other again. There was a general
mix-up and Committeeman o. e. Jack
son struck Committeeman L. E. Jones.
Peace was hnalIy restored and the bust
ness of the meeting was wound up on
u to basis.
The new apportionment increases the del
egauons in the southeastern part of the
state, where the Populist vote is light.
and decreases ii in the north. where the
Populist vote is heavT. This was done
in order TO remove the possibility of the
element capturing the
Boise convention.
After the meeting there were several
that came near resulting
The net result of the meeting is that
the party is split wide open. Whether a
viii be held in Moscow or not
is not yet definitely decided, but the
prospects are that the delegations elected
to go to the northern city will proceed as
though nothing had happened and nomin-
ate a middle-of-the-road ticket:
The Ada county convention elected del
egates to the Moscow convention and
passed resolutions condemning the propo-
5ition to change the place of holding the
state convention. The so-called middle
of-the-road element ON the state commit
tee state they We're not opposed to fusion
but that their contention was that Demo-
Gratis and Silver Republicans should come
to Moscow if they want to fuse with the
Populist party. They also say the COM
mittee was packed against them.