The Ravalli Republican., 1898-09-28
AT ANACONDA.
Democrats ASK Everything, and Fusion
Falls Through.

"~h'o1'doo, lOl)ullSuS Iuu silver re.
pubIlcans met at Anaconda last
Wednesday morning, but no fusion
agreement could be made, for tile
reason that the democrats wanted
the earth with Il fence around it.
Each convention committee appoint
ed a conference committee of five,
and when these committees met the
democrats presented the following
proposition:
"Tlat the three committees here
assembled make the following recon-
mcndations to their respective con-
yentions: We recommend that the
democratic, silver republican and
populists Of Montana unite upon Il
fusion ticket upon the following
terms and conditions: The silver re-
publican party to have the represcn-
tatiyc IN congress, the populst party
to have the chief justice Of the su-
prcmc court, the democratic party to
have the clerk Of the supreme court
and associate Justice Of the supreme
court. | t being understood and agreed
that the offices or chief Justice and
associate justice Of the supreme court,
being political, and the present
i1cumbcnts having proven themselves
able and worthy, shall be rcnomi-
mated. 1t is further agreed and
understood that the democratic party
is entitled to the office of United
States scnatOr.'
The silver republican and populist
members Of the conference commit
tees were willing to accept the pro-
position presented above, with the
exception Of the last part. They
would not agree to let democracy
have the United States senator. On
a vote the proposition was lost 5 to
lO the democrats voting in favor and
the populists and silver republicans
against.
An amended proposition was then
made by the populists that they be
allowed to name the clerk Of the su-
.prcmc court and the democrats the
supreme justice and associate Justice,
tho republicans to name the congress-
man and the proposition in favor Of
u democratic United States senator
to stand. A vote was taken on this
plan and was lost by to $, Smith
and Kinds Of the populists voting
with the democrats in it's favor.
The popuists some time aftcrward
offered another plan of fusion. They
wanted the Office Of congressman and
were willing to nominate Hartman
for that Office, provided he would be
known us Il populist nominee. The
democracy refused to listen to this or
any other proposition, stating that
they had made generous offers Of
fusion in the interests of silver, and
il those offers were unsa tiSfactOry,
all consideration Of fusion was over.
The democratic convention met
Thursday morning prepared to do
business on its own account without
the aid or assistance Of any other
party on earth. Before the conycn-
tion met it was generally understood
that an understanding had been ar
rived at and that A. J. Campbell Of
Butte would be nominated for con-
grcss, Chief Justice w. Y. Pcmber-
ton would be renominatcd, and
Associate Justice W. II. Piggout, who
was appointed to the supreme bench
Il few months ago by Coy. Smith to
succeed the late Horace r., Buck,
would be named for the position ne
now fills. This program was carried
out unanimously, all the nominations
Y>,lffn Nv ,ncf la nti Nl,o
only Office over which there was any
doubt about or over which there was
any contest, was the clcrkship Of the
court and this took five bal
lots to decide, the prize finally falling
to Henry j. Rickcrts Of jefferson
county.
An interesting feature Of the ses-
sion was the return Of Coy. Il. b.
Smith to the democratic fold and the
apparently hearty reception which he
received.
After the silver republicans had
been unsuccessful in thcir efforts to
effect a fusion on basis agreeable to
them they opened negotiations
with the populists. They succeeded
in agreeing upon a union Of forces as
to the congressman and bOtll cOnvcn-
tions placed Congressman Hartman
in nomination. The remainder Of the
fusion was only partially complete.
The popuiSts wanted the chief JUS
ticc Of the supreme court, having
asccrtancd thatMr. Hartman wanted
Judge Pcmbcrton on the ticket to
give it additional strength, and the
silver republicans, under Mantlc's
leadership, refused to make the con-
ccssion upon the ground stated by
United States Senator Mantle that
it would look like at least a partial
alliance with the democrats
The fusion between silver republic
Gains and popuIists was only partially
completed, because Of the dispute
over the CHIEF justice. The silver
after Mantle speech,
decided that it was out Of the qucs-
tiun to make the concession. and that
was all there was to it, They pushed
through the nomination Of Judge
Rrantlev for chief justice
ard Judge Henry G. Smith for asso-
ciatc Justice, and adopted a resou-
tion to the effect that if the popu-
lists saw tit to come to those terms
they could, by endorsing the silver
republicans, have the name Of their
for clerk Of the supreme
court placed on the silver republican
ticket. The silver republicans left