Omaha daily bee., 1898-06-17

ConieTehce anu ne DeBBeu tnat the TWO SUD
committees at once geh together in a rear
"burying the Ratchet" He would assure
every p~opulist present that IL this Ratchet
could be buried he, for one, would never
dig IT up again" and " hoped that a for
NAL burial would take Mace instead Of any
further sharpening OF the steel.
Chairman Butler thanked Mr.. Park for
his kind words and hoped the conferees
would be successful in their efforts at har-
mony.
Iowa CnInnits, shut OF.
Weller was proceeding again when d..
Glenn Beaver of Nebraska requested Of him
permission to make an announcement. Mr..
Beaver got 1t and told the convention that
free tickets to the Transmississippi EXPOSE
ton for all the committees members had
been arranged for.
Weller had just got started again, but the
confusion was so great and the most of the
fusionists were leaving the hall in such an
unceremonious manner that a motion to take
o recess prevailed to give the conference
committee time to get together, patch up the
party differences and report some feasible
basis Of agreement and line of policy for the
future. This shut off Weller, but he did not
seem put out much, because the attempt to
talk against the noise had been very hard
work.
The conference committee held a meeting
Immediately or, rather, resumed the one 1t
had been having in a desultory manner, but
making 1T more to the purpose. The Butler
side was represented by Senator w. V. Allen,
Joseph r. Buchanan of New Jersey and
Congressman James Gum of Idaho; the
Park committee had for its representatives
w. =. Morgan pf Arlonoa. roIo..t MAJ.
Burkitt of Mississippi and Harry Tracey of
Texas. After an hours elaboration the con
ferees were ready.
Compromise suggested.
When the national committee came to-
gether again Chairman Butler proceeded
TO the main point at once. asking: us the
INFORMAL conference committee ready to re-
port?' Joseph r. Buchanan responded by
saying that it was the unanimous wish of
the conference committee that the national
committee should go into executive session
to consider the recommendations which the
conferees had to make, and this was done.
After the doors had been closed and the
reporters barred out the conferees reported
through Senator Allen. Their report
amounted to an agreement upon about every
thing that the middle had
the nerve to insist upon except the resig-
nation of Senator Marion Butler from The
craftsmanship of the national committee:
that is to say, the conferees agreed upon
the broad proposition of having an early
convention in 1900, say February 90, and
that the populist national committee was
not to make any overtures in the direction
of fusion, but was to proceed independently
in the holding of its convention, whatever
might be the desires of the democrats and
the silver republicans. Each state, how
ever, was to be governed according to the
dictates of its own political interests in
the matter of cooperation with any other
party. .t,mi.
The question Of preventing the national
convention or the national committee from
allowing any fusion propositions to emanate
from them was a paramount issue. Upon
this Colonel Burkitt had made one of his
attacks upon Chairman Butler at the morn
ing session-he had charged up to the sena-
tor as a fault the sending out, conformity
with like emanations from the democratic
and silver republican parties over the sig
natures, respectively, of Chairmen Jones
and Towne, of the populist circular advising
political cooperation. and forced the fusion
lists to admit that If that had not been
the personal act of Senator Butler 1t had
at least been entirely unauthorized by the
rank and file of the peoples party. Thai
it had been sent out as an official docu-
ment he proved, inasmuch as the expenses
OF publishing it had been charged up tc
the account of the national committee.
Almost Anything for Peace.
Except the fight upon the chairman thi:
had been the only material point at vari
ance in the conference committee. Senator
Allen had been willing to make any kind o
a concession restricting the populist com
mittee from emanating further proposition
in the direction of fusion, if by so doing |
would contribute anything toward mollify
ing the Texas middle Thi
was about all that Senator Allen read from
his few pencil notes. The fusion elemen
saw at a glance that the fight of the Parl
organization committee was being mad
upon Senator Butler, personally, and stoo'
prepared for whatever might turn up.
Senator Allen made a speech in favor o
the basis of harmony laid down and Colone
Frank Burkitt of Mississippi, one of tn
conference committee, also. followed witt
one full of generalities, in which he init
mated about as strongly as he could with
out being impolite that the salvation of tn
populist party depended in great measur
upon settling the differences at issue an
If any man stood in the way he ought t
get out of it.
The defense of Senator Butler was take
up by Senator Allen. He went into a Ion
review of the acts of the committeemen @
the peoples party ever since the St. Loui
convention. He felt that the party must b
united and that every time a man deserte
it's standard he jeopardized the success G
the populists and this was why he counselc
getting together upon some sort of a basi
, of agreement, but he saw no necessity what
ever for the demand for the resignation G
Chairman Butler.
That Bryan MessnEe.
2 Senator Allen took occasion to reply t
some of the attacks which the middle of the
r road press had made upon him unmercifull
of late. He had been charged with refusin
9 to read a telegram at the st. Louis ccnven
ton, said to have been sent by w. j. Brya
and in which Mr.. Bryan has said he woul
rot run for the presidency unless he ha
y Mr.. Sewell as a running mate. Senate
Allen told the committee he had never re
. ceived any such telegram at all. He ha
. heard that Ex-Governor Stone of Missou
had received such a telegram, but he. him
= self, had had no personal knowledge Of |
: 1t had been alleged that Mr.. Stone ha