The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-06-09
HEAD EN- OFF.
John Breidenthal Going to
Omaha to Prevent
A Nomination of Populist Pres
idential Candidates
BY A SNAP SCHEME.
A SNAP SCHEME.
A Queer Movement Among Ger
tain POpulists
To Nominate Now and Prevent
Fusion in 1900.

Bank Commissioner John Breidenthal
ex-chairman of the Populist state CEN
trail committee and chairman of the
Shawnee county delegation to the Pop
ulist state convention will not attend
the state convention which meets in
Topeka on June 15. Mr.. Breidenthal
says it will be the first PopuIist con-
vention he has ever missed, but he
thinks that he has more important
business elsewhere. He will attend a
meeting Of the Populist national COM
mittee which meets at Omaha on the
same day that the Kansas convention
will be held.
Mr.. BreidenthaI thinks that he is
needed at Omaha for he sees great
trouble ahead for the Populists unless
things are taken care of at Omaha
The danger is that the national COM
m1ttee may endorse the call for a ma
tlonal convention to nominate presi-
Dental candidates which will be held
at Omaha July this year. He thinks
that the pins have been set up with
that end in view and if it should be
done it means disruption and grief for
the Peoples party.
At the Nashville conference last year
Which was managed by the Middle
of Road faction it was decided to APP
point a committee to find out by the
referendum method whether it was adj
V1sable to hold a national convention
soon. Ballots were sent out and 1t is
claimed that in Texas there are 200, 900
votes cast and $4,000 votes were in
favor of holding a national convention
on July 4, 1898. Kansas cast but 5000
votes, the Kansas Populists as a rule
ignoring the vote as another scheme
of the middle of the readers"
The committee appointed at Nash
Vile to look after the reorganization
OF the PopuliSt party will meet at
Omaha on June IA to canvass the vote
will nd hof 1or a ion W
of those who voted will be in favor of
holding national convention on July
4 at Omaha.
Mr.. Breidenthal thinks that the next
step will be to ask the national Popu-
list committee to endorse the call. This,
if done, would make the proposed
Omaha convention the regular Populist
national convention and would forever
balk a fusion in 1900.
Whether the national committee
would vote to endorse the call of the
Middle of the Readers is question
that can not be answered but Mr..
Breidenthal thinks that there is grave
danger that it will be done. In dis
cussing the matter he said:
1.-The rule governing our national
committee is that any state convention
held during the life of the committee
may remove it's representatives and
appoint others and that has been done
in many southern states. do not
know whether there is a majority on
the committee but l would not be sur
prised to find that there is. If this fac
ton is in control it would mean the
endorsement of the call for a national
convention on July 4 and it would also
mean that Marion Butler would be de-
posed
If the convention at Omaha this year
should nominate presidential candi-
dates there is no likelihood that Kan
sas Populists would pay any attention
to the convention, but having had the
sanction of the national committee the
convention would be authorized on its
face and the Kansas Populists would
be boilers unless they accepted the
ticket nominated.
If PopuIist presidential candidates
are nominated at Omaha there is moth
ing according to Mr.. Breidenthal, that
will prevent a breach in the Populist
party.
tional committee from Kansas, Con-
gresham w. D. Vincent, James Allen
of Erie and Mr.. Breidenthal. Mr.
Breidenthal has Congressman Vincent's
proxy.