The herald., 1898-06-06

VIII PROBABLY be divided as 1olioWs.
To the MISUNDERSTANDING, lieutenant
governor, clerk Of the supreme court. one
supreme judge, attorney general and
United States senator.
To the Populists-Controller, treasurer.
superintendent of public instruction and
state printer.
| To the Silver Republicans-Secretary of
state and one supreme judge.
In the distribution of congressman, the
| Populists want the Sixth and Seventh dis
j tricts, which they now have, and will con-
cede to the Democrats the Second, Third and
Fourth, and to the Silver Republicans the
First and Fifth.
OF the state board of equalization, two
members are to go to the Democrats, one
to the Populists and one to the Silver Re-
publicans.
OF the railroad commissioners, two are to
be given to the Democrats and one to the
Populists.
The recent meeting of the Democratic
state committee at San Francisco was a
success from a party point of view. 1t
settled the long-standing controversy be-
tween the two contending factions of the
party in San Francisco county to the salts
| IdCllOH OIL everybody eNCept u Ac" uis-
gruntled individuals who have become
so thoroughly hardened to fighting that
they cannot reconcile themselves to con-
dition of peace even for a few months.
The special committee to which was re-
ferred the adjustment Of these difficulties
made their report by which they refused to
recognize either of the old factions and
recommended that new committee of 100
10 fr~o1
tee of San Francisco county. This report
was adopted by the general committee by
an overwhelming majority as the best So
luton of the matter and as one which
would give the best satisfaction through
out the state.
The committee also had under considera-
ton the date of the Democratic state con-
vention and incidentally the matter Oh tu
sion. 1t was decided. after full discussion
that July convention was too early, it
being the opinion Of the committee. in
which all sensible persons concur that a
short campaign is much to be preferred
to long one.
No official action was taken by the COM
mittee upon the question of fusion, but
from a canvass of the committee it would
appear that the members of the commit
to fusion under the present circumstances,
believing that the Democrats will be able
to carry the state with a straight Demo-
cratic ticket without Popuist votes.
From an official standpoint the above is
the result of the labors of this meeting,
but the results to the Democratic party in
general and the Peoples party in partic-
ular have yet to be enumerated.
ha
is that there will not be fusion under any
agreement whereby each convention will
be accorded the right to nominate a GER
tain number of its party men who will be
Endorsed by the conventions of the other
parties. The decision of the Democratic
state committee to hold the Democratic
convention at date later than July 10Th
has made impossible any fusion as above
outlined where all the nominating conven-
tions must meet on the same day in order
to carry out the program. The present
situation has therefore resolved itself into
a choice between a free-for-all fight with
straight party tickets and fusion by the
old process of pulling down certain nom
inees upon each ticket.
The Populists intend and have intended
all along to nominate a straight ticket.
the same date up to the very week they
called their state convention, when they
apparently changed front. denounced fu-
sion and fixed the date of their conven-
ton without reference to the conventions
of their supposed allies. without their
knowledge and, from a political stand
point, two months. too early.
Some anxious people have advanced the
~; 1s1
conduct that the Populist committee which
fixed the date of the convention and de-
nounced fusion was under the control of
the e-of-the-roaders who were and
are unalterably opposed to fusion. while
80 per cent Of the members of the Peoples
party are in favor of union ticket and
disapproved of the action of the COM
mittee.
Events subsequent to the meeting of this
Popuist committee have failed to justify
any such assumption, argument or ex-
cuse. Those who are familiar with the his
tory of fusion in this state and in this
county will remember that the Populists
never would and never have fused with
the Democrats unless they had the best of
the bargain. AS individuals they always
have been and are at this minute in favor
of fusion and il the truth were known are
fearful that 1t will not be accomplished;
but just at or before convention time their
committees take some bold and independ-
ent step with the view of creating the i'm
preston that they arc against fusion and
that a straight Populist ticket is inevita-
BILE. Having succeeded thus far, fusion
becomes a matter of business with them,
and having gained an advantage they are
in position to demand, as the price of
yielding, the whole dog, suffering the other
fellows, who furnish the bulk of the votes,
to keep the tail.
Their July convention is the same old
trick. They called it early because this
would give them an opportunity to nomi-
nate their ticket two months before any
other convention would be called, during
which time they propose to negotiate for
the best terms possible, using the same old
logic for all the offices they want to keep
that their nominees cannot be pulled
down.
All this talk, therefore, of the middle
of-the-roaders' having control of the state
committee is, in my opinion, nonsense This
July convention is one part of an agreed
ulst party. That the Populists propose to
nominate a straight ticket and afterwards
to negotiate for fusion by pulling down
their nominees has already been made pub
lie by their party leaders through the col
umns of the press and otherwise. They
want 1t known they would like fusion, but
they do not want to make definite ar
rangements until they have matters in