The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-03
POPULIST PRIMARIES.
Report That They Were Neglected
in Many of the Precincts.

report That They Were Neglected
in Many of the Precincts.
The Populist primaries that were scheduled
LOT last evening did not make much of
stir, 1t had been arranged that the people
most interested in the result of the caucuses
were to meet and receive the returns from
the primaries at Assembly halls. There were
no returns made
1t was also expected that there would be
a conference on the report of the conferees
appointed by the Populists, Silver Republicans
and Others to see what could be done in the
matter Of agreeing with the Democrats at
ference.
There was a meeting in the reading room
at Assembly halls, but it was of the Peo-
Pies Party Central club and there was nothing
de1lnite done In the meeting, which was held
peh1nd closed doors, and there a report was
made by M. j. Costello of what the conference
committee had done at the convention.
The only direct result of that report
was that Louis Nash announced that the
committee had been treated fairly by the
Democratic convention; that the principles
OF the platform, and that he was going to
stand by the agreement that had been made
The meeting was called to order by Jacob
seventy people in the room when Mr. Lazar-
us took the chair, but by the time the meet
ing was over there were not more than a
score present. The general attitude of those
present indicated desire to await the &C.
ton of the convention that is to be held Mon
day.
The report Of the committee on conference
was made unoffcially, 1t not neces-
sary to report to the body then in session.
The report was followed by motion to adopt
it, and then came lot of speeches in op-
position or in favor Of the motion, which
really never came to vote. 1t was in the
midst of this discussion that Mr.. Nash made
his announcement and Mr.. Costello left and
went home.
There lot of desultory talk and when
the doors were finally opened and the meeting
broke up nothing definite had been done.
1T was generally conceded that the Popuist
leaders had let the primaries go by default
made to Chairman Krieger of delegations
elected and no provision made for the con-
vention beyond that Of calling it together
That the Scannell people arranged for rep
resentation from some precincts is under
able to dominate. How many primaries they
arranged to dictate could not be even approx
MATED. That they will not be able to con-
troll the convention was claimed by the mid
dle-of- the-road Populists, and if they should
exhibit any. undue strength and make 1t
clear that they had appropriated the pre-
cincts that were neglected there will be a
split in the convention.
The greater part of the people in the execu-
tive session. when it was called to order,
conferees, but the matter could not be off,
cfally acted upon in the club.
A. Paradis a middle of-the-roader always,
said he had been in every ward while the
primaries were being held and that Erwin
had them. A well-known leader Of the Popu-
lists said that he did not think that primaries
had been held in more than thirty precincts.
AS it stands the meeting, which was to have
been conference. resolved itself simply into
q meeting of the Peoples Party Central club.