The record-union., 1898-09-15
On J,,,r II 1000 ~


seven on conference for the purpose OF
fusion, which was appointed July 70
1898, by said Peoples Party State
Convention, after a vote of 153 ayes to
l5e noes. made the following report to
said State convention, which was
adopted, to wit: ITO the State conven-
ton of the Peoples party of the State
! or California: AT a joint meeting of tbs
conference Committee of the Demo-
cratic, Peoples party and Silver Re-
pucncan parties, it was Jointly agreed
to make the following recommendation
with reference to the joint State Rail
road Commission and Board of Equal
lzahon nominations for offices to be
flied at the coming election, to wit:
That the Silver Republicans should
have one Supreme Court Judge and the
Clerk of the Supreme Court.
That the Peoples party should have
the Lieutenant Governor, Controller
Superintendent of Public Instruction
and the member of the Board of Rail
road Commissioners from the Third
District and one member of the Board
of Equalization.
That the Democratic party should
have the rest of the State ticket, two
members of the Board of Railroad Com
missioners and three members of the
Board of Equalization.
And We, your committee, further
| recommend that those candidates other
than nominee for Governor Of the Pop
ulist party, and other than those spe-
Gifted and apportioned to it, shall, as
soon as nominated, place their resig-
nations in due form in the hands Of the
PopuliSt Committee on Conference, in
order that said committee may legally
effect the plan of party union agreed
upon;
THAT the two Conference Commit
tees be authorized by the respective
parties to fill vacancies as required by
| law"
The delegates to the Peoples Party
| Fusion Convention failed to comply
with the terms of the "calI' under which
they Were elected in not nominating q
full ticket. There are several vacan-
cies upon said ticket, the nominations
| having been made one minute and the
designations soon following.
They violated the cali in ignoring
the instructions governing an identical
or common platform" upon which all
three parties were to stand. Specific in
struetions, agreed to by all concerned,
were violated by the twenty-six of the
twenty-nine delegates from the city
and county of San Francisco, in voting
against the nomination of a straight
| Peoples party ticket Had one-half
of said number remained true to their
trust the integrity Of said party would
have been preserved.
The result of the labors of said con-
vention was the same as if the three
fusion parties mentioned herein had
met in one convention and jointly
named a State ticket
The attempt is made to present a
State ticket with candidates thereon
representing three separate and dis
tinct political parties, whose platforms
are inharmonious and conflicting under
a union or fusion name
Under the fusion agreement hereto
fore mentioned herein and adopt
ed by said Peoples party State
Convention. the following per-
sons were to resign, and did in
most cases, if not all, prior to the
presentation for filing of the certificate
Of nomination made by said Peoples
party fusion, to wit: A. B. Kinne, Sec
retary of State; A. r. Sprague, Treas
urer; G. w. Hoyle, Attorney General;
G.. II. Rogers, Surveyor General; Percy
B. Preble, State Printer; Will B. White,
Board of Equalization; George Thresh-
er, Board of Equalization; n. w. Moth
eral, Board of Equalization; George B.
| Dean, Railroad Commissioner.
Notwithstanding said designations,
/ the names Of the above mentioned per-
| sons appear upon the certificates Of
| nomination sought to be filed by said
| Peoples party fusion as the nominees
| of said party. The fact that the resig-
nations of said persons are in the hands
| of the committee appointed to receive
them operates in my judgment as a
resignation, and therefore invalidates
the certificates.
1t is my opinion that the persons
named are not nominees of a political
party, nor should their names appear
| in any certificate presented for fling
| in this Office.
When the Peoples party assembled
in convention, July 18th and 18th,
1898 and permitted persons foreign to
said party and representing two other
political organizations to participate in
it's proceedings select some Of it's nom
party identity, the delegates abandoned
the trust reposed in them by the true
representatives of the party, the peo-
pie who elected them, of whom said
delegates were the creatures.
Under the Australian ballot law in
this State fusion by political parties
was, in my judgment, never intended.
If the fusion plan prevail many men,
bers of the Peoples party will not only
| be disfranchised, but it's party name
will be destroyed. For example, when
I certify the ticket to the several
County Clerks, as required by law, the
form will be as follows, providing fu-
sion is sustained:
Governor, James G. Mcguire, Demo-
crat, Peoples party; Lieutenant Gov
ernor Edward L. Hutchinson, Demo-
crat, Peoples party; Secretary of State,
Robert A Thompson, Democrat, Peo-
pies party Controller, Thompson A
Naples, Democrat, Peoples party.
The name Silver Republican is omit
ted because at the present writing I
have no official knowledge Of said or
ganizaton. The above ticket will con-
fuse and deceive voters.
How will it be possible for a voter
to determine which candidate is
Democrat, or which is the Peoples
party nominee? He cannot of neces-
sity select one Of his choice, represent
ing purely his party. The party will
lose it's identity under the above ballot,
because it will be impossible to segre-
gate the vote, to determine which
party cast per cent. of the vote, that
two years hence it may be entitled to