The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-09-11
WHICH IS THE PROPER THING
POPULIST FACTIONS AFTER
RECOGNITION.
Middle of the Readers and Fusion
lists Each Want to Get on
the Ticket.

The two wings of the Populist party
are in something of a quandary, ana
want to find out just where they stand
with respect to getting their respective
nominees for State offices on the ticket
at the coming election.
AS a matter of fact, it makes very
little difference with the fusion end or
the aggregation, at least so far as get
ting place on the ticket, for their NOM
inees will appear in both the regular
Democratic and Silver Republican col
umns, but they persist in still calling
themselves Populists, and declare that
theirs was the regular convention, ana
that their nominees We're the regularly
chosen nominees of the party
On the other hand, the middle of-the-
road faction claim that their side-issue
convention was the one representing
the Populist people in the state, ana
say that while other parties are out
making their campaigns, they, the MO
dle-of-the-road people must remain
idle because they do not yet know
whether they will be given column
on the State ticket without circulating
petition throughout the State. They
further urge that to consume time IN
circulating a petition means that no
time will be left in which to make
campaign and that their support Will
fall away-in short, they claim it would
mean the disintegration of the party.
To the Secretary of State falls the
lot of deciding which tickets are and
which are not entitled to a place on
the ticket, and yesterday morning 5.
S. Van Meter, Chairman of the Fusion
Populist State Central Committee, and
Judge E. A. Bridgeford of San Fran
cisco presented a certificate of the
nominees of the fusion convention
held in this city, and Thomas Y. Gator
and Carleton Johnston, both of San
Francisco, appeared at the same time
and lodged a protest against the filing
of the certificate, and also presented
for filing a certificate of nomination
of the candidates nominated by the
middle of-the-roadsters after they had
withdrawn from the convention after
the nomination of Mcguire.
f. NJ. Wardall, who was Chairman
of the State Central Committee which
issued the call for the Populist Con-
vention, was also present, as was also
cratic State Central Committee; A.
Caminetti, and others high in the
councils of the -Populo- Silvero
party.
After Mr. Van Meter had presented
his certificate for filing, and after Mr..
Gator had lodged his protest, the lat
ter engaged the attention of those
present, and read the protest, which
h.,A Full in,
which was embodied the call of the
Populist State Central Committee for
a State Convention, the history of the
convention up to the time of Maguire's
nomination and the bolt of the middle
of-the-road faction, and the minutes of
the last-named alleged convention.
At the conclusion of the reading Of
the document a recess was taken for
lunch
AT 100 O'Clock Mr.. Gator began his
argument before Secretary of State
Brown. He contended that the orig
inal call for the convention. which he
read, specified that union or fusion
with other parties should be made,
provided that said other parties should
adopt the principles of the Populist
party.
Mr.. Gator contended that the fusion
wing of the convention abandoned the
trust imposed upon it by the party in
that it adopted and accepted a plat
form widely different from that antici-
pated under the call. 1t was not an
ticipated in mentioning fusion that all
other fusion parties should adopt the
Populist platform. but that all fusion
parties should convene together and
agree on a platform which would not
conflict with the principles of the Pop
ulist party. He held that the CALL in
specifying under what conditions flu
sion could be made, barred any other
plan. and that as the fusionists adopted
a different plan it had abandoned it's
trust and was not properly a conven-
ton of the Populist party. He claimed
that the party did not reserve the right
to nominate it's ticket, but that it had
not done so.
Secretary Brown said that he inferred
that the middle of-the-road people in
the convention made a fight against
the nomination of Mcguire, and at
tempted to defeat him. He thought
that by that action they accepted the
situation and declared their willingness
to abide by the rule of the majority.
Mr.. Gator admitted that such con-
test had been waged, but insisted that
had not the middle-of- the road people
done SO they would at this time have
no standing. The straight-out Popu-
lists. he held, could not withdraw from
the convention until the convention
ceased. in fact and in law. to represent
the party, and that it had not aban-
doned its trust until Mcguire was nom
mated.
Secretary Brown wanted to know if
the action Of the convention was not
voluntary. and in compliance with the
wish of the majority. He inquired
whether or not the delegates had not
the right and the power TO represent
the party in convention.
Mr.. Gator said that up to the time
the middle-of- the-road people left the
convention nothing had been said Off
cially respecting fusion. 1t was gener-
ally known, he admitted, that attempts
We're being made to declare for flu
sion, but that the middle-of-the road
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