The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-13
BRYAN AND FUSION
WILLIAM JENNINGS AND IGNATIUS
DGNNELLY SPEND AN HOUR
TOGETHER.
THEIR CONFERENCE SECRET.
THEY WE'RE BROUGHT TOGETHER
BY SOME OF THE LOCAL POL
ITICIANs.
NEITHER WOULD TALK ABOUT 1T.
May Mean Dakota County aInn Was
Asked to Keep 1IfddIe-Of-thc
ROaders in Line.

VIII lgnatius DOnnelly call the mid
dle-ot-the-road Pops off to one side?
Or, If he would, can he?
Those are the questions that are in
teresting the local silverites, and the
nope of a favorable response to the
two questions was what actuated John
L. TownIey, the chairman of the county
Democratic committee. to act yester-
Gay as mediator between the forces of
out and out Populism and the aII-ac-
cepting liberal church of siIverism. in
securing conference between Will
lam Jennings Bryan and Ignatius Don
nelly, the former being urged to bring
to bear upon the latter not only all his
powers of persuasion in a general
sense, but the personal influence of q
long friendship.
The conference was had late yester-
day afternoon, in fact, Immediately at
the close of the reception which the
Nebraska man was given at the Ryan
hctel for a couple of hours.
When the Nininger Populist arrived
he did not come up and grasp the hand
of the Lincoln man as did others who
came to visit at the silver shrine. but
fingered in the main corridor, where
his presence was observed by members
OF the local committee, who soon Sc
cured for the pair the secIusion Of Par
Ior A.
The silverites want the mfddle-of-
the-road Populists held in line. They
want to elect silverman in the state
campaign of 1898 to as many state Of
fees as may be within their grasp.
They want a united opposition to con-
front the ClOugh-Van SAINT Republic
an machine. To secure this. they
thought that Mr.. Bryan might swing
Mr.. Donnelly into line, succeeding in
which, the leaderless party would fall
OF its own weight, or, at least, lose it's
fighting value. But if Mr.. Bryan's
mission was crowned with success, it
was not admitted by either victor or
Vanquished when the conference of an
hour was adjourned, both gentlemen
insisting, in response to reporters in
quiries, that their confab had been of a
personal nature, and being old friends,
and that sort of thing, you know, it
took a good while Mr.. Bryan. Of
course, was duly sOlicitous for the well
fare of his old friends intended. and
Ignatius, of cOuSe, was anxious to see
how William was standing the wear
and tear of continued public speaking
and perennial campaigning.
But If Mr.. Bryan persuaded Mr. DON
nelly to turn back into the fold where
there was the largest anti-RcpubIfcan
army, or in any way triumphed in Sc
curing from the Dakota county cham
pion the concession of apathy in his
leadership of the true blue Peoples
party voters, it was not promised with
that enthusiasm which gave assurance
to the anxious local leaders that their
cause was thriving under the benef-
cent influence of Mr. Bryans visit as
far as gaining outside acquisition was
concerned
Mr.. DonnelIy did not seem in the
least perturbed over the implied threat
contained in L. A. ROsing's speech at
the banquet in Minneapolis Tuesday
night, when he predicted that any self
constituted leader who got in the way
of the united party would get hurt
He was ushered into the secret session
with seeming intrepidity that prom
1Sed little hope for the success Of per-
suasiOns to compromise.
And it is still a secret whether -
not Mr.. Bryan's subtle Establishments
were subtle enough to convince Ny.
Donnelly that the defeat of the Re-
publicans in the state campaign this
year. and, with the impetus given by
the Wiping out of that $4,000 Mckinley
plurality, the sweeping Of the nation
for Bryan in 1900, with the possible
side bet Of an honorable appointive
place, would be sufficient recompense
for but the abandonment of a cause
repudiated by its own former friends,
and with no shadow Of a hope of vic
tory.