The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-06-08

Yesterday the Peoples party Of this
state nominated a complete ticket at
Springfield, elected three members of the
national committee and adopted the
most thorough and radical platform in
the history of the party The fusioaists
bolted completely and the Populist party
of Illinois is again a party, standing up
on it's own foundations.
When the state committee met in
March there was very complete and
fair understanding arrived at between
Populists and the fusionists. DR.. How
ard S. Taylor, speaking for the fusion
lists, said they were in favor of co-opera-
ton, and under the new state law it
would now be necessary in such case,
to vote the Democratic ticket If the
Democrats reaffirm the Chicago platform,
he said, it would not be worth while to
split hairs over candidates, platform
planks or methods.
This variety Of cooperation meant
that the Popuist party should be most
effectually wiped out, though sugar
coated with such labels applied by the
fusionists as Cooperation, autonomy
of the party" and maintenance of the
integrity Of the party" The doctor had
too many votes in that meeting and he
fixed the date Of the state convention as
he wanted it, but though our discussion
was good natured and our hand shaking
cordial, it was said at parting, 1--WE shall
meet you, doctor, at Philippi" Yester-
day was Philippi. The real contest was
in the state committee for this commit
tee decided which of two Chicago con-
testing delegations with over $50 votes
!. should be admitted upon the temporary
rolls of the convention. On the final
test vote, we had 80 to their IA, but aft
erwards we received the votes of four
absent committeeman, one of these being
Mr.. Randolph, whose proxy had been
voted all day by one of the doctors men,
so that the actual situation was "a to Is,
seven being still absent.
The doctor and his following at last
took the responsibility from the shout
ders of the delegates by boiling the con-
vention. While regretting to part with
gentlemen who were personally SO
agreeable and some who were especially
talented and jealous, it was nevertheless
a great relief when the parting was over
and the convention had settled down in
to its old-time fraternal, brotherly and
camp-meeting-like fellowship.
The brilliant doctor has been vertically
thorn in the flesh. He possesses a
magnetism that leads his following ID
hill and down dale, through thick and
thin, but in some manner it always man
aged to split the party in Chicago.
In '94 united, the party had over So
900 votes in that city, but since then the
writer has sat as committeeman and
mediator FIVE times on the doctors in
suTrections. 10 say no.--.ng of what 9TH
ers may haze sat upon. At St. Louis
in '96 he t:cA up a whole day of that
immense i,.tional convention He was
ever r. "a and unyielding He would
listen to no harmonizing or settlements,
nothing except the complete annihiia-
ton, plotting out and an obliteration
from the map of other Chicago Populists
and this invariably included such men
as Henry D. Lloyd. the cultured author,
Editor Reynolds of the Express. ana
many of that class.
However the doctor with all his
shrewdness let the bars down. In his
chase after strange gods he left an op-
portunity for the nomination of a
straight ticket in Chicago and the sup
porters Of that ticket became the legal
Peoples party of Chicago. When their
delegates were admitted at Springfield
yesterday il sealed the doctors career as
an insurrectionist III the Pcpulist lines
He appealed from the state committee
to the convention, but it was of no avail
The doctors following yelled as only
Chicago men in grief and affection can
yell, but the old time Populists not
afraid of noise sat good naturedly in
their seats, patiently few minutes and
the parting scene was over.
THE CONVENTION