The San Francisco call., 1898-07-13
A Fusion Committee Appointed by the State Democratic
 Organization.
Governor Budd's Plans Adopted After Some Kicking-Chairman Afford Is Confident
 of Success.

The nervousness that has pervaded the Democratic ranks since the bewhiskered party went to Sacramento with banners flying and declarations of independence calculated to cause political cold extremi- ties among the most courageous of the unterritied was to a great degree quieted yesterday This sudden gratifying change in the condition of the leaders of the party was the result of a meeting of the Demo- cratic State Central Committee held at the California Hotel.
 The conference was brought about by the defiant attitude of the Populists at the Capitol, who apparently proposed to open the battle on their own account without any reference to the feelings of their Democratic friends. The Central Committee had guarded against a repuse by sending some of it's most trusted lieu tenants to the scene of conflict, the leader being no less d parsonage than eX-Judge W. r. Lawlor By keeping the wires hot with questions and answers an agreement was finally arrived at by which the Popu- lists secured concessions sufficiently mo- mentOuS to induce them to tie up their convention, which was in full working or der, and agree to do nothing" till the committee representing the Democrats appeared for a conference. This an- nouncement came after the Democratic promises had been digested in Sacramento and the Populist convention had voted for fusion by a large majority.
 The meeting yesterday was attended by some of the most prominent wheel horses of the party among whom were: Cover nor Budd, w. H; Afford, Frank Gould, Bob" Fitzgerald, Eugene Deuprey, Ben Maddox the Whisperer and many others.
 In the haste to get down to executive business and do something to check the dangerous career of the convention at the capital city, the committee dispensed with the reading of the minutes of the previous meeting and proceeded with the labor of adjusting the troubles In hand. . a to the credit of all concerned, being helped along by more or less entertaining OratOrY.
 Governor Budd in the capacity of guide and philosopher of the conferring leaders sidetracked the minutes and started the ball rolling by moving that the two old standing committees, that on welfare and organization and the conference commit tee, be merged into a joint committee and instructed to go to Sacramento to confer with the PopuliStS as to fusion; also that said joint committee be given full power to make final arrangements with their long -whiskered friends as to the division of nominations and the mar row path in which they must walk if they desire to secure the support of the Democracy and avoid being sponged off the political slate factor in the com ing campaign.
 The iron-bound proviso In the resolu- ton was that the Populists must keep hands off in the matter of nominations that are to be made by the Democrats and leave such places vacant for the fu ture action of the Democratic convention. The inference was plain that in any case where this resolution was dfsregarded the Democrat who was so misguided as to accept a nomination from the Populists woud be coolly turned down.
 The Governor stated that he had been notified from Sacramento that the Popu- lists would fuse if they were given the Lieutenant Governor, Controller and Su- perintendent of Public Instruction. He insisted that no one should have hand in the nomination of the State Democrat ic ticket but the convention of that great party.
 Senator Ostrom, remembering the un- lamented Dolly Warden party, was l.t- tie shy of fusion. except with those who would ''come into the Democratic fold. He was evidently not a member of the inner court for he wanted the committee instructed more fully. Clitus BarDour dis played considerable trepidation as to the result of the proposed action. He feared that the Populists would nominate Democrat for Governor and place his party in the position of indorsing the nominee. and thus make 1t possible for the Popuist tall to wag the Democratic dog" lie recognized number of his old sand lot friends in the convention at Sacramento, and for this reason hoped that the Populists could be induced to postpone their operations and meet si- mu.taneously with the Democrats This he desired in order to "sit on the George w. Bakers and the T. " Gators"
 Chairman Afford declared that the joint