The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-17
Unsuccessful Efforts to Gust the
P0puliSt National Chairman.
CONFERENCE AT OMAHA
FACTIONS REACH AN AGREE,
MENT ON MANY POINTS.
Question of Fusion Is to Be Governed
By Local Conditions and Decided
Each State For Itself-Ignatius
Donnelly's Bolt In Minnesota
Kansas Democrats Indorse Pops.

Omaha, June 16-In the discussion of
the report of the credentials committee,
which is more or less favorable to the
fusionists, the middle-of-the-roaders this
morning endeavored to force the national
Populist committee to admit Paul Van
dervoort, of Nebraska, as entitled to hold
the proxy of NJ w. Howard, of Alabama,
in the national committee. They were led
by Colonel Frank Burkitt, of Mississippi,
On a call of the roll they were defeated
by vote of 81 to 81.
Afterward Colonel Burkitt made long
speech, in which he demanded the retire
ment of Marion Butler from the chair
manShip of the national committee and
told the fusionists that if they persisted
in their course of action they would drive
the southern POpuliStS to an aftlllatlOn
with the Republicans.
The report of the committee was de-
c)ared by Chairman Butler adopted on a
viva voce vote, but on suggestion from
Senator Allen, chairman of the creden-
tials committee, he allowed the roll to be
called with no change of result.
All day the middle-of-the-road Populists
have been prosecuting their fight upon
Senator Marion Butler, the chairman of
the national PopuliSt committee, but so
far without success.
Through eX-Congressman Wells, of
Iowa, they made an effort during the
afternoon to have reconsidered the report
of the credentials committee barring out
Paul Vandervoort, of Nebraska from the
CoiHIlltltS anu seating Inc CoutsStdil
from Iowa, favorable to the fusionists,
but they suffered signal defeat.
Tonight a conference between the mid
dle-of-the-roaders and the fusionists was
held and the report from this conference
was deliberated upon. All afternoon SEN
ator Allen, of Nebraska; Congressman
James Gum, of Idaho. and Joseph r.
Buchanan, of New Jersey, represented
the fusionistS in the conference, and c.
Frank Burkitt, of Mississippi; w. Nor
gan. Of Arkansas, and Henry Tracey rep
resented the anti-fuSioniSts.
The result of the conference was that
an agreement was reached to the effect
that none of the fusion propositions
should emanate from the Populist ma
tional committee; that the convention of
1900 should be held early in the year, in
dependently of any other convention; that
different states were to be governed &C
cording TO the interest of their own politi-
cal welfare individually. But upon the
demand of the middle-o that
Chairman Butler should resign, the con-
ferees could not agree.
Their report consumed several hours of
an executive session and finally it was
deemed necessary to have an entirely new
conference.
Senator Butler said that, after the fight
that had been made upon him by the two
other members of the national committee
from his own state and the methods en-
ployed by the Texas middle-of-the-roader
he would not resign. At midnight an
other conference is in progress.
At the present hour.f2 a. r.. the Populist
national committee is still in session. en-
gagged in discussing a report or rather two
reports from the new confereeS. 1t looks
as though the committee would debate
most of the night.