The Topeka state journal., 1899-05-18
Their Own Ticket or That OF
Amy Other Body.
FUSIONISTS INVITED
To Come Into the Fold and as
an Inducement
The Barker and Donnelly Tick
ct Is Ignored.

/ was issued here by the national or
! ganization committee of the Peoples
/ party with the endorsement of the Ma
/ tfonaI Reform Press association These
/ two bodies, whose common object IS 10
keep the Popuiist party in the middle
| Of the road, avoiding fusion with other
| political parties everywhere, had been
! in session here since Tuesday morning
and the adoption OF the address con-
| cluded their labOrS.
/ All was not harmony among these
! rniddle-of-the-road leaders, and only
/ after long and heated discussions was
| an address agreed upon a hard fight
was made to secure the endorsement
! of Wharton Barker and Ignatius Don
| nelly for president and vice president IN
| 1900, but this committee refused TO
( recommend it Instead a. thorough or
] ganizatIon of the middIe-Of-the-roade ders
/ in every section of the country is urged
! with the understanding that they snail
| enter the next national campaign with
! the present P0puIist organization. but
that wherever fusion shall gain the day,
whether in county, state or national,
the uiddle-Of-t -the-rOaders shall bolt and
begin an active campaign to carry out
their principles.
The alleged fusfonist tendencies of
Marion Butler, chairman of the POpu-
list national committee. are provided
against in a clause which authorizes
the national organization committee to
call a national convention if they shall
be convinced that the national chairman
or the national committee are playing
into the hands of the fusionists-
The address of the committee in sub
stance follows:
THAT the voters Of the nation may
feel assured that the Peoples party shall
not again be betrayed into national
convention or its working forces passed
into the hands of the enemy, and 10 in
spire confidence among the masses in
the integrity of our acts and sincerity
of cur dema nds for independent action
as a party we respectfully submit to
the Populists of the nation the follow
ing plan OF action:
First. that the national organization
committee hereby instruct its chairman
to proceed with the formation of PeO-
pies party precinct clubs in all the
states, on the plan recommended by the
Cincinnati convention of September,
1898, or some relative plan and to ap-
point in each state not having mem
bers already selected three members OF
the national organization committee
and with the assistance and advice OF
these committeeman, TO select a state
organization committee of the same
number of members as the then exist
ing state committee and through these
committeeman to organize, as far as
possible. organization committees in
congressional districts. counties and
voting precincts Wherever it is posi-
lively known that those members OF
national state and other committees
now existing are unquaIifedly opposed
to fusion with either of the old parties
and for independent. straight forward
action by the Peoples party. they are
to be selected as members of the sey-
era1 organization committees.
Second, it shall be the duty of these
several committees to use all honorable
means to secure the selection of dele
gates to the various conventions leading
up to the nominating presidential con-
vention of 1900 who are opposed to
fusion; and failing in this. to provide
for and send cOntesting delegates to
the several conventions That is to say
If those who are opposed to fusion are
unfairly or dishonOrabIy treated in the
county convention they shall send a
deIega ton to contest the seats of the
fusion delegation in the state cOnvan-
ton.
IF the state convention is controlled
in the interest of the fusion and
against an honorable and strafghtfor-
ward Peoples party policy. as soon as
this is determined the niddIe-of-tE1e-
road delega tiOnS shall leave the couven-
ton. and uniting with the contesting
delegations, shall hold another state
convention and send a cOnteSting dele
CATION from that state to the national
convention Should the national con-
ventiOn be controlled by straight Pop
ulfstS. all delegates sent under this plan
shall feel themselves in honor bound to
nominate those candidates for president
and vice president recommended by the
refere ndum vote provided in the iucfez-
ment of the national organization com
mittee, there shall have been sufficient
organization 10 make such a vote both
practicable and representative of the
VIII of the party
Should the national convention of 1860
the stright deIegaffoI1s s=, q Ia en-
convention and join the contestfng sfeIega-
tons sent under this plan in straight
convention and there carry out the viii
OF the P0pulists OF the nation without ra-
gard to the fusion convention IN this
case the national organization committee
and the several state. district county and
plan shall be recognized as the only COM
m!tIees having any authority in the af-
II i should 50 occur that the national
committee fail TO issue the cali for the
natlonaI Peoples party convention within
due time IN the discretion of the national
organization committee. said organization
committee snail proceed to issue a call
Tor 4 na L1onaI convention
We offer this plan of action knowing
thaI II Will nrSt- show to every Papulist
lOwship with our fusion brethren. with
whom We have differed in the past in ac-
enies of the Peoples party provided they
will with Us stand sQuaFeIy on the Origi-
of action intended by its founders. who
declared in Omaha in 1892 that the TWO
old parties Were Jointly Responsible for the /
niSerieS of the people and Ehe nflIst leg
isIation which oppressed them: second /
II they refuse TO do SO. that We wish them
To know that We can go with them. no {
further, preferring TO adhere TO the grand /
principles of unrainted PopuIfsrn than 70
traffic in those sacred principles for per
S0uaI or political adva ncement-
We share the humiliation of the Pop
ulist voters who have found themselves +
in the past forced TO vote for candidates (
not in sympathy with each demand of the /
to diligently work in the future to avert I
any repetition of such complications
to carry out the request for the referer-
dunn vote asked for by the Cincinnati con-
vention be made SO that the fullest ex-
preston on the question may be obtain /
In order that states using the national !
precinct referendum club systems OF party /
government may be made most effective |
We recommend that these clubs be pre-
pared to vote on national c41tfIateS an1 /