Omaha daily bee., 1899-09-28
COLD DECK FOR POPULISTS
Democrats Him to Trade Other Candidate,
for Power and Broadwell.
THEIR ALLIES BEGIN TO SEE THE POM
scheme to get Populist and silver RE-
publican vote for Democrats
md Cut II Rest of
the Ticket.

The county campaign is still in its incip-
iency, but it has gone far enough to make
one or two things perceptible. One OF these
is the fact that the democratic steering COM
mittee is preparing to play the same old
game at which they have edwin their
allies on previous occasions, and work the
fusion program for the exclusive benefit OF
one or two preferred candidates. 1t is a mat
ter of current information among those In
the confidence of the leaders that the order
has been promulgated in certain quarters to
bend every energy to the election OF Power
and Broadwell, and to sacrifice the other
candidates wherever it will strengthen the
favorites.
This situation is not entirely unexpected
by populists who have been closely con-
nected with former fusion campaigns. They
assert that it is nothing more than has been
done by democrats in every case, but this
year 1t is aimed to work the scheme on a
more extensive scale. The result is that 1t
has been impossible to keep the plans en-
tirely secret, and the impression is gaining
ground among the p%opulists and silver re-
publicans that they are billed as victims of
a huge political confidence game in which
the democrats hold all the cards.
III lhlE Ease II sNuhS " with III
ing for and certain elements Of the situation
are calculated to assist the democrats in
their purpose. They figure that Hofeldt is
reasonably sure of reelection, and this
would enable them to retain their hold of
the Board of County Commissioners. With
the sheriff's office and that of the clerk of
the district court in their possession, they
would practically control the county organi-
cation and patronage and this would be "a
powerful weapon for use in the next ma
tional campaign. None of the democrats
familiar with Douglas county politics expect
to be able to elect the whole fusion ticket.
Their only hope is to combine forces on one
or two candidates and endeavor to pull them
through at the expense of the others. They
care little what becomes of Charley Curtis
and the other populist and silver repub-
lican nominees IL they can accomplish their
main object and elect democrats to the two
most important offices in the county. They
do not even propose to waste time and effort
to elect Fred E~lsasser, their own candidate
for county treasurer, as they regard the
sheriff and clerk as decidedly more impor-
tant. Elsasser was nominated, in accord
ance with an eleventh hour suggestion ex-
clusively as a bait for the German voters,
and they are perfectly willing that a re-
publican treasurer should be elected If they
CAN gam d lew uuuuTeQ votes tOr POWER
and Broadwell.
While the mass of the voters who are al
lied to the democrats in the campaign are
still deluding themselves with the belief that
their candidates are to have an equal chance
with the Others, the active politicians are
beginning to see unmistakable evidences Of
the real situation. They are not willing to
discuss the matter openly thus early in the
contest, but they declare that If the present
democratic program is carried out they will
r~etaliate in a manner that will not be to the
advantage Of the candidates for whom it Is
proposed to sacrifice their representatives.
The feeling that already exists is manifest
in the extreme difficulty that the democrats
are encountering in settling the county
judge proposition. No secret is made Of the
fact that Martin Langdon proposes to stay
on the ticket unless the populists receive
some substantial assurance that democrats
will treat them fairly.
The democrats frankly admit that the
county judge proposition is the most serious
question that confronts them at this time. 1t
is not that they care a tinker's anathema
whether Langdon or Burnam, or either of
them, are elected, but they fear that, unless
the complications are adjusted, the growing
antagonism will result disastrously to their
own candidates. They incubated a plan to
retire both the nominees in favor of ]. W..
Carr, but the populists emphatically refused
to consider the proposition. Langdon says
that he will not retire in favor of any one
unless the democrats give some mighty sat
isfactory explanation of certain suspicious
circumstances, and his party, as represented
by it's county committee. seems ready to
back him in his position. The democrats are
now feeling the populist pulse with a view to
ascertaining how a proposition to retire both
candidates in favor of a democrat would be
received, but the idea has received very mea-
ger encouragement. TIL populists assert
that they did a very handsome thing in pull
ing off their candidate for county commits
sioner in the Third district, and that their
action deserves better treatment than they
are receiving.
The Fifth ward democrats, and some 9TH
ers, are much exercised over a controversy
that has arisen in connection with filling a
vacancy from that ward on the county COM
mittee. 1t is a question of the supremacy of
Walter Noise as the Dick Croker of the
ward, and present indications are that Noise
has the best of the argument. At the county
convention the Fifth ward delegation agreed
on A. A. AFTER, ar anti-Moise man, as their
committeeman, and the democrats who OPP
pose Noise congratulated themselves that
they had turned him down to stay. But their
Fluctuations were short-lived. When the
county committee met Noise was in close
conference with some of the leaders, and,
after the doors were closed. the committee
proceeded to repudiate the action of the con-
~vention and elected Peter Remacle, who was
recommended by Noise. The news of this
| hv- Mo hau ipCt rnaphn1 tha a-A. -
democrats and they assert that the commit
tee will either reconsider and endorse the
action of the convention or get into trouble.
Meanwhile Colonel Noise complacently
strokes his blonde mustache and injuries
when these young men got into politics any
how.
L E =.