Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-11
REFORMERS TAKE The STUMP
Fusion Gang Deserts the State House and
Rustles for ths Popocratic Ticket.
MOVE AeAVtN AND EARTH TO SAVE BRYAN
Instruct Their Henchmen 10 Eschcw
state Politics. ana Tall. About the
Philippine Nar-Afraid of
Holcomb's Record.

LINCOLN, Oct 1O.-(Special.)-Th state |
house is practically. deserted these days |
The heat of the campaign has driven the |
faithful few from their posts at the helm |
OF state and they have taken refuge at the
ropocratic headquarters, where they are
concerning their efforts in the mighty task |
OF reScuing the old ship Reform from |
inevitable destruction. The movement to-
wards this point is general from all |
branches tf the state government under
popocratic control. The popocratic commit |
tees have called for aid and there was a
ready response. Even the secretaries of
the Board of Transportation, each of whom
draw $4,000 a year from tho state, have
put their shoulders to the wheel and arc
working with their fellow reformers to
save the state for Bryan. The Board of
Transportation office, which has always been
quiet place, is now in charge Of a stem
ographer. Secretaries Laws and Edgerton
were among the first to volunteer their SER
vices to the campaign committee and Sec
retary Jim Dahman is performing faithful
service for the democratic machine in
Omaha Across the state house corridor
in the office of Land Commissioner Wolfe,
there was also a ready response. Deputy
Nelson, who asked for an increase in salary
last year because he was overworked, did
not hesitate to throw off the burdens OF
state to accept the seCretaryship of the
pCpullst committee. The treaSurers office
is represented by Charles DeFrance, who
has been appointed official press correspon-
dent for the popuiist committee. II. G.
McEntee of Governor Poynter's staff of
statesmen has engaged apartments adjacent
to the populist headquarters in the Windsor
hotel and is devoting his time to the work
OF the committee. Henry Blum, another
Of the chief executives clerks, is taking
an active part in the campaign and on dull
days puts in his time in the interests OF
the reform" ticket in Douglas county. At
the Kearuey Industrial school the boys of
| the printing class are enjoying vacation
while their Instructor, C. NJ Farris, Is
working for the cause in Lincoln.
Fusion Machine Needs Oil.
| The fusion machine is not working to
perfection for the reason that great many
| of the warhorses who helped to build up
| the populist party now refuse to get into
| the harness. For some time Chairman Ed
| misten has been addressing frantic letters
| to old-time populiss asking them to go
! out and stump the state. One of those most
| sought after was G. A. Abbott CT Richardson
| county. Abbott made speeches over the
| state for several years and in 1898 was a
member of the platform committee at the
populist state convention.
1t seems that Abbott does not take kindly
| to the new style Of reform. A letter which
| he recently wrote Ito Edmisten has been
seen, and reads in part as follows:
| What shall our, isl'sakers say to the voters
rotten fusion record at the state house
| with the systematic plans for hoidups and
| the raids on tine tnshsnry. Lamlessness runs
knows knows no end. m iefying public t' Sentiment
| our present state house gang beats all re-
publican records. Meserve even made a
statement to the Legislature that ne pro-
posed to do as his predecessors had done.
We sent one man up there whom we knew
among that crowd for two years and did
his best to have things go as they should.
gang tried to break him down Every one
Of you. from janitor up to the highest Off
Ger, helped to persecute Lichty, and the
| entire 100 of you rejoiced when he was
finally driven from the capitol.
BY no means allow any of your. speakers
to talk state issues. The record of our men
in power forb!ds any, such thing. Tell your
men to talk about The Philippine var and
SIDE eIp of G the % earth That is all IL that is 'f Ief
for the "hold-up" gang and the free-pass
And why don't some of you take a good
| hickory club and knock out what little
brains old Buck Tibbles has in his bullet
a creditable party weekly and opposed rot
| tenness among our leaders. But for the last
eight months the editorials in that paper
have been a shame to the party. 1t is now
| simply laughing stock in this county. Sim
cere popuists despise man who takes
money from our leaders to defend their
| crookedness.
| 1t Is said that the fusion leaders here are
receiving many Such rebuffs, and these to-
| gether with the refusal Of such men as Bur-
| rows Gaffin and O'Shea to have anything
to do with the campaign, make the state
house clerks at the popuist headquarters
very unhappy.
DOdging Corrupt Practices Act.
The managers OF the popocratic campaign
have adopted a clever plan to evade the
requirements and provisions of the corrupt
| practices act. Under the law an individual,
| committee or organization of any kind is
prohibited from eXpending more than
| specified amount in promoting the nomna-
tion or election of any candidate for office
| created by the constitution or laws of the
| state This amount is in proportion to the
| number OF voters. The plan OF the popo-
Gratis is for the three campaign committees
| to each claim the entire vote, notwithstand
| ing they have only one ticket in the field.
| In this way each OF the three may spend
as much as the republican committee
Section 8 OF the corrupt practices act
bearing upon this subject reads as follows
To pay out. give, contribute or expend. or
offer or agree to pay, give, contribute or
eXpend any money or other valuable thing
for the purpose of promoting the nomina-
tion or election of any candidate or in sup
port of opposition to any measure sub
mtted to popular vote at any election, ex-
cept for the bona fde personal expenses of
any candidate for public office, and for the
purpose of holding and conducting public
| meetings for the discussion of public ques-
| tions, and then not in excess of a sum to
be determined upon the following basis,
| namely: For 5000 voters or less 500; for
| each 100 voters over 5000 and under %, Co.,
81, so; for each 100 voters over 25,0 and
| under $4,000, $lOO, and nothing additional
for voters over $4,000, Any payment, con-
tribution or expenditure, OF agreement or
offer to pay contribute or expend any
money or thing of value IN excess of the
limit prescribed by this act for any or all
such objects and purposes is hereby de-
ciared to be unlawful and to make void
the election of the person making It,. But
this section shall not apply in cases where
such nomination of such candidate or of
any rival candidate for the same office
shall have been made prior to the taking
effect of this act. Nothing in this section
shall refer to travelling expenses.
Sentiment In Chase County.