The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1900-05-04


Xix County.
SELECTED THEIR DELEGATES.
Populists Held Convention to Select
Delegates to the State Gath
ering at Canton.
There WAS pretty warm time at the |
populist convention held at the court |
house Saturday afternoon, even though |
the attendance was particularly small.
After waiting an interminaoly long
time for the delega e., to Assem- BILE John |
Colvin called the handful of men to-
gether and read the call, which was for
the purpose of selecting Is delegates to
the state convention to be held at Can
ton on May s. Frank Bailey, of Mt.
Vernon, vas selected as chairman,
even though he WAS not delegate to
the conyention and had come merely to
look on. BY q resolution which was
passed later the chairman and anybody
else in the hall who represented any
precinct in the county was entitled to q
seat and vote in the convention with
the power to cast the full vote of bis
township.
Messrs. Saul, Mclaughlin and
Scbluna we're appointed by the chair
as the credentials committee and it WAS
sunnOsed that IN tho raroc> bai,r ~ -, n A =,
that one of the delegations would be shut
out, but the suspicion pro ed untrue as
every township represented was per-
mitted to enjoy the freedom OF the hall.
When John Colvtn made a motion,
which carried, to proceed to the select.
ion of the delegates the exceedingly
interesting part of the convention COM
menced. John M. Pease, editor OF the
Mt. Vernon News, was made one of the
delegates from Mt. Vernon township
and his attitude as q middle-of-the-
road populist toward the populist party
led to the belief that there would be
trouble before the convention was over,
and the fusionists were not disappinted
in their suspicious. Mr.. Pease offered
. resolution which was quite lengthy,
and EN- bodied one of the fundamental
principles of the populist party, but it
WAS evident that the fusion element has
been away from homo SO long that they
were unable to recognize the idea tnat
Mr.. Pc ,se endeaYored to bring to their
attenli,n. His resolution called for the
putting into execution the principle OF
the initiative and referendum concern.
ing the selection of delegates to county,
, state or national conventions. The
speech in support of the resolution,
removed the possibility of the leaders
of any machine from manipulating the
political rights away from the people.
He stated that he had been sent by the
populists from his township for the
purpose of introducing such resolution
and that he believed that it ought to
pass. Referring to the national con-
vention at Sioux Falls Mr.. Pease de.
ciared that this method of selecting dol
egates would prevent the machine OF
carrying out the premeditated plan OF
l
ulist presidential candidate at Sioux
Falls to a few men. He was satisfied
that at Sioux Falls Bryan would not be
nominated and the machine would be
delegated to turn the populist party
over to the democrats. He was bitterly
opposed to any such Wholesale plar
of delivery of the populist party to any
man who could not support the plat
form of the populist party, which he
in quoting the language of Bryan, die
not believe the great silver leader en-
dorsed. he declared in impsssionee
terms that he would follow the fusion
lists to the last ditch, would see il deat
and buried before be would give up tn,
principles that stand for the populisn
in its original state. MIR. Pease sal
I? he stood before the convent on today t
= hurl back the charges that had bee
- made against him concerning his sellin
~ out to the republican party in his ad VIC
y cacy of populist principles. He sal
= the charges had been pu uolished far an
wide and he demanded the men, if the
Jwere not towards, to stand and face hil
in the accusations. He declared thu
some of the populists, who ten year
% ago were patting him on the back whe
he was fighting for populists principle
at a personal sacrifice, for which /
had never been reimbursed, were t
day accusing him of questionable mo