The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-09-16
POPUL|STS ARE At WAR.
FIGHT IN WHITMAN THREATENS
PARTY DISRUPTION.
J. r. brown and G. A. Ross, CHAIR
man and Secretary of County
Committee, Removed From Their
po.ttiops-Tbe Fusion Convention

Special Dispatch to the Post-Intelligencer.
COLFAx. Sept. 15-There IS war TO the
knife in the camp Of the Popuiist parry
in whitman county. and the fight threat
ems to disrupt what little is left Of that
rarty in the county and drive those VINO
have been trying 20 hold the party to-
gether into the Republican party some
OF the leaders are already threatening 70
vote the Republican county and state
tickets in November. The row was caused
By the acts OF J. T. Brown, chairman
OF the county central committee, and OF
the executive committee and G. A. Ross,
ex-county clerk and secretary OF the
county executive committee OF the Popu-
list party. The county central committee
held a meeting here today and removed
both these men from their positions ana
elected j. H. St. Lawrence, "the blind
orator" chairman Of the county central
committee and abolished the executive
COMMITTEE. letting Ross out Of HIS Job
N secretary OF that committee The
campaign is TO be managed by the coun-
~ central committee.
history Of the fusion state convention,
and shows how Rogers was nominated
and harmony secured, To get the sense
Of this action and the history II reveals
one must 20 hack to the Populist county
convention which was held In Colfax,
July II, and Mt which n full mlddie-ot-
thc-road Populist ticket was nominated.
This convention agreed by vote to send no
delegates to the state convention unless a
straight nliddle-of- the-road state conven-
tion Is held" This convention elected
Shorty Brown chairman OF the execu-
tive committee. and Brown appointed
Ross his secretary.
These two men attended the fusion con-
vention at Seattle, Brown appointing. a
lot OF delegates and dividing the proxies
between himself and Ross, each taking
thirteen and one-half votes. One Of the
leading populIsts OF this county says that
Rogers money was In evidence before
these men left coifax This story IN com
mon talk on the streets OF Colfax, and
IN generally believed. II II known that
both Brown and Ross attended the con-
vention and that Ross gave HIS thirteen
and one-haif votes all the way through
the convention TO the Rogers people and
candidates, while Brown threw his thir-
teen votes 10 the Fawcett forces and
that Brown and Ross had some warm
words In the convention over the mat
ter Ross has returned TO Coifax bat
Brown has not been here since the state
convention.
Omces Declared Vacant.
when the central committee met the
action OF Brown and Ross was taken up
and their offices declared vacant. The
central committee was reorganized, as
stated above. and this caused considerable
bitter feeling among the partisans OF both
factions and n number OF the radical Pop
ulists say they. have no hope OF clecting
their county ticket, and there being no
Populist state ticket they will vote the
straight Republican ticket. These people
are bitter I'm denouncing the fusion con-
vention and Gov. Rogers. and declare the
convention was one OF the most corrupt
ever held
One OF the delegates to the Democratic
state convention. who supported Rogers
throughout. told the Post-fntellpencer
correspondent that the financial manager
OF Turner's campaign arranged for the
votes whica were caat for the Turner
Rogers combine throughout. The others
he decided that he did not need on the
terms demanded, and they were there
fore cast for Fawcett on every proposf-
tion. This Is common street talk, too,
and IN believed to be true
The exposure has created a furore here
and a majority OF those opposed to the
nomination OF Rogers are openly declar-
Ing their intsntion TO vote the Republican
ticket. J. q. Elliott, one or the leading
Populists of the county. who served four
years under G. A. Ross ns deputy county
clerk, said &c the Post-IntellRencer cor
respondent: For the first time In my
life ! will vote straight Republican
ticket In November. ] am thoroughly dis
Eusted with this mixture Of Popuiism and
Democracy. and believe the only way to
rehuke Y Ia 10 vote tho Republican ticket
straight