The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-26
FUSION IS REJECTED
 BEFORE II IS PROPOSED
Delegates Arriving In Chicago Are Full of Idea That Independence Party Must Fight It's Battles With
 out Old Party Aid.
By WILLIAM ROSTER.

 ticket and a hard fight.
 Under this rallying cry the new na- tronal independence party will be launched here at the history-making convention which begins on Monday night.
 There will be no fusion with any other party. The independence party will put it's own candidates in the field. Independ- ence party leaders already on the ground, delegates who are arriving, advices re- ceived from those on the way-all sound the same demand for straightout na- tional ticket, and a hard, clean-cut, straight-away fight for the party's can- didates until the close of the polls on No vember g. The voice of the people is to be heard at this convention, and in the campaign which is to follow the echo will be heard from one end of the country to the other
 This question of fusion has been the chief topic of discussion here today That is to say, the democrats have talked 1t and the independence party men have consistently and emphatcally rejected 1t.
 MT Bryan is here himself, so are all the members of the democratic national committee So is Frank H. Hitchcock, chairman of the national republican com mttee, watching, speculating, negotiating, all of them.
 The professional political gentlemen will inform you that it just happens" that they are here on party business at this critical time; but the date of the inde- pence party convention was fixed long ago, and the republican and democratic leaders happened to set the date for com ing here coincident with the assembling of the independence party convention.
 Democrats Active.
 Today the democrats have heefg most active. They are openly bidding Tor in dependence party support. This has been rejected by the independence leaders.
 MT Bryan's friends propose that the independence party nominate the demo- cratic candidate-place him at the head of their national ticket; "and then" they say you can go ahead and nominate state tickets in all of the states of the union, and with MT. Bryan leading the ticket you will get many more votes in the various states for your state canui. dates than you could possibly hope to get otherwise.
 Which would be fusion of peculiar kind and leaving out of consideration entirely the democrats named for state offices in the various states, who would be practically abandoned to tnelr late if the independence party accepted the proposition.
 Rut if won't AS often as this prop osition was presented today it was re- iected by the independence party men, At the national headquarters in Madi- son street 1t was said: Absolutely no proposition of any kind, fusion or otherwise will be considered"
 The oliticians-democrats or repub- n nf a union with the new party are simply wasting tkeir time. The independence party is irrevocably committed to straight party ticket, and such ticket will be named by the convention, which ts to be called to order in Orchestra hall on Monday night
 No Fusion Cry.
 Moreover, the death knell Of fusion Is being sounded by every arriving dei- egate. The heart and soul, the bone and sinew of this new movement for political independence are all formed of a deeply rooted conviction that the two old parties have outlived their use- fulness; that the words democrat and republican have become terms that may be used interchangeably for graft and fraud, corruption, self-interest and defiant of the popular will.
 Talk with any one of the arriving delegates, ana you Will QlScOVeT ludt the new cause is holy to him, and that embodied in it is the old political spirit of the fathers, the spirit which pre- vailed when the boss was unheard of and the "steam roller" and pile driver as applied to popular self government had not come into existence
 Here is E. c. Fowler, for instance, coming in advance of the 26 delegates from Kansas and speaking from the bitter experience of the past against any fusion at the impending conven- tion. Fusion iS Kansas said Mr. Fowler today, killed the peoples party. We organized for the advance ment of reforms which were badly needed and for which there was a cry Ing demand on the part of the people. We had just cause and the party had a promising future. Then, in the carn- paign of 1896 we fused with the demo- cratic party and our promising party went to destruction. We were simply swallowed up, our organization disap- peared and the reforms for which we were battling came to naught.
 Fowler's Argument. i. "No," continued MT. Fowler, there must be no fusion. Kansas demands a straight independence ticket. There are thousands in my state who are waiting for a chance to vote for third ticket Wno VIII not vote at all Il aiy lusioh is attempted. The feeling Is that the com mon people can get nothing that is bcne- ficial from either of the old parties. We get promises and that's where 1t ends
 This is the spirit i,l winch the delegates to this convention are approaching their task It illustrates how impossible any plan of fusion is. No effort is being spared by the representatives of the }o.ds parties to -rag the independence men from their new allegiance. Here are pse- gates recruited from both of thel old partes-men who, while following the -e- publican or democratic banner never had their party loyalty questioned--men who n battled valiantly for Blaine, Harrisonl Mc- |l Kmley, Roosevelt, on the republican, side, and for Tilden Hancock, Cleveland and g, Bryan on the democratic side
 All the other arguments are being ad-