The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-05-18

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Hene.
The Republican State Convention met and
was called to order at Gainesville, Florida absut
- o'clock OF last Wednesday the 18th inst. The
call was read by E II. Cheney and the roll by
a. s. Harmon, respectively Chairman and Secre-
tary Of the State Executive Committee The
counties were all found to be represented, and
mest Of the delegates from each were present or
represented by alternates or proxies. There were
contesting delegations presents from three coun
ties-Marion, Monroe and Franklin, the same
that were contesting at the convention for the
First District, held at Tallahassee on the 9th and
7th insts 1t was moved that the contestants be
allowed no voice in the primary organization,
and this motion was substituted by another pro-
viding that none of the delegates from contestng
counties be allowed to participate until it could
be determined which were the legal delegations
Conover supported this motion in brief address,
and hoped il would prevail He was replied to
by Dennis, who claimed that one or the other
delegations by prima facie evidence had a right
u participate, anu ludt the CO0VCuuCn no
right to exclude any bearing such evidence
Suppose" said he, " every county should send
q contesting delegation where would we be
then, if we acted on this principle?" Conover
replied that he didn't suppose anything of the
kind that he represented county that had al
ways before sent contesting delegations; that
now they came as unit He congratulated the
Republican party on their harmony for the first
time said they had come there with the nten
ton Of organizing on a basis of harmony and
wanted TO admit no discordant elements Chand
Ter, the colored candidate for the State Senate
from Marion, made brief but we'll worded ad
dress, in which he advocated admitting those
and only those delegates who were regularly
elected under the regular call, recognizing no
contestants who happened 10 be little dissatis
fed with the result under the legal call He said
do this, and let il be understood that it will
always be done, and there will cease 10 be con-
testants, and harmony will he established at the
foundation of all such organizations as this :" but
that at present internal dissentons and contests
were destroying the Republican party. Another
bore him out in his argument, holding that all
those whose names made part of the original
list first regularly furnished to the Secretary Of
the Executive Committee were the ones to be
called and allowed participation in primary mat
tiers. The subject was further debated to some
extent, and then the question called for. There
was some fun and considerable boisterousness at
this juncture. The question was finally put and
the roll called by counties and where counties
were divided the names of delegates were called
ha fo Ind hxo oofO 70
all delegates from contesting counties from any
part in primary work.
When il came to making nominations for tenn
psrary chairman there was more fun. No order
could be maintained and the house was in a COM
motion and upIoar. Finally j. E. Lee, R A.
Dennis and Horatio Jenkins were nominated
and the vote taken by roll call. The result was
10 votes for Dennis, SO for Jenkins and 70 for
Lee, who was declared elected and escorted to
the chair by committee appointed for the pur
pose, after the election had been made unanimous
One of the gentlemen from Leon" in explain
ing his vote said he voted for Mr.. jenkins be-
cause he didn't want the white Republicans to
think they had drawn the color line. Neverthe-
less il was drawn square and close, nearly all
the votes sliding over to Lee before it was pro-
posed to make the election unanimous. 1t was
right amusing to witness; like landslide, grow
ing as it descends, one or tive would change
their votes to Lee; then five or six would become
dislodged, and then a county or two, and then
all 60 laundering ever together. And yet they
didn't want their white brothers TO think they
were drawing the color line.
In the course of his address Lee repeated the
Hordo If p@~,CA in the ToOn c0untv cAu Venfi0n
saying that they recognized the great Democratic
party as their common enemy, and in it foe
worthy of their steel, one that made the task be-
fore Republicans anything but easy. He was in
terrupted at one time by Mr.. Conant, who re-
quested him to have Q drunken and boisterous
delegate from Duval county, removed by the
attendant policeman. This course was objected
to by some of the mans friends who proposed
to remove him themselves. He resisted and had
TO be taken in charge by the policeman, and was
bodily carried out of the hall amid general con-
fusion and scufiing.
Leroy d. Ball, of this place, was appointed
temporary secretary and James Dean assistant
secretary-N
Parson Hicks then offered a set of resolutions
to the effect that all delegates from this to the
Chicago Convention be instructed to go as q
unit for Grant and Settle. Before they were put to
Q vote, he was called to the stand, and addressed
the convention at SEINE length. Ameng other
things as fallacious and sacreligious, he under
took to show that the mantle of Washington had
fallen upon the shoulders Of Grant-that the one
name, Grant, was the talisman of safety to the
Republican party, and had in it the ring OF the
trumpet Of resurrection angel! He designated
him a. the God-like man stepping-treading
firmly upon the mad waves that had driven the
Republican party from its moOrings-coming to
the rescue with the cry, 1t 10 be not afraid p
-" the Savior from the iron heel of Democratic
despotismr AT this juncture, when Ananias
was in one Of his finest flights, darkey in the
crowd excitedly cried out, Amen DR., GiH't
you gwine to hebbinr' In answer to this, he
expressed himseh in no particular hurry TO make
the venture. Then he went on lying and quot
ing scripture, which he seemed 10 think held
equally good In politica. He hkened Grant to
Joshua-he was the Joshua Of the Republican
party.-The Democrats had stolen away the
means by which their children were to be sup
| ported, and be designated that party as "a de-
| mon Of mischief dripping with human gore r
he screamed lie . hungry carrion bird and
| wildly waved aloft the sangninary night gar.
ment; bat when you came 10 simmer bis speech
down It wss nothing more than an infamous ap