Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-04-16
HOW M'DANtEL WAS CHOSEN
The Interesting Work of the Confer
ence Committee Made Public,

ence Committee Made Public,
The exciting incidents in the eonferenc,
committee, and the authorization of tn,
story that to Gov. BoyntOn's follower
belong the credit of Hon. Henry d. Nc
Daniels nomination, are admirably tolt
in the Atlanta Constitution of Saturday
The story, as published, runs as follows:
The session of the committee opened
with the usual skirmishing. 1t was de
cIded to vote viva VOce, and the BacoI
men were put first on the list.
Judge Erwin was made Chairman anC
Mr.. Parham Secretary.
The first ballot stood 6. 6. / and >. After
while Mcdaniel went up to 6 votes
when the balloting had progressed some
lurther,Wlthout change, the BOyntOn men
stated they would prepare list of new
names, and the first man presented was
Mr.: George I. Barnes, OF Richmond.
Mr.. Dorsey said that in presenting Mr..
Barnes name the BOyntOn men We're i'm
earnest, and would give him the solid
B0ynton vote if the Bacon men would
vote for HIM, and as the Bacon men came
hrst ON the list, this could be determined.
Mr.. Barnes received only six or seven
votes, the Bacon men voting solidly
against him. Mr.. Dorsey then rendered
/. j. Simmons, Il. L. Lester, c. ID. Nc
Cutchen, George Hillyer, Henry Il. Jack
son, n. Il. LawtOn, c. 4. Crisp, L, G.
Lawson, Henry IL. Harris, j. III. Blount,
III. q. Turner and one or two Others and
offered to elect either if the Bacon men
would vote for him.
General Young then nominated the Hon.
w. Il. Smith, and the Boynton men voted
solldly for him, with perhaps one other
vote.
Mr.. NJ. c. Fulton then presented the
name of Hon. William Reese, but it is said
his name was withdrawn without ballot.
Ballots were then had on Messrs. Cook,
Simmons, Lawton, Crisp, Lawson, and w :.
+. Smith, the BOyntOn men voting sOlidly
for them, and Mr.. Guerry occasionally
voting with them. The six Bacon men
had voted steadily for Bacon. the four
Mcdaniel men for Mcdaniel, and Mr..
Willis, of the Cook committee, for either
Cook or Bacon.
The other gentlemen rendered by the
BOyntOn men were not supported by the
solid BOyntOn vote because the Bacon
men who were first on the list never split
their votes, and there was consequently
no chance. to elect them.
At length Judge Erwin, who represent
ed Major Mcdaniel, was sent for by that
gentleman for a consultation. At this
time the excitement in the lobby was in
tense. A rumOr was aflOat that Governor
Brown and Mr.. Bacon were in cOnsulta-
tion in a room in the capitol building, and
on this rumOr, either correct or incorrect,
all sorts of theories were builded.
Mr.. Mcdaniel met Judge Erwin in the
ante-rOOm of the Senate Chamber and
after few words of earnest conversation
handed him letter. This was his formal
withdrawal from the race. After having
given this to Judge Erwin he had mo-
ment's conversation with two COaStitu-
ton men and left the capitol for his hotel.
When Judge Erwin read to the CON-
mlttee the letter announcing Mr.. McDan-
iePs withdrawal it was evident that the
crisis had come. Two of his sup
pOrters, Messrs. Erwin and Wingfield,
were for Bacon after Mcdaniel, and the
other two, Dunlap and Livingston, were
for BOyntOn. This made the vote and s
between BOyntOn and Bacon. OF the
Cook men Mr.. Willis was for Bacon, and
Mr.. Query was known to prefer BoyntCn.
Had the vote been cast thus it would
have stood 8 and 0. Mr.. Guerry's name
was the last on the list.
The ballot was called, and every man
had voted save Mr.. Query, and the vote
stood Bacon 0, BOyntOn s. Mr.. Guerry
arose deliberately, and, putting his
thumbs in his pockets, said:
"NOw, let me understand exactly how
this thing stands. How is the vote?,'
Several voices hurriedIy volunteered the
information amid intense excitement, and
the Chairman at length said:
''If you vote for BOynton it stands to 9.
If you vote for Bacon it stands 10 to 50
Ex-senator Cabaniss then arose and
urged Mr.. Guerry to vote for Bacon. He
said: "You have been liberal and fair,
and you have taunted us with not having
been. This committee was raised on your
motion. You say you want harmony.
Then / urge you to vote fO Bacon and set
tie this contest, and restore harmony to
the party"
Mr.. Query said: ''Before casting my
vote / ask for time to consult my col
leagues"
This was granted him and the ballot
AS he left the room almost
the entire committee dropped out with
him. The Bacon men went to have the
pressure put on and to report the cOndi-
ton of things-the BOyntOn men to con-
suit over the new aspect of things, and
the Mcdaniel men remained in the Senate
Chamber. Judge Crisp was called from
the chair, and with Mr.. Willis and Mr..
Cults, the other members of the Sumter
county delegation, met Mr.. Query in the
side hall before the Senate door. The
group became the centre of attraction,
dense crowd packing them into corner.
A hurried consultation was carried ON,
being interrupted by frequent advice from
outsiders.
In the meantime the BOyntOn men, feel
ing assured in their own minds that Mr..
Guerry would vote for Bacon ON his re-
turn, determined to end the matter by
calling Mcdaniel back into the race and
giving him their solid vote. They there
lore proposed to the Mcdaniel men to put
afra1l aeaf.ly In
1t was objected that the ballot had al
ready been taken and could not be
The BOyntOn men held that any
nan could change his vote before the re-
suit was announced. McDaniePs name
was therefore put back into the fight at
the instance of the ROYntOn men and by
the Boynton men. He received the solid
vote of the 6 BoyntOn men, which, added
10 his own votes, gave him 10 votes, and
the nomination. This change had been
already made by the time Mr.. Guerry re-
turned to the room. He cast his vote for
making it II to ! for Bacon.
1t was then moved to make the vote unani-
nous.
The Bacon men objected, and stated
hat they would write minority report
They were about to do this, and were, in
fact, preparing to get to writing it, when
hey asked for three minutes for consulta-
ion. This being granted they retired,
md went presumably to talk to Major
Bacon. They were gone perhaps five
Mr.. +. H. COlley was the first
1ne of them to re-enter the room. He said
nothing about their determination, but
walked up quietly to Mr.. Dorsey, of the
Boynton delegation, and said:
''Will you walk into the hall with me?'
By this time the Bacon men had paired
with the others, and the procession was
he Chairman:
''Please announce that the report of the
committee is unanimous. We shall make
40 further fight. Our candidate does not
wish to stand in the way of perfect har-
nony."
And the contest over the GovernOrship
VAS ended!