Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-04-17
THE CONVENTION.
ruE pLAtSu ROSES BADLY BEATEN
Tbey uudeitnok TOO Great n Contract
Bsynes wsskness as u Lead,r-Ibe
Platform and IIcket
sn,clal Cor INrrLLrarNrrn

"Bldns' cOnyention-sO Callrd-adiourp.
ed 80 hGit past one o'clock this morning.
and tue Blaine men came out of it with
nothing more than their baggage saved,
aud not even all of that. The feathers OF
the "Plumed Knights" followers wore a
very bedragglcd look, indeed, rs they
emerged from the cat aud parrot fight, in
which they had been engaged for fifteen
hours. 1t was bad enough to have under.
taken the high handed exercise of boss
power, but to have been beaten in IL, as
they were, was double loss oE the moral
advantage, which the So called Iudepcud-
ent Republicans of the state possessed, so
long as they were fighting for better
methods in Pennsylvania Republican poll
tics.
The resolution of instructions prema
tutely offered by delegate in the morning
and which the convention adopted rather
than ~ prcciptate a struggle early in the
day was about all that the Press Blaine
wing got out " yesterdays convention.
The platform was written for the most
part, 1t is said, by Charles Emory Smith,
ana for those who ike that sort OF plat
tuIm 1t is about the sort OF plat.
form they like. The plank relating z
to the silver coinage was tho pet
hobby Of Gen. 4. Lowdeu Snowdeu, direc.
tor of the mrIt, who in defiance Of civil
service rules, made himself a conspicuous
figure Of the convention aud against the
protests Of the country delegates stuck to
his claim for the chairmauship of the
platform committee. The Blaine iustruc
tiou resolution was what all sides had pre-
viOuSiy agreed to aS a IeaSe prescrver il
will not likely have any power to hold Nc
Names, who dei.d instructions four years
ago tO beat Giant and was appauioi for
1t by the Blaine people. He occupies about
the Saue attitude towards Blaiues caudi-
| dIcy now and will probably give his
| friends a dose rt the 1850 prescription.
| He has stubboru.y refused to make any
avowal OF his presidential preferences, and
| yet the Blaine bosses did not dare to
undertake his defeat.
| Besten In the SkirmI.hes
Early in the day Stewart weakened his
position rs a leader Of Independent senti-
meut and free methods by moving for a
| selected committee of nine--a SKA ma
| chine previously selected at a " Lochiel
caucus"-to decide contested seats.
While this committee was out tho-r
were anumbCr Of preliminary skirruI hes.
in which BAyue, OF PIttsburg, ass l ID to
! leai the Blaine forces on the h1rr 4 t
| displayed himself as q conspicuous dSure
In state convention. He lost In nearly
| every move and showed couclusively that
he lacked the comprehension and sagaoity,
the tact and fJrcs. for parliamentary
| leader. He wears himself out on details
| He attempts 70 drive four inch spike
with tack hammer.
The assumption of the chair 70 appoint
SuOwden, Of Philadelphia, chairman Of the
r. solutions committee, and Rowan, Of tho
| rf ~ IN
was certainly very extraordinary one, il
view Of the fact that the committees were
selected by the delegates themselves in
senatorial districts, tha- Rowan was rO'
even member OF his committee, and that
the Philadelphia delegates had early in th,
proceedings shown themselves opposed :,
the prevailing sentiment of the convention
. But 1t was email matter for Bayuo /,
invest with 80 much Importance, as i
seemed 70 express personal hostility I.
SnOwden AMI Rowan; and, as such, IL,
proposition 70 dopOse them was laid OF
The table by an overwhelming vote.
, Presently ano.h'r scheme OF the Blaine
, Bayne element appeared in the shape Cf
resolution 10 change the party rules So a
20 base the future representation in stat,
conventions on the Republican vote. TIL,
scheme fair one in itself, was sprunl
upon the convention untImely aud Mr.
Bayne IL espOusng it antagOaized the
minority counties, whose prOpDrtIOnate
representation would have been decreased
by it. Quay took advantage OF the Oppor
tuuity 10 try the pulse Of tho cOuventiou
aud 1t beat responsive 10 his opposition I,
the resolution.
The Allegheny Contest
But tue real issue before the conventio,
| N Al! a. pt al, a. l. IN,
ming, when the report of the five TO four
commission was received. There turrC
out to DO two reports, one by Stewart anc
his four Blaine colleagues, seating tn
: ant-Magce contestants the other b
Rctdcr and his three anti Blaine colleague
l IN favor OF Nagcc's men. Stewar. led tn
; debate Tor The majority report, aud Reede
, for the minority. Stewart was impressive
eloquent and sentimental, rs he always il
Q But Feeder and Lane presented cogen
, statement OF facts that vas inc)ntrOyert
c ole, From the testimony, the reports an
I the speeches, It appeared concusivel
that
T q There never was legal quorum {
b delegates III tho rump convention tha
I elected the anti -Magee delegates.
G g } The Allegheny county rules prC
4 vide = tribunal OF last resort, from wlict
i there IS no appeal, for the settlemer
: OF such contests as were involved in tl
Y case pending
; 90 Ii unqualified persons did vote a
q the Allegheny primaries their votes wer
! admitted by suti Magee election officers
o and l. had not been shown afirmatiyel
how they voted.
Upon these facts the pOstiou of Stewal
and his cJlIelgu's was iuderensible, an,
appealed simply to the Blaine sentimer
T of The convention for support Of Bayu
G against Magee in their local fight
; Quay and Mageo met tho issue. Bayu
f tried to choke of the minority report b
9 applying the five minute rule to il. Gro,
p. ruled against him and the cOnyentio
- sueercd him down. A vote was take
b amid Intense excitement, and the Quay
v Magce combination had 1913 votes againi
p. the majority report TO 1T for il. or ii
Lancaster county delegates only Roebucl
8 SchrOyer and IOcum voted with th
b stewart Bayne- Blaine party, tho Other
4 for the admission of the Magee people.
/ The supreme struggle was over but
= flushed with their victory, the Mage
e forces were determined TO drive the weds
G further and when the Bayne element
a the Allegheny delegation put in nomini
tiOn B. + Jones, especial friend of Calvi
= Wells proprietor of the Philadelph
t Press, for delegate-a large, Magee's MAJ
i Finn, took the floor and declared ope
hostility TO Jones. This was the signal Il
opposition to him from the entire ant
Blaine end OF the convention. Stewa
Vainy tried TO stem tho tide by offerir
II another To plOga tho