The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-05
BYNUM BEATS HIS ENEMIES.
He Is Nominated Aftera Prolonged and
Bitter Fight, Getting 70 LIZ Votes.
The Convention Quite as Turbulent and In
harmonious as the One in Which the
Fractional Split Occurred.


linson Hail. The intense earnestness Of each
faction to seize even the slightest advantage
was carried to a point of trying to pack
the convention with their respective
friends, but this was frustrated by
subiecting each applicant for admission
to close scrutiny with Bynum man watching
the door keeper of the opposition. AS the hour
for beginning the proceedings approached only
the balconies and stage were filled with specta
tors. On the main floor all chairs except four
or Eve rows from the stage were vacant The
delegates and lookers-on presented no change
from the personnel of the May conventions. OF
the former none had died and only two or three
resigned. There was absent, however,
the hustle, crowding, pulling, hurrahing
and perspirine patriots who made
the scenes in May matter Of such moment to
Democratic interests The anti-Bynumites
showed the worry they had gone through the
past few weeks in a search for candidate and
the trials to keep their forces together. On the
other hand, the Congressman's leaders possessed
the esprit de corps that has enabled them to
hold their own in the face of
great odds. While there was no lessening Of
determined purpose to put him through,
at any cost, there was present confidence in
the result that enabled them to watch the details
of organization with disposition only short of
breaks on their part. calm of certainty held
them to their seats and orderly presentation
OF what they desired the convention to do It
was fulflment of the predictions Of the week
that Bynum mad the best of it. but not without
hard and thorough work.
There was no disposition to applaud any one,
either of high or low degree until the conven-
ton got to work When ex Senator Mcdonald
came in it to see delegates sitting quietly in
their Seats ready for the performance of things
that were either to make or break the district
Democracy beyond all hope of repair. Shortly
after his coming order was called. He
then read a speech of five minutes length,
to which the closest attention was given. He
spoke of the convention as the result of the
action of the congressional committee, in order
that the party might go into the canvass
thoroughly united It was his duty to preside
for brief period over the deliberations of the
convention until a permanent chairman had
been provided. In his rulings he would confne
himself strictly to parliamentary law. There
were, in organizing body OF this
kind, several questions that are termed
privileged questions, and until these were set
tied no business was in order The first was to
elect presiding officer, and the next was that
referring to contested delegations. All who had
prima facie right to seat in the convention
had right to vote for presiding officer. In
determining the questions that might arise in
regard to what is deemed prima facie right,
and what seats might be regarded
as in contest, the temporary presiding officer
would necessarily have to pass upon the propo
sitions involved. but inasmuch as the law of
parliamentary assemblies had quite clearly de-
fined the first one of these questions, little
difficulty could arise in passing upon
what is termed the prima facie case,
The speaker then quoted from Cushing who
lays down the law that every person duly re-
turned is a member, whether legally elected or
not, until his election is set aside second, that
no person who is not duly returned is
o member, even though legally elect
ed, until his election ia established;
third, that conflicting claimants both in form
legally returned, are neither Of them entitled to
be considered as members until the question be-
members who are duly returned and they alone,
the members whose rights are to be determined
being excluded, constitute judicial tribunal for
the decision OF all questions of this nature.
Sometimes in legislative bodies these questions
were settled by enactments; but it was settled
that in deliberative bodies of this kind persons
might vote on organization who had not been
legally returned, while in determining the right
to seats, those and those only whose rights were
uncontssted had right to vote. Until the con-
vention had passed upon these contests it was
not In position to act on the business that had
brought it together He called attention to the
peculiar conditions surrounding the recall of the
delegates. and sought to impress on them that
they were not assembled in their own right
They had higher mission than that of advanc-
ing the personal ends of any one man. 1t was
to restore harmony to the party they repre-
sented He made these suggestions with the
hope that they would not be dis
regarded as coming from one whose
whole life had been given to the interests of the
Democratic party. He had fought in hundred
battles for it and in not one against it. The
speech was loudly applauded by both factions.
William Boland, of Madison and E. X.
Adams, of Shelby county, were selected as tenn
porarS secretaries. On the call of counties, a
delegate suggested thar Marion county be
called by wards and townships. In the first
ward Henry NJ Snyder presented a proxy from
William Sandman, which caused William e.
English to inquire if the question of proxies
was to be settled then. mo, sir" sharply re-
piled the chairman; "this is only a call
of the counties in order to have
tho names of delegates presented" The
dangerous ground was then reached in the call
of the Second ward, whore once before the bat
tie began with such disastrous results in long
weeks of agony and contention TO the Democ-
racy. Norman Davidson responded promptly.
when Frank Creelman arose and quietly said, as
if making an ordinary comment or remark II
think l am the delegate from that ward .
1t passed without any more serious
contention than cries of ooh, Oh" sit
down" For the Third ward, Bernard Shendon
presented proxy from E. G. Sherer, and in the
Seventh, Peter Frick acted for John Carr
When the Ninth ward was called Sam Dinnin
and Henry Smith announced themselves AS dele
gates, and just AS prompt were Thomas Cottrell