The Portland daily press., 1886-02-24
REPUBLICAN, CONVENTION.
Charles }. Chapman Nominated for
Mayor.
Report OF the Hearing on the Ward
Two Contest.

house. chairman of the city committee,
called the convention to order. Mr.. Charles
McIaughlin nominated Mr.. William T.
Small as chairman, and he was unanimously
elected
Mr.. Small thanked the convention for the
honor and hoped the result Of the convention
would place in nomination a can
didate rejecting credit on the city and the
party he represented. He then read the call
and suggested the election of a secretary
Mr.. C. D. Clark was accordingly elected
secretary.
The convention was now organized and
ready for business.
Mr.. Ernest True said as there were two
delegations from Ward present he thought
it would be better to ascertain which was
the legal one before proceeding further.
Mr.. Fl. II. Shaw moved committee of
seven on credentials be appointed, emitting
any delegate from Ward from the commit
tee. Hon. H. B. Cleayes moved that the
motion be amended so as to compose the
committee of one from each ward, except
Ward 2, and Mr.. Shaw accepted the amend
ment The amended motion was put and
carried, and the chair appointed FL. H.Shaw
w. c. G. Carney Fl. B. Cleayes, Charles
Mclaughlin, E. P, Chase and w. Ell. Green
said committee. The committee then re-
tired to the Aldermen's room, and with them
the two delegations met
Mr.. c. f. Libby appeared for the contest
ing delegation. The hearing was quite long,
lasting fully an hour. Mr.. Benjamin Crib
ben, who was called upon as Witness
4o,l I, q =
present at the caucus Monday night. He
said there were great number of Demo-
Gratis present who took part in the caucus
These men voted under protest. and some
of them voted twice, among them Patrick
Scully. The chairman took no notice of the
protests The Republicans present finding
that no action was taken on their protest,
withdrew, to the number of some 30 or 40
and held another caucus, which returned the
contesting delegation with certificates signed
by Mr.. Pencil and Mr. True, the chairman
and secretary, which certificates were read
to the committee. He thought enough DEM
ocrats took part in the regular caucus to
completely change the result. He didn't
know whether these men voted for Barker or
Chapman. Powers said he was going to
vote the Republican ticket; he voted for
Deering last spring. How he voted for
President witness didn't know. Upon cross
examination he said the contestants with
drew from the regular caucus when it was
half through. He named as voting in the
caucus. Patrick Scully, Michael Powers,
DAILY and johnson.
Mr.. Cunningham, of the regular delegation
claimed the caucus was properly called and
held. There was some objection to the
chairman of the meeting but that's always
the case at spirited caucus. If the minutes
Of the caucus were read it would be seen that
everything had been properly conducted.
The other delegation was the fruit of rump
caucus, and if the regular delegation was
thrown out then the Barker delegates from
the other wards could be thrown out with
equal propriety. Neither Mr.. Gray nor him
self would connive at any thing wrong.
Mr.. Libby asked if the evidence or argu-
ments were first to be heard.
Mr.. Gray was then requested to read the
minutes of the meeting which he did, and
which were in regular form.
Mr.. Ernest True then testified. His testi-
mony followed Mr.. Gribbens in form and
was corroborative of it, He claimed that
the chairman of the caucus was not properly
elected The chairman he said was appoint
ed by Mr.. Forrestal who called the caucus to
order and when the vote was doubted paid
no attention and didn't poll the house. Mr..
Forrestal also paid no attention when wit
ness nominated Mr.. Barker for chairman
A motion was made ana passed that no
Democrats be allowed to vote When DEM
ocrats came up to vote they were challenged.
He named half dozen men he said he knew
to be Democrats who voted despite this ac-
ton of the caucus, and yet no note was taken
of their challenges. The man Scully, who
voted twice, is the Democratic warden in
the ward. No attention was paid to the
check list, although it was there, and yet al
though Democrats were allowed to vote, Mr..
E. j. Morrill, was not allowed to do so. In
the witnesses Judgment some thirty Demo-
Gratis were allowed to vote.
Some controversy ensued between Mr..
True and MesSrS. F0rrestal and Cunningham
as to the Republicanism of the regular caucus
delegates, Mr.. True claiming that only por-
ton of them were Republicans and they
claiming they were all Republicans.
Mr. Plummer testified as to the protests,
against the legality Of the organization of the
caucus. In response to question by Mr.
Mclaughlin, Mr.. Plummer said that a pro-
test to the proceedings was made at the out
set.
Mr.. Cunningham said that he defed any
delegate to name man whom he, Mr. Cum
ningham had invited to attend the caucus.
The young man who called the meeting to
order did not read the call and Mr.. True pro-
tested. The call was subsequently read by
Mr.. Forrestal and Mr.. Cunningham was
elected chairman. Mr.. Cunningham heard
protest before the organization was effect
ed but did not hear one afterwards. M per-
son to his knowledge voted twice at the eau
Gus.
Mr.. Cunningham further stated that as
chairman he had urged the use of the check
list.
Mr.. Libby-Did you hear any protests to
voters?
would be impossible to listen to every object
ion made at such meeting: He believed
the men were going to act with the party.
Mr.. Libby then asked whether Mr.. Cum
ningham had not himself decided the ques-
| ton when it should have been left to the eau
Gus and Mr.. Cunningham replied that the
| gentleman in charge of the ballot box really
! had control of the matter.
Mr.. Gray said that there were men in the
ward who had acted with different parties in
| the past The members of the temperance
| party there have done so.
Mr.. True denied that the protests were
made in regard to the chairman alone.
| At this point the committee expressed the
| opinion that the discussion had been of suf-
| ficient length.
| Mr.. Libby for the contestants then spoke
| briefly. He said that he had been invited to
| come there to represent the contesting dele
CATION, and did not think that Mr. Cunning
| ham would impute to him any desire to i'm
pugn the motives of the chairman of the eau
Gus. Mr.. Libby thought that the matter
raised question which the committee should
bring to the attention Of the convection:
Gsanting that the result of the election of
chairman would have been unchanged had
the chair polled the house when objection
was made, when well known Republicans
of the ward protested their protests should
not have been left to the decision of the
chairman. Mr.. Libby said that when the
| chairman of a Democratic committee attend
ed Republican caucus and voted twice the
affair became scandal He commended that
no man had a right to decide as to what an
others political course was to be- The con-
testants were not animated by the fact that
delegation had been selected faV0ring Mr.
Barker but came there because they believ-
ed a wrong had been done and wished to see
it righted.
After a few words more from Messrs
Cunningham and True the discussion was
closed on motion of Mr.. Chase. The COM
,,;++oa cborfIv oftaruordc ranartad IN the