The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-15
4 TURBULENT CONVENTION.
The Liquor League Figures in Naming
the Democratic Legislative Ticket.
A Hotly-Contested Fight for the Nomination
for Coroner, Resulting in Victory for DR..
Morrison-The Legislative Candidates.

ing coroner and FIVE representatives, got be-
yond control. It was noisy, confusion leading
to more confusion from o'clock until G. Austin
II. Brown presided, with w. w. Spencer, r. O.
johnson and Arthur Brown as secretaries. A
slate had been arranged, with Morrison for the
coronial nomination, and John Schley Michael
Fl. Farrell. Daniel Foley, William Hugo and
William II. Hicklan for the legislative ticket
But to the convention came also an aggressive
force to break this arrangement, as it had tie
backing of the saloon element. John Huegele
and other liquor dealers being conspicuous on
the floor during the ballotng .e s.
AS the old organization continued it did not
take the delegates long to reach the ballot w.
| w. Spencer sought to expedite matters by NOV
ing that on the legislative nominations each dee-
gate could cast five votes or as may as there
were candidates to be selected. This caused the
| first rupture, although the chairman put the
motion to VOTE resulting at first in Its adoption.
A significant number of noes. however, led
Robert Kennedy to suspect the motive of the
action, and he at once called for an interpreta-
| ton of the Spencer motion. This did not satisfy
| him. and he moved to amend by having the rep
resentatives selected one at a time. The chair
man, in the fast increasing turmoil attending
this, put the amendment to vote and 1t was car
| ried with only slight protest from the opposi-
ton. Kennedy said, ST wanted to smash the
ring and have SO far checked it."
The delegates became jubilant while outsiders
began to crowd the aisles. 1t was impossible to
catch distinctly what the loudest voice tried to
convey to the convention. But q lull occurred,
sufficient to allow the taking up of the first order
of busiress--that of nominating coroner. The
First ward named DR.. Ell. S. Cunningham, and
the Second Dr. F. A. Morrison. AT this there
| came shrill voice from the Twenty-third ward,
saying, .Mr Cheerman, would yeclare the aisles
of outsiders. They are making all the racket.
Up m now g ys they are eaeks
| like a lot Of geese" The presiding
officer tried to follow the suggestion, but the
frantic statesmen had gone beyond persuasion
and went on with their yelling, cheering and loud
I talking while the nominations were continued
| by the Twelfth ward naming DIR. F, J. Waters;
| the Eighteenth, DIR. A. Stratford, and the
| Twenty first, Dr. c. s. Rocker.
| The first ballot showed. until the northern
wards were reached, decided preference for
| Morrison. Cunningham and Rocker. though, got
| considerable support from the North Side. yet
| it was not until the call of the Fifteenth was
| reached that the former showed any particular
strength, and he gained little or nothing after
| leaving the city for the townships. Rocker
gained largely in the latter, which, in the result,
| gave him first place, the ballot standing: Gun.
| ningham 1873, Morrison 100. Rocker 167, Waters
| 10. and Stratford AZ.
The second ballot developed important
changes, narrowing the final contest to Rocker
| and Morrison, with Cunningham still in the
| with I13 votes. Rocker had 205 and Morrison
| 238 More and more did the outsiders seek TO
| pack the aisles, the friends OF each candidate
| going from delegation to delegation in desper-
| ate effort to make much they could out of
| further changes, After the city vote had been
completed on the third ballot and Cunningham's
| loss appearing to place him hopelessly in the
| rear, friend Withdrew his name. This left the
struggle for the country delegates between Nor
| rison and Rocker and the latter had the best of
| it, except in Wayne, which gave twenty two of
| its twenty four votes to Morrison. The ballot
| stood Morrison 315, and Rocker 254 During
| this call the police were called in to preserve
| order and keep the spectators and delegates
| away from each other, but it had no effect, ex-
| cept for few minutes. The officers quietly
| took side place and permitted the circus to
| continue with its noise and fury
When nominations for Representatives were
| in order, nearly every ward and township had it's
favorite statesman, the FIRST ward naming John
| Schley; the Second, r. o. j. Pendeton; the
| Third, Henry Stacey; the Fourth, Samuel l..
| Lefingwell: the Fifth, Scott Turner and Nathan
| Morris; the Eighth VIM. Hugo and Otto Frey;
| the Eleventh, R. O.. Johnson; tho Thirteenth,
| Michael H. Farrell; the Fifteenth, Coz. j. b.
| Maynard the Seventeenth: VIM. ii. Hicklan;
| the Twentieth, Daniel Foley; the Twenty second,
| Edward F. Boone; the Twenty third, Henry NJ.
| Spaan; Center township. VIM. Fl. Carson Perry
DR.. w. G. Robnson; Warren. John T.
! Maloney, and Wayne NJ F. Kelly.
| The nominations Of Samuel L. Marrow and E.
| +. Gould came from wards that could not be
distinguished. With this formidable array of
/ names, choice on the first ballot was beyond
| question; but it reached an end after great
| deal of difficulty, account of the turbulent
and enthusiastic delegates. who tried to cry their
favorites into popularity. Daniel Foley, with
| his 102 votes led the list John Schiev coming
next. with 81, Michael Farrell third, with So The
rest had anywhere from three to twenty eight
| votes, John e. Mahoney receiving the last num-
ber Scott Turner, the colored lawyer, got only
eleven, and six of those came from his own
ward. which divided between Schley and Morris
Nineteen voted for Leffingwe fourteen for
Pendeton, and twenty-four for Gould.
On the next ballot the delegates began to cen
| ter on Foley, with here and there number for
Schley, Farrell, Carson and Hicklan. Foley
was nominated by4i9 The third ballot went
largely in favor of Schley that it did not reach
total for enthusiast, shouting at the top of
his voice and waving his hat cried II move you
that Schley be nominated by acclamation." It
| was done before anyone had time to enter an OBJ
lection.
Having started on this line Hick1an's friends
tried the same method in his interest, but it met
with vigorous protest A few votes, however.
showed him to be so far in the lead that re-
newal of the motion succeeded.
Henry NJ Spans nomination was holly con-
tested by the friends Of Carson, Hugo and others,
each fighting their own battle, crying for bal
lot. Itwas had, and gave Spann 293 votes with
the rest about equally divided between Carson
and Hugo The next and last ballot began with
no semblance of order or any effort to maintain
it, every man who could get one stood on chair
! shouting frantically for his man. A delegate
seized his opportunity in this great confusion by
placing in nomination Henry Climber. The noise
for minute or Two was terrific, but little by lit
tie the secretaries managed to get the vote,
which resulted in the choice of Climber by Dol to
81 for Carson and 176 for Hugo, three more votes
in the aggregate than the convention was enti-
tied to, and yet several were also cast for Far
rell.
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