Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-02-20
THE ELEVENTH DISTRICT
Lanham Has Clear Majority Over All
Opposition to Him Within the
Democratic Party.
The Chance OF a Convention Nomiustlsg .
Dark Horse Too Improbable to JaR,sF
tify much Speculation.
Correspondence of the Gazette.

posted n pubic matters AND VINO has re-
Gently been over lalge part of the
Eleventh districz, inquired of him SO 20
the outlook of the ensuing congressional
campaign.
"Mr. Lanham," he replied, "has SO far,
clear msjoritY over ali opposition to
Gin within the Democratic party. There
are spots of disAfection here and there,
growing out Of the matter Of appoint
fnents 10 Ctf1je; and possibly some of the
ants ere trsssuFiug up against him the
part he took il the csOpaign Of last sum
mer. But ne is making good record il
Congress, is man of more than average
sbility, has now just reached
The point where his exDerisrcs
odds. -. ls5gely 80 his usefulness,
and dies fssss he is possessed Of con-
siderable msgus tism S1d personal popu-
lEri;y. If the field Is left open for free
race before the people tere is no proDa-
oility whatever Of any prominent Demo
crat entering tie lists sgsirst bin. A
ield-glSss Of the largest kind fe'ls TO
bring such al one within range Of the
vi.ual organs" But suppose there IS q
convention? ga convention with the
two-tGirds rule IS of course the reliance
Of the sscoDC-rate fellows, the chronic
Office-seekers and the DARK horaes for c.
chance at the plum. The man who mSg
be put forward to lock the convention
will, Of course, not be likely tn get the
n6sffRatior; the dSrk horse viii stand
the better chance end it is refreshing 10
hear these who sre plotting aud mop
ing for this chance solemniy de-
clsrIng that they sre not candidates nor
mss such sn idea ever entered their minds.
Each one decidedly prefers to have some
other fellow set in the forefront Of the
battle, ss 8 sscrifCiAl Offering for the
good OF the balsnce. Bat Texas has re-
Gently had some experiences ia this con-
vention busiuess t1at will render the
nomiaStion OF q second rate dark horse
very improbable. The politicians have
no wish except for the efflce, but the
people want the best man for the place,
and are net DESTROYS OF swapping of any
more men like WelIborn and Llnhsm
for men OF the hoTdy stripe. In the
F fbh district the convention broke tine
dark horse slate sud ruTned the csndi-
dates loose-3nd the result was that the
sovereign Democrats of that district, for
once, at least, enjoyed the right OF elect
irg the man of their choice. The same
TIL e occurred some years ago when
gentleman by the name of Ireland, who
was in the majority, persisted in locking
congressional convention. He Is the,
same man who Was about to be elboweS
into the sec, or the Seguin river, Or
something OF that sort-perhsps you re
msnsber the incident"
1.-THE reporter recollected to hkve heard
the name, but supposed it belonged to 81
island surrounded by the sea and nos By
the river, but having no geography 1T
hand, he avoided that issue, snc Inquired
further SIS to the possibilities Of con-
ventior.
sine chance of q convention ia the
Eleventh district nominating q Cerk horse
is too improbable to Justify much epecu-
lAtion about it. There Ia NO necessity f.
such thing being done, and it is not
reasonable to presume that q foolish thing
VIII be done without any cause sufficient
TO bring 1t about. Should the convention
be locked on Mr LEnhsm, however, 1t does
not follow that the marplots Whl
may have Effected that result will reap
any benefit from it, even II q nomination
be made. The larger strength OF Lam
han, and the good sense of the ccnven-
ton, 1t is reasonably to be hoped 81 d sup
posed, would turn to some first cla-s man
such as Jim Browning, or ex-senator J.
q. Davenport, or Judge A. T. Waits, who
are well known throughout the entir
district, and the state besides, as men Of
principles and ideas, ard not mere wealth
ercock politicians who straddle the fence
on every public question, be 1t great or
small, until the current Of public senti-
ment sets strong enough to indicate the
side on which they wish to fall p"
What necessity is there for having any
copvention7
''EoRe whatever. The object of q con-
vention is to defeat the opposing political
party; not t. give politicians al oppor
tunitY to defeat the choice of the people
in having forced on them man they
would not otherwise have chosen. II
another Democrat should enter the race
with Mr.. Lauham, 1t would net in tn
least imperiI the chances of Democratic
victory. The first campaign in this dis
trct WAS in 1889. There was TO CONVEX
ton then, end there were three Demo
era ic candidates, Mr.. LaOhsm, Mr.
Davenport and Mr.. Buck, sgainst one
Candidate of the opposing Greenback-
r ,dical party yet Lsuhsm defeated the
did by q decided plurality over the next
highest man. In 1884 there vas no con-
vention, but IN open fsld for all, and this
time Lsnhsm got only about sc, 900 votes,
as against less than 200 cast for ". A
Ssylor. In 1886 the first and only co.,
Veation was held This time the com
bined enemies Of our Democracy sgaiL
had DR.. Barnett in the fad, ami were
able to give him only about ZOO woes,
as sgsinst nearly %, 600 cast for Laahlm.
Had the Democratic vete been equally
divided between two Democratic cand'-
dates each CT them would have had $500
votes more than Barnett. or course,
However, the Democratic vote could ROT
have been equally divided, ind had there
been three Democrats Lsnham would
have been elected, just as III 1882"
"Do you think q convention will be
called?"
1t is not likely. The present chairman
Of the district has no political ak 10 grind
and no relative hoping to be hit by 8 zig
gag stroke of lightning. Should he c4ll
& convention, however, that step will not
necessarily decide the question OF nomi-
lstion CT 10 nomination. In 1884
She chairman Of this senatorial
district called convention, which duly
but when the pie WAS opened
the birds refused 10 sing and the ccnyen-
tim daem no nomination unuecasaArU