Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-05-04
Tho outcome OF the democrssio gath

sn~@@....----s..-..~-.
Tho outcome OF the democratic gath
ering at Wstertown is before the public.
There were two conventions-one com-
posed of those members OF the party
who believe in home rule and pure gov
ernment and the other composed of the
political automatons of an imported
governor and most of them office hold
ers. They have been denominated res
peotively .'Day democrats" and Church
democrats" It is noticeable that all the
reoreant republicans were allied to the
Church faction and all the recreant
democrats of the days of Ord
way were with them. Ordway Johnson,
chief of the rscreants-recreant TO the
democratic party in the days OF republi-
can power aud recreant to the republican
party IN the days of democratic power
was the leader of the Church amalgama-
tion in the Watertown proceedings. In
the Day ranks were the stalwarts of
democracy. Unbribed by power and
untainted by the prevailing corruption of
the times they stood steadfastly for pure
government for Dakota in opposition to
the governments established for the glory
and psauniaFy compensation OF few
devotees of an alien executive.
. With this issue between them the
democratic forces assembled OF Water
town-duly accredited delegates and
along with the,n rabbls of
pretenders whose only claim
to seats in the convention was that they
willingly wore the collar OF sheir po-
litical master In return for executive
favors bestowed upon them. They went
up to Watertown as the pretended rep
resentatives OF communities in which
they could not obtain the recognition OF
one vote in twenty upon the bare issue
which sent them thither. They were
there claiming seats in the convention
because 1t is not misdemeanor under
our laws to present false credentials to
political body.
The democratic central committee of
the territory was composed, by actual
appointment and by the proxy process,
OF seventeen office holders under church
and eleven democrats who were not
office holders. This committee held
meeting prior to the organization OF the
convention and by virtue of the numeri.
eel strength of it's Office holding ma
iority resolved isself into committee
on credentials with the assumed power
to pass upon the credentials OF those
claiming seats in the convention. Upon
this proposition the seventeen Office
holders on the committee voted afirma.
lively, nine non Office holders voted
negatively and two did not vote. The
seventeen who were there to do the
bidding of Church prevailed and estab-
lished as previously unheard of
precedent the rule that central conn
mittee may become of its own
motion D committee on ere
dentials to decide upon the claims of
contesting delegates.
Under this committee ediot 1t was eyi.
dent that every delegate and pretended
delegate guaranteeing his vote to the
Church faction would be admitted to
the convention, regardless OF the regu-
larity OF papers, and that every Day man
would be excluded from participation il
o Church man. put in a claim to his seat !.
The Day men then rebelled against the
ruling Of the majority Of the committee
and with minority OF chat committee,
headed by tts chairman, declined TO
submit their credentials to the hostile
seventeen. They organized as conyen.
tion, and were called to order by the
chairman of the democratic central
committee, whose prerogative and duty
1t is to call to order the territorial oon-
ventions occurring under his incum-
bency. They appointed a committee on
credentials and the report OF that COM
mittee contained the names Of 800
persons entitled to seats in the conyen.
tion.
While these proceedings were pro.
gressing the Church element assembled
ct Watertown came together under the
call of ordway Johnson and the seven
teen members OF the central COMMITTEES
who had forced their arbitrary rule upon
their followers reported the names OF
Szs persons entitled to seats in the
convention. The body organized and
proceeded to its business and tkas two
conventions were harnioniously running,
the contending factions having made NO
effort to fuse.
The aggregate nnmber OF delegates
holding seats nnder the reports OF the
two committees was Gs7. The democratic