Omaha daily bee., 1888-08-25
PROHIBITION PANDEMONIUM.
1t Causes An All-Night Session Of
the State Convention.
CONFUSION WORSE COMPOUNDED
The Platform Finally Adopted With a
Submission Plank. and the Ses-
sion Closes at Seven O'Clock
In the Morning.
A Lively and Late Wind-up.


stormy and exciting sessions that has ever
been witnessed in this state, the republican
state convention completed its labors at Z
o'clock this morning. 1t was a quarter past Q
when the chairman of the committee en- res
olutions, Hascal Of Douglas, asccnded tho
stage and read from manuscript the follow
ing platform agreed upon by the committee:
THE PLATFORM.
The republicans OF Nebraska, by their del
gates in convention assembled declare their
unalterable devotion to the principles estab-
lished and cxemplticd by the successful ad
ministratons of Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Gar
field and Arthur and embodied in the plat
form OF the national convention lately held
In Chicago, unfolding the national constitu-
tion, the indisSolublc union of the states with
the autonomy reserved to them under the
constitution, the personal rights and liberties
of citizens in all the states and territories
and the supreme and sovereign right OF every
citizen, rich or poor, native or foreign born,
white or black, to cast one free ballot in pub
lie elections and to have that ballot duly
counted. and the American system of protcc-
tion against the destruction proposed by the
president and his party.
They reassert their hostility to the intro
duction TO this country Of foreign contract
labor or other labor alien to our civilization,
their opposition to all combinations of capi-
tai organized in trusts or pools to control
trade and fix prices on an arbitrary basis, and
demand the requisite national and state legis-
lation for the suppression of the same and
the removal of all obstacles to the perfect
freedom and independence Of American
labor
They arraign the present national admins
tration for its failure to execute laws secur-
ing to settlers on the public domain their
title to their homesJeads; for its determined
hostility to the Just claims of the invalid and
destitute soldiers and sailors who served in
the army and navy in the war for the
preservation of the union; for its weak and
inefficient foreign policy, and for its effort to
destroy the bi-metalic system of currency
and restore the single gold standard for the
sole benefit of importers and money lenders.
They most heartily endorse the nomination
of Benjamin Harrison, the soldier and the
statesman, for president, and of Levi L.
Morton, the patriotic business man and
philanthropist, for vice-prcsident, and pledge
the full support of the party in Nebraska.
They congratulate the people of the state
upon the laws enacted through the efforts of
leading republicans in congress and in the
state legislature for the regulation of inter-
state commerce and local railroad transpor-
tation endorsing the action of the state
board of transportation thcreunder, and
pledge the party, If continued in
power, to the effectual execution of these
measures to prevent unjust discrimination
and extortion in transportation rates, and to
tine adoption of such amendments to them
that experience may show to be necessary
for the accomplishment of the end in view
the general establishment of fair and
reasonable freight and passenger rates.
They denounce the partisan injustice of
the democratic majority in the lower house
of congress in closing the door of the union
to 600 900 citizens of the United States, resi-
dent in Dakota, and demand the prompt ad-
mission of the southern half of that terri
tory as state, in accordance with all prece
dent and the unanimous desire of Its inhabi
tants.
The first concern of all good government
is the virtue and sobriety of the people and
= 81 k.At,, n,
party cordially sympathzes with all wise
and well-directed efforts for the promotion
of temperance and morality
That home rule is in accord with the prin-
ciples of the republican party and they sym
pathize with the people of Ireland in their
heroic effort to secure that right.
They sincerely mourn the death of that
ideal soldier, General Phillip II. Sheridan,
the cavalry hero of the union and the pride
Of the nation, realizing that in his death the
country loses one of its brightest ornaments,
the soldier mourns a most faithful comrade,
and every patriotic citizen is bereft of one
who was tower of strength, ever true to
duty, honor and the flag of his country.
They favor the enactment of a law making
nine hours a legal days work, making the
first Monday in Sept ember in each year a
and prohibiting the Importation into the state
OF armed men or associations of men for the
purpose OF police duty
PROHIBITION FIREBRAND.
Hascall had scarcely concluded the reading
OF this platform and moved its adoption by
the convention when Briefly from Perkins
county exploded dynamite bomb from one
OF the proscenium boxes IN the shape of the
following resolution, which he moved to at
tach To the platform as minority report:
Resolved, That the republicans of Ne
braska assembled in convention deem it due
the electors of this state that the submission
Of the question, Shall the manufacture and
sale of Intoxicating liquors as a beverage be
prohiDitedi' be made to the voters Of the
state.
No sooner had this resolution been read
than pandemonium broke loose, and for -four
mortal hours the house was convulsed i'll 9
fierce and uproarous controversy, which at
times threatened to terminate in a general
melee and the breaking up of the convention
The center of the conflict was the Douglas
delegation, which made desperate resistance
to the adoption of the prohibition plank.
GAG RULINGS FROM THE CHAIR.
Chairman Wall, for some mysterious and
inexplicable reason, gave up the gavel tc
Church Howe, who, from the outset to the
finale, made the most arbitrary and unpar
liamentary rulings, palpably designed to
fost the prohibition plank on the party at all
hazards.
Quite q scene was created by the effort of
Howe to choke of Edward Rosewater, who
In the midst of the melee over prohibition
was invited by members of the
Douglas delegation to take hand in
the fight with them. HOwe's attempt to
rule Rosewater out Of the arenawas resented
by delegates from various parts of the hall
and motion to hear him, offered by Magoon
OF Lancaster,
WAS CARRIED WITH BIG HURRAH.
Rosewater finally secured a hearing and
made a forcible appeal against the minority
report. The pith of his argument was that
pledging the members of the next legislature
TO submission was beyond the domain of the
state convention. The issue had been fairly
dealt with by the last state convention,
when 1t instructed the state central commit
tee to call for an expression from republicans
on the proprety of submitting the amend
ment through the precinct primaries. This
had already been done in many counties.
The Keystone OF our American government
Is home rule and local selfgovernment. The
sovereign voters of the respective dis
trcts are alone In position TO dictate to
their law makers what they shall aud what
they shall not do. The convention had NO
right to override the will of the localities and
subdivisions Of the state. While it was emf.
nently proper to reaffirm the national con-
vention principle in favor of elevating the
public morals and promoting temperance, the
county and district conventions alone had the
right 10 instruct candidates for the legisla
ture. Any other course would be subver.
2 slve Of our system of government and estab
lish centralizing tyranny by the mere fore,