Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-10
CLOSED THE DOORS.


At 1920 o'clock W. D. Porter, Chairman
of the County Committee, raped for order
and the doors were closed. Tax Collector
Grier nominated Theodore Myler and S. L
| Dunlap as Colonel Stones secretaries. Fol
Shiras, George E. Shaw and James M. Nc
Neill were named, and all were elected, Mr.
Myler scanning credentials as Chairman Por
ter called the districts. Grier exhorted Mylel
| to examine the backs as well as fronts of ere
dentials. and the matter was apparently re
garded suggestive. John Watts credentials
were not in the prescribed form, but
the Chairman ruled them correct. AS no one
answered the call for the Second district of the
Eighth ward, Colonel Stone designated Joseph
Scott as the delegate. but the name was not ac.
cepted. The Second district of the Eleventh
ward was also unrepresented. Other districts
lacking in representation were from Fawn
township, Second district of Ohio township.
Pine township. and two delegates claiming
from the First district of Ross township, each
got to the front with his credentials from the
Second district OF the Eighth ward, and made
the landing.
The roll call went through smoothly, and A.
j. Pentecost, for Stone nominated for Per
manent Chairman A. d. Armstrong. and w.
X. Shiras nominated Captain w. K. Shields
for George Shiras No. 3. Chairman Porter
and the loser Vice Chairman. Roll call pro-
ceeded quietly until the name of Laufman,
from the First district of the Twelfth ward,
was called. He cast ICY votes for Shields,
when Secretary Myler shouted in terms unit
for print that it was sell-out In an instant
the convention was in an uproar which almost
drowned the sound of the gavel
Finally the Chair was heard to say: THE
Secretary will leave his seat.h Myler at
tempted protest. but the Char said he'd call
the roll himself Shiras' adherents shouted
Put him out" but meantime Mr.. Myler had
recovered his equanimIty and apologized,
called ia nf fho
list. Mr.. GerwIg challenged the vote of
the delegate from the First district of the
Twelfth ward as he said his credentials were a
transfer from Stone man and the substitute
was Shiras man. The Chair ruled that the
only question was as to the legality of the
credentials, and they being regular, the vote
must be accepted. The Shiras men cheered the
decision.
THE TEST VOTE.
The vote was announced Armstrong
s.6261S; Shields. $685.. majority for Arm
strong of 3023. and Stones adherents rejoiced
with exceeding great joy while Messrs. Arm
strong and Shields were escorted to their re-
spective seats.
Mr.. Armstrong; experience as Presidens of
Allegheny Select Council made him feel at
home, and he made brief speech. enjoining
harmony. quiet and expedition.
When the matter of appointment of Com
mittee on Contested Seats was announced, Mr.
Gerwig rose to point of order that under the
rule delegate whose seat was contested must
be notified in writing before IL o'clock, noon,
of the day before the convention is held He
argued the case at some length, concluding by
stating that not one of the contests had been
made in compliance with rule 10.
Mr.. Shaw. for Shiras, replied thar all the
rules of the County Committee except that re-
garding time had been complied with. and he
expressed the hope that technicalfty should
not be allowed to prevent fair contest He
further said that the gravity OF charges of in
timidation and abstraction of ballot boxes
made it lmpolitic to urge such technicalities.
He also asked for full. fair and honest hear
ing. without any suppression or gag law, so
that the man nominated could go into the con-
test clean-handed.
MIR. Gerwig buttressed Mr.. Shaw's appeal for
farmers but asked for it in a different way.
He SAID it was not fair that he should be
charged with bribery and only an hour be
given for defense. 1t was claimed that the
mass of evidence was SO great that it took
until then to gather it. and held that the ac-
cused could not be held to get up a defense in
an hour SAID he: "rll appear anywhere and
answer any charges of bribery against me-"
Both speakers were cheered to the echo by
opposite sides. Chairman Armstrong ruled
Gerwigs point well taken. and the ruling made
the Stone men cheer again.
Lewis Herts asked that the published charges
of fraud be read to the convention, but was
ruled out, and the Stone men cheered again
derisively
John KEENAN, now started stampede by
shouting. THAT man tried to buy my vote yes
terday."
NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE.
Leave the hall p roared the shiras dele
gates, and they started in body for the door,
but Chief OF Police Murphy slammed it in their
faces, and they found themselves in duress
when the bolt clicked in the rear of a squad of
burly policemen. Subsequently a stalwart
countryman, an ardent Shiras delegate who
looked as though he might have competed with
Samson in carrying away city gates was asked
why he didn' t kick the door open.
"Kick the devil" said he; ''do you think Pm
fool enough to do such a thing and give Jim
Wyman's crowd the pleasure of locking me
up?"
The Shiras men made the best of it, and c.
w. Gerwigs motion to proceed to business was
declared carried, amid great noise and con-
fusion.
John Henricks said: "on the Sd of June
had the honor of nominating William A. Stone
for Congress, and I'm doubly proud to do the
same again."
A. II. Kennedy seconded the motion.
A. b. Shiras nominated George Shiras, and
said: Il i hope every delegate in the hall will
preston was loudly cheered by the Shiras fol-
lowing.
A motion was made to open the door, but the
did open it, put would not allow egress.
After roll call A. K Shiras moved that as
some Shiras men had left the hall before
voting. they be recorded as voting for Shiras,
their nominee, and the proposition passed with
out opposition.
The Chair announced the vote as the same as
for the permanent organization, and declared
Stone the nominee, and Messrs. Henricks,
Gerwig, Datz, Steele and Wilson were ap-
pointed committee to bring him to the plat
form.
Returning thanks, Colonel Stone character
Ized the contest as a hot but friendly one and
said he had no i'll will to any man who voted for
Shiras, and he thanked Mr.. Shiras' brother for
his upright action in the convention He said
that back of the convention was the party and
the course of Mr.. Shiras' friends. In conclu-
sion, Colonel Stone congratulated the conyen-
tion that no mistakes had been made, asked for
their votes went with his delegates to his head
quarters for dinner, and soon after left for
Cresson.