Mexico weekly ledger., 1892-08-04
CHAMP CLARK INTERVIEWED.
He Tells OF the Contest and the Way
In Which 1t Began and Ended.
From the st. Louis Republic.

| From the St Louis Republic,
Hon. Champ Clark of Pike came
Gown from Montgomery City last
night and is stopping at the Laelede
He was seen by q Republic reporter.
and when asked concerning the
convention in that district and his
nomination therein made the follow,
/, ing statement:
"All the trouble in tie Ninth
District grew out of the unwar.
rantable and unjustifiable action ol
the Congressional District Commit
tee in changing the basis of repre-
sentation in the convention from the
full Presidential vote of 1888 to the
off year vote of 1890, thereby de-
priving Audrain of two votes, Pike
of one and Rails of one-all of which
counties are for me. If the COM
nlittee had done this prior to the
opening of the campaign it would
not have been so outrageous-as
prospective candidates would have
had notice and could have decided
to run or not to run on that basis /;
but those counties were not depriv-
ell of their just presentation until
after Pike had instructed her full
delegation (14) for me, and until
alter l had carried Audrain (13) in
a campaign participated in by MIR.
Norton, and until after it became APP
parent that would carry Rails. By
depriving these counties OF their
lust representation it made the dis
trict tie, outside of Crawford, and
thus made it possible for Mr.. Nor
toms contesting delegation from
Crawford to cut any figure. have
no doubt whatever that those coun-
ties were deprived of their just rep
resentation for the sole purpose of
enabling the Norton men in Craw-
ford to bolt.
"On the 18th of July, at Mont
gomery City, this same Congress
ional Committee, against right, JUS
tiee, fairness and all the parliamen-
tarv law ever written and all the
precedents ever made, without the
shadow of authority, undertook to
seat my regular delegation from
Crawford and Mr.. Norton's con-
testing delegation also-giving them
an equal vote-and did so against
the protest of my 36 delegates.
Rather than have a fuss, and in the
vain hope of bringing about a
peaceable solution of the matter, my
supporters admitted to this, always
under protest. Then the Commit
tee on Credentials Gone from each
county except Crawford, which had
two) by vote of 6 to 4 voted to
seat the Norton contesting delegates
from Crawford, Notwithstanding that
Thomas r. Gibson of Crawford
stated in the committee that he
would not have cheek enough to ask
that they be seated, and notwith-
standing the further fact that Hon.
G. Pitman Smith of Montgomery,
Hon. James Mcclellan of Lincoln
and Frank Farfis, Esq, of Crawford
confessed on the floor of the conven-
ton that the Norton delegates
from Crawford had no right to
sit in the convention. Neverthe-
less they always voted to seat
them.
"Time and time again my friends
| moved to refer the entire matter
back to the people of the district
and to let the various counties select
new delegates by either primary
or by delegated convention, as to
them seemed best. They did this
in the interest of peace and har-
mony, although they knew and
never failed to assert that my dele
CATION from Crawford was as regu-
larly selected and held credentials
as regular as any delegation in the
convention. But these PROPOSE
tioas, made for the good of the
Democracy, were always spurned
by the followers of Mr.. Norton.
| "After six days of great effort to
break the deadlock, on the morning
of The seventh day (Thursday) SEN
ator D. A. Ball of Pike moved that
the convention adjourn sine die,
and, in making that motion, stated
that it was the last effort the Clark
men would make in that direction.
If that motion had prevailed the
matter would have gone back to the
properly constituted Democratic au-
thorities, but Mr.. Norton's men
voted solidly against it and it was
lost by tie vote.
| "Then Senator Ball addressed the
ch..ir; reviewed the work OF the
convention; set forth the claims oil
his side, and declared that the con-
veIltion, having failed to effect an
organization, and, believing they
had a clear majority of the delegates
|eleaed, refused to longer recognize
the contesting delegation from Craw.
ford and called on the secretary te
corae over to their side of the hall,
closing by putting in nomination A.
w. Stewart as temporary chairman,
ealing on the secretary to call the
roll of counties.
tiMr r r nohyno of Mo~;a