Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1892-08-05
ECHOES FROM THE CONVENTION.

| III was tut DikScst SOhNSh'iNH ~
held in the State-and certainly 1t
was the noisiest. Senator Faulkner
is q mighty good presiding officer,
but it was just simply an impossibility
to keep the delegates quiet and TO
prevent the whooping and shouting
| i'm season and out of season. Inc
chairman would finally secure, by per-
sistent effort, some sort OF order, but
| in Ave minutes the aisles would again
be crowded and the confusion as
great as ever. 1t was only by the
greatest skill and patience on the part
of the presiding officer that business
could be transacted. When the con
vention had worn out Senator Faux
ner, Judge Okey johnson took the
chairs, With voice like the Bull of
Bashan, and q frame like Hercules,
with the set purpose Of governing
that convention as it should be, the
Judge assumed the duties OF chair
man. He Numbered on the table un-
til the gavel was ready o.break. Then
in stentorian tones he announced
his intention Of bringing order out OF
chaos. But when all was done that a
man could do, he had to own himself
beaten, and out of humor-mad ell
over-he conducted the business just
as the crowd gave him opportunity.
or course, the moral of all this is
that our conventions must be reform
ed. Some steps must be taken to
make them deliberative bodies in
stead of bowling mobs. We leave the
matter with our executive committee
for them to wrestle with 1t.
Every single nomination was holly
contested in the convention, and at
no time before the result was an
nounced was it safe to bet who would
come out winner. On the first ballot
for Governor MacCorkle had 29S
votes. Bennett 2S4, Eastman 1872 and
Svdenstricker "A. 1t was very plain
TO be seen that Eastman and Syden-
stricken were not in it. Then the
MacCorklers and Bennsttites went TO
work like beavers, but Eastman S
friends wanted no Bennett in theirs
and began to change for the Kama
wha man, who WAS elected with a
grand hurrah. Jefferson county had
cast s votes for MacCorkle, 7 for Ben
nett, 4 for Sydenstricker and for
Eastman, but at the last she went
solid for MacCorkle.
The fight for Auditor started out
warm and ended up very hot. At
the end of the first ballot the vote
footed up johnson 126, Garden $780,
Duffy 1O3, Sommers 90, Armstrong
sc, Tippett Al, Hundley 80, Hanna 40
Bowen 81 and McEldowney sc. JEFF
ferson had given votes for Johnson,
I for Garden, 6 for Duffy and for
Sommers. A second ballot was or
dred. and the tail-enders began to
draw out and cast their votes for
Johnson or Garden. There was no
election on the second roll call, but
then the counties began to change,
evidently to Johnson's advantage.
Right here pandemonium reigned.
1t seemed as if every man in the con
vention was yelling at the top of his
voice and all the delegates were on
their feet waving banners and whoop-
ing for dear life. Chairman Okey
Johnson tried in vain to restore order.
He couldn't do it, and got as mad as 4
wet hen. He finally sat down in dis
gust and waited for the convention TO
wear itself out, which it did in about
an hour. Change after change was
made, and finally the vote was given
out as 466 for johnson and 304 for
Garden. This was really more votes
than johnson actually had, and the
Garden men kicked vigorously. But
they were beaten, and a few votes
more or less didn't count. On the
second ballot Jefferson gave 8 for
Johnson, II for Garden and 3 for
Duffy-which was a bad piece OF
politics.
1t was thought that Col. John NJ
Rowan would have no opposition for
Treasurer, but Will A. Strickler and
J. G. Halo were sprung on the con-
vention. A ballot being taken, Col.
Rowan went so far ahead that he was
nominated by acclamation before the
vote wa. counted. Jefferson gave
Rowan Is, Stricken and Hale 5.
Later she made the mistake of chang
ing her vote to 90 solid for Stricken.
The very hottest fight OF the day
was for Superintendent of Schools.
Virgil A. Lewis won, because it was
absolutely necessary to have one can
didate from the fourth district. Rob
ert Armstrong was the favorite OF
the convention, but geography sacri-
feed him, as it had also knocked out
John d. Sweeney.
For Attorney General r. S. Riley
had clear majority over R. F. Kidd
and was elected easily on the first
ballot. The convention liked Kidd,
too, and said it was going to send him
to Congress.
For Judges Of the Supreme Court
the main fight was in the preliminary
skirmishing, and M. w. Dent and
Homer A. Holt won the prizes with
safe majorities.
Wood DALEY had captured the con-
vention by his eloquent speeches, and
had a walk over for presidential cleo
tor-at-large. Ferguson's persuasive