The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-02
DEMOCRATS TAKE TAMPA
THE STATE CONVENTION CALLED
TO ORDER.

The Committee on Credentials Not
Ready to Report Last Night and an
Adjournment Taken Until To-day
The Fight over the Duvsl Delega-
tions Promises to Be Very Lively.
TAMPA, Fla, June 1.-The democratic
state convention, which met at noon to-day,
will probably be in session four days. Is
will be the hottest fight In the political his.
tory of Florida, and nearly all the delegates
were here last night and csucusing began
in earnest. The two greatest contests are
over the gubernatoriAl nomination and the
seating of one of the other of the two con-
testing delegations from Duval county, and
the victory of one or the other means the
nomination or defeat of Judge Mitchell,
who is in the lead for governor.
An unexpected turn was given to affairs
Last night. Alliance matters have been
very quiet for a year past, but
an order suddenly came to the
front last night in caucus
Of the alliance delegates, numbering over
100. Nearly half OF them insist that the
convention indorse the Ocala demands and
the st. Louis platform, and hot fight has
been precipitated. If the alliance delegates
can agree upon policy they can control
the convention, since they hold the balance
of power between the two factions Of the
party. The action of the alliance makes
the fight triangular one.
MITCHELL's POSITION.
Mr.. Mitchell will probably go before the
convention with 100 votes out OF 4l6. and
he is persistent in asking the nomination
only under the two-thirds rule, but his fol-
lowers are divided on this matter. At IL
O'Clock this morning there was a rumor that
Mr.. Mitchel's friends would decline to pre-
sent his name on account OF his personal OPP
position to the majority rule.
The wigwam in which the convention is
held Is unique affair. 10 is an open air
structure on the Fort Brooke reservation
with only a roof. In the center OF the
chairman's platform is an immense forked
oak, whose branches afford a safe retreat in
case there is too mucn excitement. The
pillars of the building are covered with
palmetto and entwined with streamers and
flags. The wigwam is 125xl00 feet Out
side Of it there is plenty Of room for the
hundreds Of boomers" now in the city.
Over 100 alliance members attended the
caucus last night and many more arrived
to-day. A prominent member Of the order
said at IL o'clock this morning that the
strength Of the alliance in the convention
will be nearly 300 and at the least calculation
IFS. The convention will undoubtedly
make some concessions to them in the mat
ter Of the Ocala demands.
CALLED TO ORDER.
The convention was called to order at
noon by S. N. Sparkman, chairman OF the
First district committee.
At the end of the roll call (which included
only one set OF delegates from the contest
ing counties) a resolution to exclude all
contestinR delegations after action ON the
Of vhn kSo1a
declared out of order by the chair. An
appeal was taken. The debate on the APP
peal lasted an hour and half and was hot
throughout. To sustain the chair meant
the exclusion OF only one set of Duval
county delegates. To override him
meant the exclusion Of both till the right to
seats could be decided by the convention.
There were dozens of speakers At 2 o'cloCk
a vote was taken and the chair was sus-
tanned by vote of 237 to l7S. On this roll
call the regular delegation from Duval was
permitted to vote.
After this John H. McKerie of jackson
county was made temporary chairman, a
triumph for the Mitchell men and a set
back, temporarily at least, to the contesting
Call delegation from Duval county. AT
2:3O O'Clock the convention adjourned till
o'clock tonight.
At O'Clock p. m. the convention reas-
sembled, and fully 200 people congregated
outside of the wigwam to hear the proceed
ings, which promised to be extremely ex-
citing, and all were disappointed. The Gre
dentlals committee announced that it was
not ready to report, and the convention Rd-
Journed until tomorrow morning at
O'Clock.
THE ALLIANCE DEMANDS.
As regards the position of the alliance in
this convention prominent member of the
order said tonight: when we 175 alli-
ance delegates insist on an Endorsement of
the Ocala demands and st. Louis platform
it must not necessarily be understood to
mean a third party movement or a demand
for third party. The third party at st.
Louis merely took up the Ocala demands of
1890 and adopted them just as the Demo-
cratic. Republican or any other party is at
liberty to do. The alliance as an organiZa-
ton in Florida has no particular man to
name for any position before the convention.
Its members expect to be recognized as
democrats of the Democratic party. lit is
to receive recognition in this convention,
such recognition is expected to come volun-
tarily from the Democratic party organiza-
ton. All alliancemen are essentially third
party men on one condition, to wit, if the
other political parties of the country refuse
its demands or to make equitable conces-
sions the alliance will he forced to appeal to
the country in its own behalf. The salient
features Of the Ocala platform will be pre-
sented to this convention Tor Endorsement
6nu IL Ihe benocrauc party IN convention
assembled does not make just concessions
there will undoubtedly be
third party in Florida and the
alliance will welcome it. Some members,
of course will sever their connection with
the order and vote with their old party, but
the alliance as body will go with the third
party if it cannot elsewhere gain its de-
mands." This man was in the alliance
caucus last night. He is one of the most
prominent and most trusted alliancemen in
the state, ana as such is a creditable spoKes-
man for the order. He estimates the
strength of the alliance in the convention at
from IT'S to 220. He says that last nights
caucus was upward of 100 strong and con
Guided that the alliance will be able to
dictate the policy Of the convention if it
sees it,