Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-28
JUST LIKE BIG PARTIES.

For the First Time There Will BE q Contest
for the Prohibitionist Presidential Nomi-
nation-The Silver Question Divides the
Cold Water Folk.
CINCINNATI, June 27.-The nomination
of Presidential candidate of the National
Prohibition party will not 60 by default
this year, but, to all appearances, 1t will be
necessary that there shall be Q roll call be-
fore the nomination is made. This unusual
scene in National Prohibition Convention,
of more than one name being earnestly
urged, is not due to any feeling that the
blight has fallen on both the old parties and
rendered possible a Prohibitionist's cleo
tion, but to the fact that at least one of the
persons whose names will 60 before the
convention wants the nomination and has
friends earnestly working to have it given
to him.
Heretofore it has been hard for the Pro-
hibitionists to induce an acceptance of the
nomination. w. j. Demorest, Of New
York. who, with his wife, is well-known
publisher, wants to be the candidate, and
quite boom has been worked up for him.
Mr.. Demorest, however, is not the choice
of majority of the delegates, most of whom
favor General Bidwel, Of California.
General Bidwell is likely to secure the
nomination on the first ballot He has been
in Congress, is said to be a man of high
character and ability, and able to fulfill the
duties of the office of President if by some
phenomenon he should chance to get 1t.
His friends say that he does not wish to be
the nominee, but he will accept Gideon
I. Stewart, of Ohio, will also be put in nom
inatior.
Uncertainty Arouses Much Interest
The little uncertainty which exists over
the nomination is pleasing to the Prohibi-
tionists, and 1t concentrates interest in the
convention, and they wish interest to keep
up ss a means whereby to advance the pro-
hibition movement The amalgamation of
the Prohibition and Peoples Party, which
has been heralded as likely to be the biggest
thing of the convention, Is now not at all
probable, so far as this campaign is con-
cerned, and can practically be dismissed for
the present Chairman Dickie, of the
National Committee. said it might not even
be mentioned. If the matter comes up at
all, it can hardly be in any other form than
as a suggestion for efforts after the coming
campaign is over.
Aside from some objections arising out Of
the difficulty of finding common standing
ground when abstract propositions are put
in concrete shape, an almost insuperable OBJ
stacle has been met In the Australian ballot
law. A new name, it is admitted, must be
found for an amalgamated party, and for the
present campaign it would be necessary, un-
der the new system, for the combined party
10 put its nominees up by means of petit
tions, which frequently would be impracti-
cable. The platform will be much like pre-
vious prohibition platforms, with some
radical additions dealing with the labor
problem, and having for their avowed OBJ
ject more perfect control over corpora
tions
A Familiar stumbling Block.
The silver plank is troublesome to the
Prohibitionists, just as it is to the older
parties, and the delegates are divided into
free coinage and anti-free coinage men,
The National Committee meets tomorrow
morning and will probably select the Tenn
porary Chairman from these three names:
Captain Cleghoen, of Wisconsin; A A. Ste
vens. of Tyrone, Pa; Andrew S. Thomp-
son, of Ohio. Mr.. Stevens has also been
mentioned for Permanent Chairman.
Delegates are beginning to arrive, and by
tomorrow evening there will be good
Willard, Prof Dickie, of Michigan; Mrs
Helen NJ. Cougar, John Lloyd Thomas, OF
New York, and other well-known advocates
of prohibition are already here; and are
making the Grand Hotel their headquar-
ters
Prof Dickie, who is Chairman of the
National Committee, says it is not, as many
people think, a religious, but political
organization. Voting the ticket is the test of
party fealty, and though man swears like
q trooper and drinks whisky he can be a
if he votes the ticket, though,
added the professor, he will not be high up
in the party.
The convention will open in Music Hall
at 10 o'clock Wednesday morning. There
are /, 149 delegates and as many alternates
One thousand delegates are expected, the
absentees being principally from the South