The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1894-06-30

committee on platform and resolutions
vas presented. This committee hno
formulated n platform during the night
adjournment between the first md second
days of the convention, and when present
ID and read to the convention next morn
ing it was amusing to hear some of the
members of the committee ask where it
came from. as they did hot recognize it
rs the platform they had assisted in
formulating the night before. It had
been "~doctored,' and it was developed in
the wrang]e and jungle which followed
that Hon. Smith Stimmei, permanent
chairman of the convention. and examined
the instrument, diagnosed it's infrmities
and through part of the committee, I'M
known to the other part, interpolated an
anticipation prescription which resulted in
the failure of the consequent embarass-
ment. After the spokesman of the
ignored portion of the committee had
somewhat vchemcntly objected to loading
down the platform with such a multitudin-
GUS array of subjects he and they sub
sided and swallowed the allopathic dose
in the ''intercst of harmony
1t should be stated. however. that proceed
ing this tilt. Bro. Clifford, of the Barnes
county delegation, touched a match, tigur-
ntivcly speaking, to q fuse that connected
with n bomo shell. A farmer who
breaches future hell to his church con-
gregation can be depended upon to raise
present hell III a political convention, and
Rev. Clifford is no exception to the rule.
In this case he did it by Offering as an
I'M ,ndment to the sixth plank of the plat
form. which plank reads as follows: "That
us Il party of reform we arc not in favor
Of any backward movement along any
line, and believe in the rigid enforcement
of all statute law without Discrimination"
The amendment offered by Rov. Clifford
to the foregoing plank was the additional
words-"especially of the prohibitory
li4uo. law" Delegate Dougherty of Ben
son county, made Il grab for the fuse 80
suddenly ignlted and finally prevented n
disastrous explosion, but at the same time
prccipitated a cyclone which for awhile
during this storm period that they were
ali in sympathy with the sentiment of the
amendment, but for policy" sake, just
like the u%nreformod old parties, they did
not think it best to say so in the platform
further than by the implication already
contained in the plank. The not unfair
inference to be gathered from the stormy
discussion was that as the plank read
they could explain to the radical Prohibi-
tionists that the plank meant as it was the
rigid enforcement of the prohibition law,
and to those who tarry at the blind pig
that it did not mean the enforcement of
tho prohibition law any more than any
other law. After considerable leg pulling
and %buttonhole argument Rev. Clifford
was prevailed upon to withdraw the
amendment, the platform md resolutions
us originally presented were adopted and
peace and harmony reigned over the
Populist convention until some other
member ''fro'd a BRICK which was not
long.
PLEASE MAY I SPEAK!
About this time Gov. Shortridge, who
occupied Il seat on the outskirts of the
bate ground of the convention. was seer
to mako his way up to the c!,airman't
desk, hand the presiding officer Il slip Of
paper and retire to his seat. When the
chair announced the order Of business tC
be the nomination of a candidate for con.
gress he also gave notice of the purport
of the slip of paper handed him by the
governor, which was that he desired tc
addres the convention. Leave was readily
granted, and amid considerable cheering
the Populist governor, who had
all his life up to a few years ago been q
Democrat of Bourbon hue, and is under.
stood to have taken quite a hand in assist
ing Grover Cleveland the past year to put
the federal patronage of this state where
CdhCS tAAuoo pun ~ SACOAU NAOCAiAoI HVOCh
-"where it would do the most good
was scorted to the platform and proceed
ed to address the convention on his per.
sonal matters. to the effect that he had
performed the duties of his Office in sin.
cority OF heart for the good of the whole
people of the state that he had acted con.
cientlously ia all his official doings and
would go out of Office with clean hands
He said he came into Office a poor mar
and would go out of Office still poorer
that he did not feel able to stand the ex.
pence of another campaign for the Office
and desired to be excused from that task
and burden, but coupled it with the
declaration that he considered every in
dividual of the independent party the
property of the party, which might hav.
been taken to mean, under the usual con
struction of language as it is used b!
politicians to conceal thought, that if tn.
convention demanded that the furthu,
sacrifice" himself in running for Office
he could be prevailed upon to consent.