The Portland daily press., 1894-06-26
Especial to the Press.1

Lewiston, June 25.-The prosnet of a.
trade with somebody has IAN irresistab bile
fascination for the ordinary Democrat. and
SO What hotels there are in Lewiston are
crowded tonight by men eager to take a
haDd In the deals in tomorrow's convention
Inc dlcker this time is over the fifty-eipbt
nour plank, which is to be offered in ex.
change Tor the support of the labor oreani-
1atlons. The Democratic leaders still fond.
~ peneVe that what they are pleased to call
tne labor element"-by which they mean
the professional agitators-is a powerful
factor In state politics.
another matter which calls out a large at
tendance Is the rumpus over the plum trust
anu the nights for new state committeeman
Ine Ioes OF the trust, that is, the fellows
VINO nave tailed to secure Office, are here in
strength, and promise to MAKE a scene in
tomorrow's convention. They talk loudly
OF passing vote of censure; but it is doubt
ful II that will be done. The convention.
moved by the maxim that factions sneak
louder than words,' will probably content
Itself with kicking the old COMMITTEES ont.
ana upsett1ng an entirely new one in, and
give the resolution of censufe the go-by. In
three of the counties the contest for the
succession is animated. In Cumberland.
where until tonight it was Thought
Llewellyn Barton had the right of way.
new candidate has appeared in the person
OF DIR. Seth @. Gordon of Portland, and
wonderful to tell-his sponsor is no less a
person than that veteran of hundred
scrimmages and famous Tabulator of the
count-out times, Capt. Charles H. Chase.
The two men have been at swords points
for years, and the apparent reconciliation is
puzzle to all but the initiated. Barton will
not yield, however, without a struggle, and
very pretty fight is in prospect.
In York the contest is really between
Iristram Goldthwaite, the war eagle of
the Biddeford Democracy. and George F.
Clifford of Cornish, who has the supuort of
the Ossipee towns. It is not believed that
Lamont Stevens of Wells, whose name has
been mentioned, is serious candidate. The
question of the Portland collectorship
igures in the York contest, as Clifford of
Cornish will naturally urge the claim of his
brother Harry, while Goldthwaite is believed
to have leaning toward M. P Frank. The
chances at the present writing favor
Goldthwaite.
The contests in York and Cumberland.
though animated, are -tolerably amicable
Not so in Kennebec, where the fight bee
tween Plaisted and Beane is very bitter,
and will probably be transferred from the
county delegation to the convention itself.
This is straight out and out struggle be-
tween the plum trust and its opponents,
and will be made a test vote.
Until the last few days candidates for
Governor have been hard to find. johnson
having absolutely withdrawn and Galen
Moses having resolutely declined. But the
Il loI 49,
prohibitory law has raised delusive hopes in
the Democratic breast, and men are not SO
coy when questioned about their willing
ness to accept a nomination. Ex-Mayor
Snow of Bangor, ex-Mayor Deering of Port
land, ex-Mayor Staples of Biddeford and J..
H...Montgomery of Camden, are prominently
mentioned. Mr.. Staples, however. declines
to permit the use of his name, and is under
stood to favor the nomination of Deering.
The latter gentleman has a strong follow
ing; and were 1t not for the opposition of
the Eastern leaders, who do not like his
coquetry with Prohibition while Mayor
of Portland, would have clear field. AS it
is the chances are in his favor The pro-
gramme of his friends is to have the con-
vention hold up hands of holy horror at Re-
publican wickedness, to nominate him on a
platform of vituperation, and then to con-
duct campaign of scandal and villifca-
tion. They urge that he is a born fighter,
and just the man for the emergency.
But ex-Mayor Deering is understood to in
sist that the prohibitory law should be en-
forced as long as it remains on the statute
book. This is too utterly repugnant to
Eastern sentiment for the delegates from
that section to swallow. They will insist
upon the Bangor plan-resubmission of the
constitutional amendment and notification
of the law meanwhile. If the ex-Mayor will
consent to stand on that platform he can
probably be nominated.
Anyhow it will be lively convention.
Sailing Party Drowned,
New York, June 25.-A party consisting of