The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-09-11
Evans to be President.
Talbert and Jones Withdraw
From the Race.

State Tompkins will rap the eighth
Constitutional convention ever held
in this State TO order in the hall Of
the House of Representatives and the
sessions of the body about which
every one has been talking for quite
long time, will have been entered
upon. Columbia is full of the car.
penters, blacksmiths and other work;
men who are tossbe: engaged in the.
work cf framing new State constitu.
ton And along with the delegates
to- the convention has come a perfect
horde of sma1I Office seekers, headed
by the. famed Gwalt Whitman, who
never tires Of moving about when
the official pap legs are tapped
Gwalt came in yesterday afternoon
on delayed train, but they say ere
two hours had rolled by he had
managed to have friendly word of
greeting with every delegate who had
arrived ID the city.
The body is one of the most not.
able that has gathered in South Caro-
lima for long time that is to say,
there are more men of prominence an.
politics who wiibeson the floor. than
have been in any body for a good
many years. The work that is before
the convention is of the grayest i'm
portance to the people of shs State.
and several prominent delegates
yesterday said that they expected to
see much more conservatism display.
ed than any one dreamed of.
Yesterday morning the delegates
began, 10 arrive in che city and during
the afternoon and evening they came
thick and fast. The hotel lobbies
were filed and the streets seemed
much yliyeier than usual 1t looked
as if every man VINO had figured in
politics for the past five years in the
State was to be seen either on the
streets, in the hotel lobbies, or about.
the depots. The numerous candi-
dates for the clerkships aud minor
Offices were to be seen broaching
the subjects nearer to them than all
else to delegates on every side.
Some of the earlier arrivals were
G. M. E6rd, of Lexington ;; W: D..
Evans, of Marlboro, with the mem
bers of his delegation ; D., S. Hem
derson, of Aiken, the Barnwell
delegation, the Oconee delegation,
the Anda9aon delegation, heG George-
town delegation, and others. In the
afternoon Me Greenville .sAbbeville,
spartanbusg. Vaion: and other dele
cations sfFem the up country came
in. Cleiksof the HouseSGray also
came along, as cid Editor Williams.
ofthe Greenville News.
During the fufenoonthe absence of
the leaders was noticeable in. that
none Of the delegates would express
any opinions as to what the coDven-
ton would do even as to the presi
dency Rarely, if ever. has such a
closemouthed set Of men been seen
During the day the outlook for the
presidency of. the convention appear
ed about the same as it did on Sun
day, but things veered around as
quickly as does the Wind when an
international yacht race is on, upon
the coming of the shades Of evening.
In the afternoon most of the "big
fellows" the central fe ares in the
convention, arrived in the city,
Senator Irby came in and took quar-
.ers at the Grand Central, room f.
In short time he was holding q kied
of reception in his room. and it was
quite interesting to note how soon the
wirepulling feelers were thrown out
and caught on Senator Tillman also
came in during the afternoon and was
driven to the executive mansion
There things were pretty much the:
same as around Irby's room, several
of the delegations calling during the
evening and talking the outlook oyer
Tillman said that his views or all
essential questions before the conven.
tion were so welI-known that it was
useless for him to repeat any of them
now. lie had nothing to say about
the outlook
Other leading members to arrive
during the afternoon were ex-Gov-
ernor Sheppard, who is quartered at
the Grand Central Senator r B.
Watson, who is at I:ivate boarding
house. and ex-Congressman George
D. TilIman 1t was in strange con-
trast to the scene at the executive
mansion to see "Uncle George" for
years and years one of the shining
lights in South Carolina politics,
quietly passing the evening in his
room. There were no hordes of Office
seekers and schemers worrying him !;
probably because they knew he would