Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-04-25

my experience have I met a committee
where there was such an earnest desire
to present plan which should be salts
factory. and tend 10 avoid and remove
the friction that has existed In the party
for several years past. With that end
In view, the members went TO work
to accomplish that result We had In
view four different plans. These we read
and discussed by sections. Then we
took up our present plan OF organization
and amended II, section by section, to
conform with the views of the commit
tee And desire TO say here that, after
the fullest discussion, every provision
was adopted unanimously. Now, In re-
ference 10 the changes that are made:
The first important change Is reducing
the State Committee from fifty to thirty
members. The general feeling in the
committee was that the old committee
was too large. Some thought that ten
and some thought that twenty would be
right. In conversation with State-Chair-
man Lamb. he suggested thirty. and that
was adopted We changed the manner
of electing them by relegating this
power to the congressional conventions
when they assemble for the nomination
of candidates for Congress.
''The next change OF importance" con-
tlnued the speaker, ''is the congressional
committees. Heretofore they have been
made up OF five members. who also acted
as members of the State Committee. We
have always found friction resulted as
TO who should be members In that com
mittee. Hence we provide that each
county shall be represented on the con-
gressional committees.
when we came to county committees
the speaker went on. that was
Dnagffon arrange Tor.
We finally decided that small commit
tee in the county would be much bet
ter than the present plan, which consists
of the chairman and three members from
each precinct. The latter would make
the committee too large. We reduce that
committee to one member from each ma
gisterial district and a chairman-all 10
be elected by the county convention wheh
IL assemblies to send delegates to the
congressional convention. Wnen we
came to the cities, we found that the
condition was very different from that
I'm counties. We provided thet IN cities
the committee should be made up OF
city chairman and two members iroin
each of the precincts"
AN DIRECTOR.
Mr.. ID. F. Bailey, of Washington county,
moved that the report be recommenueu
hack to the committee which should DC
enlarged. and that they report upon IL
AT the next State convention. we are
proposing to change the fundamental
laws of the party by the work OF COM
mittee of two days. The OLD law, ne
said was formulated by the plssos'
brains that the country had ever known
since the war. with the exception of Blaine.
..It was good enough for William Ma
hone" said he. There were good thlhes
IN the report and bad things, he cialnled'
and II was due to the people and 10 the
nartv that il should be thoroughly CON
sidered before they acted as the trustees
~ the great Republican party IN VIZ
ginia-" hano
aaferred II say to you, relioW-uele-
gates he said. "that'it Is fundamental
nrinciple of Republlcanism that tne power
belongs to the people. CohtihuNhs' NC
ssid. Ear be II from me to cast any
reflection in this convention; OF any ~
aIse unon the former chairman OF the
u pa,,,hIican state Committee. And yet
was always opposed as Republican 70
trveetine absolute power In MN OF any
othar man Gentlemen. let me assert
here as a fact, that under the exlsuns
,,an of organization, the RepuDncah
marty never carried the state OF NlreI,lld.
1T me saw further here that
,,,ben the state of Virginia was carried,
electing its Governor and Legislature
n was carried under the operation OF the
Republican plan Of organization anu l
was the chairman OF the hepupicaii
party. ,.,,o.,. .bero
that II they desire success, II they wish
the marty 10 win In November next they
should change, without doubt the eS-
istinQ plan Of organization and adopt the
one submitted"
Messrs. Browning and Flanagan both
- oarnestlv in eOr Of adopting the
njan without delay. uator flahiasan
said that the way ~ nd be maze SO
nIain that the State Chairman could make
no mistakes as he had done
'sWhile / believe Lamb erred. ne sald,
'I have no feeling. and go nome 10 hsht
fearlessly under his banner "a
D,clfinson pleaded for time. and SAID
mat the people should be given an
onnortunity to go home and consider the
matter. Just at this juncture Colonei
Ianb made the following suggestion;
srThat congressional committees elected
In the various districts at and for this
session Of the convention snall con-
time in power until the next congress
sional convention held for their respec-
tive districts
II began to look as If hours would pe
consumed In debating the plan, when
u Brady called the previous question,
and the committees report with the Lano
a,,,ondnent went through with rush.
Deleeates rapidly began leaving the hail
ond resolutions were adopted thanking
choirmar Walker. the citizens OF Staun-
ton the CITY Council. and the Stonewall
rand for courtesies extended the con-
venticn.
The body adjourned at 2A5 p. NJ.
ALLAN OVERCOME.
lust before the session OF the great
Gathering came 10 an end Mr. Edgar
Allan was overcome by nervous prostra-
tion and fell to the floor. He was laid
on n bench until he revived somewhat
when his son quickly got him cut or The
han and helped him to carriage. They
we're driven 10 the hotel and from thence
tmmediately TO the depot, where they
,'ern imst in time to catch the 2:3O train
for Richmond.
the frst thing in the morning. He said
ba understood there was movement on
foot among the Mckinley people to
endeayor TO have reconSidered the IN
structions for the Ohio man. in case any
creat number OF the latter's supporters
left before the body adjourned.
II Is stated from a perfectly reliable
source that the Committee on Resolutions
was al first almost unanimously opposed
10 instructing for Mckinley. but that Mr.
Allan brought them over. and that the
frst vote was 10 In favor OF doing
ca and at the last vote only one name
was recorded in the negative. Mr.. Allan
prepared the resolutions in regard TO the
convention question, as Wen
90 re Mckinley instructions. The other