The record-union., 1896-05-14
THE POPULISTIC WIND-UP.
They Finally Get Their Platform Into
Shape.
Gator the Choice for United States
Senator, and Gilbert for Lieu
tenant Governor.

yesterday morning when the second
DAYS session of the Populist State Con-
vention was called to order.
From all outward appearance every
thing was calm as a day in June, but
appearances are often deceptive, and
hidden away in the proceeding a vol
cano slumbered, ready to burst forth in
the magnificence Of its fury at mo-
ment's notice.
And this eruption was not long in
making an appearance. The Commit
tee on Order of Business and Permanent
Organization handed in its report, and
an attempt was made to rush it through
In it's entirety. But this point, while
well intended, opened up the volcano
and prepared for such an escape of
natural gas as is seldom seen even in a
Populist convention.
The first clause of the "order," relat-
ing to the election of a Vice president,
caused the first ripple, but it ended in a
cheer when Mrs. Thomas V. Gator was
elected to that honorary position. 1t
was shortly after this event when the
finger Of the convention was placed di-
rectly upon the crater which was des-
tined to very nearly bury that body
with the volume of its eruption, and the
crater was the seventh item in the or
der Of business, which called for the
selection Of a candidate for United
States Senator.
MANY INNOVATIONS.
There were plenty of things in the re-
port of that committee which the dele
gates did not like very well, and they
were perfectly frank in saying So That
clause providing for the assessment Of
delegates was particularly distasteful
and was bitterly opposed. 1t was de-
clared to be contrary to Populist prin-
ciples and precedents, and in order to
fully argue the point the matter was
passed for the time being.
The next clause which demanded con-
sideration was the one limiting all
speeches to five minutes. This was not
satisfactory to delegates who had spent
weeks in committing to memory flow
cry and fiorid nominating speeches, and
they were up in arms in a moment.
Several amendments were offered to
that section of the report, but they met
with disastrous defeat, and in the end
1t was concluded to cut any delegate
short off when his little five minutes had
expired, regardless of whether or not he
had reached the point of naming his
candidate. Then things went along
smoothly enough until the recommend
alton that the convention name nomi
nee for the United States Senate was
read. This was where
THE VOLCANO CAME IN.
Indeed, a bees nest was uncovered,
and stings fell sharp and thick. Opin-
ions pro and con were as plentiful as
women in Massachusetts,, and as varied
as the colors Of the peacock feathers
that erstwhile adorned Ii Hung
Chang's yellow jacket.
The call Of the State Central Commit
tee had demanded that q choice for
United States Senator be made by the
convention, and motion to eliminate
the clause from the report called up a
citation of the CALL Chairman Barlow,
however, ruled that the State Central
Committee could lay down no rules to
bind the convention, but was merely
suggestor Of things.
Then Vann of Colusa got the floor and
roared against the proposed choosing of
a candidate for Senator. But Vann did
not remain unanswered. Dozens of Pop
ulists had their say about the matter,
prominent among the number being
Burdett Cornell, the youthful Alameda
statesman
For a full hour and q half the de-
bate went on, waxing and waning ac-
cording as the speakers elevated or
depressed their hearers. It was soon
evident that Gator had a cinch on the
convention, and 1t was beginning to be
clear that the convention belonged to
him, whether " would or not Gator
had virtually formed the platform
which was shortly to be considered,
and his forces were combined to have
him named by the convention as the
candidate for the United States Sen
ate.
GATOR WAS SOLID.
Through 1t all Thomas v. Gator sat
beside his wife. who Is also delegate,
and from the expression on his face it
was to be seen that while somewhat
anxious AZ to the result Of the delibera-
ton, he was not by any means in
clined to be panicky. He was out for
all the honor there was to accrue from
a nomination, and he intended to clinch
the matter In its infancy. Gator had
had q great deal to do with legislative
bodies, and fully understood that there
was nothing on Gods green earth so
uncertain as G. legislative nomination
Gator understood that if he could
hold the convention, in the future his
right to the leadership Of the party
would never be questioned. Beside all
this, the San Francisco delegates be-
lieved in Gator, willy-nilly, and they
had determined to stand by him so
long as there was man left to talk
There was plenty of eloquence left after
the first hour, though the logic was
growing somewhat worn, and still the
debate went on 1t had become a ques-
tion of Gator or no Gator and each
side was evidently disposed to keep up
its attempt to tire the other out
But as the debate went on Gator be-
came more nervous. He felt safe, evil
IDENTIFY. but was beginning to realize that
individual Populists were hard to
hold with smooth bit
At 10:45 o'clock the previous question
was called for, but those delegates in
opposition to the Gator nomination, or
Endorsement, claimed and secured that
God-given Populist right of an open ex-
preston
At IL o'clock it was suggested by
Dittmar of Shasta that If the conven-
tion kept on at the rate it was GO
Ing it would as well continue its ses-
sion until January, and then select a.
nominee for the Senate Then for fif-
teen minutes a wrangIe was INDUCED
In in an attempt to get the previous
question before the convention. which
was still the naming Of candidate
for United States Senator"
A roll-call by counties was demanded:
in he al