The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-29
BLACK COHORTS TO CLASH.
THE STATE REPUBLICAN CONVEN-
TION TO-DAY To BE RED HOT.

AA0N Ao-DAl ~ nH4 RID AaUAs
The MeKinIeyites and the Reed
Combination Forces Each Conf
dent Of Victory-The Fight TO BE
Settled at the Opening by the
Struggle over the Temporary
Chairmanshfp Two Conventions
Not ImprObabIe.
Atlanta, Ca. April 2S.-The influx OF re-
publican delegates 10 the state convention,
which meets tomorrow. continued to-day
with a rush. They are here in droves and
the convention will be what might De
called a ''corker."
Tonight both the McKinleyites and
Reed combination forces held caucuses.
and a hot fight Will be made between
them tomorrow for control Of the con-
vention. 1t is a problem which will win.
though the Mckinley forces under the
leadership Of Boss Buck as chairman OF
the state committee, will call the conven-
ton TO order in the hall Of the House
of Representative at 10 o'clock.
The session may last all day and all
night. or perhaps a couple of days. 1t il
not unusual for the grand old party of
Georgia 10 hold its state convention in
continuous session a day and a night, and
the present fight seems 10 warrant pre-
dictions of record breaking along this
line.
1t is highly probable that some action
Will be sought looking To a fusion of the
republicans and pOpulists in the state
elections this fall. In fact. definite plans
are known to be in course of preparation
to-day among some of the leaders TO this
end, a resolution being already prepared
Tor introduction indorsing the scheme.
According TO this plan the state ticket
OF the fusionists Will be composed partly
OF populists and partly Of republicans, the
party that gets the governor on the state
ticket TO give the other the candidate for
L nited states senator
Io-morrow's convention is. however.
only for the purpose Of naming delegates
70 the national convention and even If IL Is
the VIII OF the members II can do no more
than pass resolutions favoring fusion.
Boss Buck is understood to be strenu-
ously opposed to fusion. and If he is in the
saddle, as now appears viii be the case,
he viii use his long whip against the idea
To-day II seemed If the entire cOlored
population Of the state had gathered about
the headquarters OF the candidates on De-
catur street. Each crowd swung out TO
the breezes a big American flag, one bore
a picture OF William Mckinley. while on
the other was fixed a likeness OF Thomas
j. Reed The Mckinley banner bore moth
ing Of the picture of the Ohio chieftain
but on the Reed flag was the legion: THE
champion of human rights, fair elections
and protection"
The Mckinley bunting was a little larger
Than the Reed banner. as the Mckinley
crowd was a little bigger and the McKin-
ley headquarters somewhat more commo-
dious. In fact the Mckinley crowd SEEM
ed to have sized up everything controlled
10y unelS opponents and accordingly cut
their plans on a little bigger scale in ev-
erything. One of their special features
was large room fitted up with tables fair
9y grooming with eatables and drinkables
sandwiches and cakes, and a hogshead OF
lemonade. To this nook only delegates
were admitted. Across the han the enter
tainment and reception committee hand
ed out cigars with a free hand. A boot
black furnished free shines to the dele
gates and every one was happy.
When the Reed men found that their op-
ponents were a bootblack the better of
them, they decided to go them one better
Sun, and accordingly they chartered a
brass band to offset the Reed fervor
Inspired by the band. the Quay leaders,
who had established headquarters on the
floor above the Reed stronghold, opened
big box that was filled with buttons, on
which were printed the face Of their can
didate. The buttons were tossed by hun
dreds into the street below. They ratified
into the brass horns of the band and
mingled with the music as il came out.
There was a mad rush for the buttons
and while the crowd listened to Reed
buttons of Quay.
When the state convention meets to-
morrow there will be many men there
come with the lucre and come to spend it,
too.
This morning Henry Walton. a colored
delegates from Chatham county, openly
stated that money had been subscribed to
be used in defeating Mckinley In the CON
vention. He said that Allison, Morton
and Reed had subscribed s., 900 to be used
for this purpose in the convention.
That cuts no ice" said a prominent
supporter of Mckinley this morning. I'VE
day. l am one of the high muckamucks
OF this business, and / am next to every
thing. We are going 10 win this fight in
walk, with time TO spare. Let 'em have
their bands. their buttons and their coin.
but we is going to get the votes"
County conventions have been held in
every county in the state and were it not
for the contests. 1t would be easy to pre-
dict the outcome of the convention as a
MCKINLEY victory. As 1t is, however, there
win be contesting delegations from more
than half the counties. In fact II is expect
ed that every county will be contested.
For This reason il is impossible to predict
with any degree Of certainty the vote IN
the convention. To the side that names the
temporary chairman practically belongs
the convention, for that official will have
the power to appoint a committee on Gre
denuals, and with this committee will rest
the makeup of the convention, as il will
decide which of the delegations shall be
seated. There may, however. be a bolt and
two conventions held, and on thts account
the leaders are centering their efforts 10
bring their forces up in line for the vote
on temporary chairman SO the tug of war
will come at the very beginning of the
convention and it is expected that the fur
will fly
The Mckinley men claim that they can
easily elect all four of the state delegates
at large, but it is generally believed that
they Will allow one Reed man, H. L.
Johnson, a negro lawyer of this city TO
go on the ticket for the sake of harmony.
The Reed men claim that Johnson's cleo
ton is assured, regardless of the efforts
of the McKinleyites
The convention tomorrow will he COM
posed of $50 delegates, three-fourths of
whom are colored men. The delegates to
St. Louis will probably be eighteen ne
groes and eight white men, with McKin-
ley delegates largely in the majority.
WARES EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.