The herald., 1896-07-08
SILVER DELEGATES SEATED
BY Reversing the Action Of the National
Committee
As the Unit Rule Applies Twenty.three
Votes Are Gained for the Cause
Of Silver

credentials met this afternoon and chose
John H. Atwood Of Kansas as chairman,
The Michigan contest was first called.
r. A. Baker of Detroit presented the
protest of four silver delegates at large
against the seating of the gold delegates
at large. The arguments made were
largely those made before the national
committe, and death with the alleged
manipulation of the primaries by federal
Office holders. Four hundred postmast-
ers and old office holders, it was claimed
had been summoned to Detroit the night
before the primaries, and had actively
participated In them. The head of the
movement Baker asserted, was Elliott
G. Stevenson, the law partner of Don
M. Dickinson. He claimed Stevenson
pursued the course after conversation
with President Cleveland in Washing
ton.
"A more disgraceful manipulation of
a convention to defeat the will of the peO-
pie of a great state never was perpe-
trated In this nation" Baker exclaimed
passionately. A mass of affidavits was
produced in support of the charges. They
accused the chairman of the district con-
ventions in ruling in favor of the gold
men in the face of facts in announcing
votes. In conclusion, Baker said that
the assembling of federal officers at De-
troit had been done in the name of the
president, and practically under a threa t
from him that the ffice-holders would
lose their places unless they worked for
gold. The question. he said, was whether
the will of President Cleveland and his
subordinates or that of the people is to
prevail.
Elliott Stevenson said the aff1davits
presented were gotten within the past
few days, and that there was no idea on
the part of the defense that they were
in existence. They were, however of lit
tie value. He was frequently interrupt
ed by some of the contestants present
with cries of THAT is a lie" and You
know that is false" until finally the
chairman grew wrathy and said:
stop that. We will have order here
or nothing else"
Referring to the standing of the Mich
igan so-called delegation, Stevenson
said: I'VE did not declare for gold. We
were for the parity of the metals, based
upon intrinsic values. We declared we
were Of that mind at the last Democratic
convention until the national conyen-
ton met"
Stevenson closed with the statement
that one of the contestants. H. ]. Holt
had assured him that he had not author
lied anyone to make contest in his
behalf. An effort to have the matter re-
ferred to a subcommittee failed. Bren-
nan Of Wisconsin asked the silver men
not to let their majority impel them to
an act which had no evidence to sustain
it.
The committee decided to seat the
four contesting silver delegates from
Michigan, q to Is. This reverses the
decision of the national committee, as
Michigan has enforced the unit rule and
will make it's delegation solid for silver.
The committee also voted unanimously
to seat the Bryan contestants. AS no
one was present to present any contest
from Nevada the committee decided to
recognize the delegation from that state.
The vote was q to 16 in favor of seat
ing the four contesting delegates, Nc
Grath, Fisher, Black and Mcknight.
The states voting for the silver faction
were Alabama, Arkansas, California,
Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois,
Iowa. Kansas, Kentucky, louisiana,
Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Neva-
da, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ten
nessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West
Virginia, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mex
leo. Indian Territory, District of Column
bia.
For the gold faction: Connecticut,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Min
nesota, Nebraska. New Hampshire, New
Jersey. New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Wis
consin, Alaska, Oklahoma.
These states refused to vote on the
ground that the evidence was insuffi-
cient: Florida, Georgia, North Dakota
Oregon, Virginia
The vote reversed the action of the
national committee, which seated the
gold delegates and as Michigan was in
by the state convention to fol-
low the unit rule the twenty-t three votes
in the convention will be changed from
gold to silver by the action.
THE DDOCDECTC nE Dol n