The San Francisco call., 1896-05-14

OF the committee on permanent organiZa-
ton and order of business. Everything
went on smoothly until the seventh order,
the nomination of United States Sena-
tor, was reached, when score of dele.
gates threw themselves into the fray.
The battle ragged hotly during nearly
the whole of the afternoon. Fierce gentle
men, glashing their teeth and roaring al
the full strength of their lungs, shook
/ their fists at the clock in the gallery in
the effort to shout down the equally fierce
! gentlemen frantically calling for points oi
order and the previous question.
| In the midst of the tempest Chairman
| Barlow ruled that after the previous ques-
ton had been put and carried, the side
which opened the discussion had the right
to close. In this ruling the chair was sup
ported by D. t. Fowler of Fresno.
Haskell of San Francisco took the floor
and asked in a most excited manner
whether the convention proposed to defer
| the naming of a United States Senator
and allow it to be done at the session OF
the Legislature "by body of men
sneaking here and iobbing there" in the
interest of monopolies.
Van Meter of Fresno followed with the
declaration that Mr.. Gator, the gentleman
named, was a personal friend of his and
was his choice for the senatorship. "But
l want to say to you" he added, "that
you are never as near to the people as the
men who are elected by the people to the
Legislature. You were not voted for by
the people, but you were chosen by dele
gates selected at caucus or at primaries,
and God knows in what other ways"
Van Meters speech raised a shout of
dissent, and before the confusion had sub
sided, ]. Asbury Johnson of San Fran
cisco was in front Of the speakers desk.
While all around him were excited, Mr..
Johnson was perfectly cool and seI!-p
sessed. He made logical speech devoid
of claptrap or noise and made a marked
impression upon his hearers. He began
by asking pointedly whether any of his
hearers would be willing to send delegates
to State convention with the agreement
that they would frame platform, but to
name no candidate for President and Vice
President, and leave it for the Presidential
Electors to decide after they shall have
been elected. The thing was an absurdity,
he said. He asked whether the same
principle and the same law did not prevail
exactly when they named their candidates
for the Legislature to vote for.
Mr.. johnson created a sensation when
he charged that the opposition was en-
gagged in scheme to prevent the naming
of United States Senator by the conven-
ton for the purpose OF leaving the wav
open for an arrangement to fuse for the
reelection of the Democratic Senator from
California-Stephen NJ. White-or some
other Democrat.
"You cannot consistently say to the
man whom we desire to name" continued
Mr.. Johnson. that, although We nomi-
mated him for United States Senator two
years ago, he must on this occasion go
before the Legislature and make his battle
there
at this point the convention was thrown
into wild state of confusion by calls for
the previous question and demands that
the debate be allowed to go on. Chairman
Barlow ruled that the close of the debate
would be granted to Vann of Colusa, who,
he stated, had opened it. There were cries
of objection to the chairs ruling, and so
vociferous were these that in a heat the
chairman shouted back at the mem bers
"f you don't like my ruling vote it
down"
Alameda had opened the debate, and the
chairman then stated that this gentleman
would be permitted to close. This method
of procedure of allowing debate after the
previous question had been called for
raised such general protest that Chair
man Barlow was finally compelled to re-
verse himself and TO declare all debate
closed till the call for the previous ques-
ton was voted upon. The vote for the
previous question was carried, and then
rollcall was demanded on the main ques-
tion-Shall a candidate be named for
United States Senator?
Following is the result of the rollcall: