The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-04-29

the struggles and contentious of the
last three days were on the alert with
the lark. but in no mood for singing.
1t was all business with them They
and the candidates were putting the
finishing touches on the plans they had
been mapping out for the bic fight
There was a wild scramble among the
laymen for tickets But notwithstand-
ing the big dome building viii com
fortably house near fifteen thousand
people tickets of admission We're hard
to get and hard to hold.
The leaders of the Cook county ma
chine had the handling of the tickets.
and they having had vast experience
in managing conventions. saw to it that
the tickets were properly placed. True.
each candidate was allowed ten tickets
and each delegate ten, but the big bulk
of the tickets We're parceled out by
Dr. Jameson and his Iieutenants. Some
of the Mckinley men made a bitter
protest upon the manner in which the
tickets were being distributed, but it
was SO cleverly arranged that they
could find no one to whom to state
their objections.
Long before the hour for calling the
convention TO order the vast audito-
rum of the great dome building which
attracted so much attention at the
Worlds fair was full Every seat was
occupied Never before in the his
tory of Illinois politics has there been
such a crowd at a state convention
There was not much excitement at the
beginning There was a sort of SOM
Der. subdued hush. which many took
as fore boding a violent storm.
Occasionally some enthusiast would
break out with shout for mis- favOrite
HN1
vast thrOng seemed to be in a serious
mood. Tt seemed to consider there
was serious business to be transacted
1t was not a trivial thing, Illinois was
to decide as to whether j tWOuld sup
port VIM Mckinley of Ohio for pres
ident of the United States, or whether
Shelby NJ CullOm, who has been hon
Ored with three elections to the United
States senate, should be her choice.
A good deal of excitement was caused
at the machine headquarters by the
Hon. Buck McCarty. the 3OO-pound
statesman from the stock yards, Chi
cago. He went into headquarters to
get some tickets for his constituents
The tickets were not given to him,
whereupon, he thrust DIR. Jameson to
one side, picked up a bunch of tickets
and walked out of the room. There
was big crowd in the room at the
time and while everyone was indig-
nant there was no one felt equal to the
task Of stopping the patriot Of the
stock yards.
There was a riot at the meeting Of
the delegates of the Twenty
congressional district. Revolvers We're
drawn and while no one was seriously
injured there was a good deal Of VIC
lent punching and there was a liberal
use of chairs as weapons of assault.
lit was started by the Hon. Buck Nc
Carthy of the stock yards, who came
out of the fight with one eye closed
AT noon the meeting was called to
order. Mccarthy became involved in
a quarrel with VIM Webb of the dis
trict central committee about seats al
the convention Buck pulled a sling
shot and attempted to strike his oppon~
emit. Tia an instant every man present
was on his feet and a free fight en-
sued. Deputy sheriff Morris Hayes
drew a revolver and tried to use it. but
was prevented. Then chairs were seized
and scarcely a man came out without
a battered head.
lit was few minutes past noon when
DR.. Jameson chairman of the state
central committee called the convention
to order. Every delegate was in his