The San Francisco call., 1896-07-09


the other delegates from Michigan.
Mr.. Crosby of Massachusetts explained
tina this meeting had lasted nearly al
night and most of the day. The minority
felt it should be known that in theil
opinion the report was great injustice
Mr.. Crosby's voice was very weak and he
spoke with running accompaniment oi
cries OF Louder" ana derisive applause,
most OF his remarks being delivered in
dumb show. He closed by offering ar
amendment to retain the four unseated
members in their seats.
Brennan of Wisconsin also advocated
the adoption of the minority report and
said they feared the effect of the adoption
of the majority report upon the country
He entered into details of the facts in.
volyed in the contest and said the report
in this case, if adopted, would establish
the fact that a majority in the first flush
OF success might go into a sovereign State
and upset the action of legal convention.
lCheers. He charged the contest origin
ated only three or four weeks ago when
certain facts became apparent as to the
majority in this convention. He had
since become acquainted with that ma
their sense of justice and fairness. Loud
cheers
Taylor of Arkansas, member of the
committee on credentials, argued in favor
of the majority report and declared him.
self in favor of the list of delegates from
the State of Michigan as prepared by the
National Committee.
Governor McLaurin of Mississippi. an
other member of the committee on cre-
dentials, gave history of the election oi
delegates in Michigan, asserting that there
was clear majority of Democratic votes
in that State in favor of silver, so that
there was no issue here to throttle the will
or TO stitie the purpose of that majority oil
Democrats. He spoke of the orders issued
from Washington to Federal office-holders
in Michigan to carry that State at all haz-
ards for gold, and he said that it was a
question for the convention to decide
whether the men who represented the ma
iority of the Democrats Of that State were
TO be driven out of the convention.
Tue audience manifested impatience at
the length of Mr.. McLaurin's explanation
and broke in with constant cries for a
speech from Hill, but notice was given
that If these Interruptions were persisted
in the galleries would be cleared. The
threat was of little avail, for hardly had
Governor McLaurin taken up the thread
of his story again when the shouts for Hill
broke out afresh.
Then the sergeant-st-arms made the SOL
emn proclamation: "Ladies and gentle
men: The chair has requested the sergeant
Alarms to instruct the assistant sergeant
alarms and the police department to
remove from the galleries any one who
disturbs the meeting. and he will carry out
the order"
McLaurin then brought his re marks to q
close.
Mr.. Salisbury OF Delaware opposed the
elected on 16 to platform and he could
not conceive of the convention doing in
justice by unseating those who were duly
elected as delegates. [Cheers.l
Mr.. Stevenson, member of the National
Committee from Michigan, opposed the
majority report, beginning his speech
with the statement: 81 am the man
who, they say, stole Michigan. Even so.
Laughter.] 1 DO not desire to discuss the
financial question now, but to assert the
rights of the delegates elected by SOW
ereign State to sit in a Democratic Ma
tional convention. [Cheers.l
"The convention" he added, 'has nc
right to sit as q committee on credential:
on State convention. 1t may answer its
purpose now, but it will make precedent
which will return to damn it some day
[Cheers.] The only safe Democratic doc
trine is to stand by precedents, and to seat
the delegates who hold the only creden
tials that have been issued from those dis
tricts."
x-Lieutenant-G Governor Sheehan, 9
member of the National Committee, made
statement 10 prove the impartiality o.
that committee on the various contested
election cases, and argued in opposition to
the majority report of the committee or
credentials.
Mr.. Sheehan referred to the fact that 9
poll of the Michigan delegation as it orig
inally stood showed Is for gold and Is fol
silver, and he disclosed the secrets of the
committee-room by saying that at first the
majority of the committee favored unseat,
ing all four of the delegates-at-large; but
wiser counsel prevailed and the delegates.
at-large were retained. But the district
delegates had been unseated, and what
was the purpose2 To make the delegation
Is silver TO 13 gold, and thus open the way
to the overthrow of the time-honored doc
tfine of the two-thirds rule.
Mr.. Blake of Texas, member of the
committee on credentials, argued in favor
of the majority report. He said that on
principle he was opposed to going behind
the returns, but in this case the evidence
was abundant that the State Convention
had been manipulated in the gold interest
and the will of the people slighted. In
his judgment the whole Internal delega-
ton from Michigan ought to be turned
out. lCheers.] The committee on Gre
dentials acted justly in reporting in favor
of admitting the contestants from the
Fourth and Ninth districts. You under
stand the question. Vote for the majority
report and you will do what is right.
[Applause.l
Mcknight of Michigan, also mem ber
Of the committee on credentials, asked the
support, not only of the silver men, but ot
the entire convention in support of the
report OF the majority. He asserted the
State of Michigan elected a majority oi
l. Il