Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-09-03
DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION TO Sc
LECT CONGRESSIONAL NOMINEE.
BOTH CANDIDATES CONFIDENT.
Elicit Claims Nincfy-six Delegates
and Lamb Ninety-Fiye-WiiI. lie
Close and Exciting Contest-Gene-
raj Political Notes.

! poiitan district OF the State, VIII nave as
sembled and designated the man who Is
to 90 to the front and carry the Demo-
cratic banner to victory in November.
The contest has been spirited one
and as close as has been the case here in
years. and even at this, the eleventh
hour. the two candidates in the race
/ Colonel Elicit. the gentleman who now
looks after this peoples interests in
Washington, and Captain Lamb, of Hen
rico. are confident that they will be
/ chosen, and both claim TO have control OF
a sufficient number of delegates to secure
| the nomination on the first ballot
The Lamb managers have contended for
! several days that ninety-hve OF the lSt
| delegates who will assemble to-day ana
/ select the congressional nominee are FOR
/ the Henricoan. and that these figures do
! not include King Williams delegation,
/ while for the past few days the Ellett
men have been hard at work. ana are
very san guine OF success. Yesterday they
/ authorized the statement that on the first
/ ballot to-day Colonel Elicit would receive
/ ninety-slx votes, two more than the num-
/ Der required to nominate him.
SOME ONE Is MISTAKEN.
This shows on the face Of 1t that some
/ ono IL mistaken, as the claims Of the TWO
! candidates aggregate four more votes
| than there will be in the convention. and
| neither claims the entire King William
/ delegation. which consists OF seven dele
gates. These seven were originally
/ pledged TO Judge Roger Gregory, Of KING
/ william. and il was understood that they
would vote for Captain Lamb In event
| the Judge could not secure the nomina-
| ton. but the seats Of five OF these dele
gates will be contested by Elicit men,
who were chosen at precinct meetings
held subsequent 10 the mass-meeting
which selected the original delegation.
These five delegates were chosen IN ac-
/ cordance with the plan adopted by the
/ County Committee, and the original
seven. II would appear AT nrst DilAsh'
were irregularly chosen They may not
/ be seated. though, and upon the success
Of their contests appears to rest the
/ chances Of Colonel Eletts for renomlha-
/ ton.
The convention is scheduled TO con-
/ vene in Sanger Hall at II o'clock, and the
/ District Committee meets one hour prior
| thereto.
The committee will choose the temporary
officers Of the convention and nominate
them 10 the convention. That body. how
ever can accent or reject the nomk ees Of
/ the committee az it sees ft.
on this very point is where the fight
/ will be made II was claimed last night
that a Lamb man would be presented
/ for temporary chairman. II Is usually
the case that the Credentials Committee
is composed Of one delegate from each
city ward and one from each county. but
whether this rule will be adhered 10
to-day remains 10 be seen.
A SCIENTIFIC FIGHT.
The two candidates will be ably repre-
scented by men who have had experience
/ I'm handling conventions, and the fight
for supremacy in the convention Will be
/ scientifically made.
Ar. II. NJ. Smith, Jr.. will place the
/ name Of Colonel Elicit before the conven-
ton. and the nomination will be seconded
/ bv Mr.. Minetree Fowlkes and some prom
/ lent county man. Hon. Conway r. Sands
! will nominate Captain lamb. and Mr.
/ Hill Montague will make the secondine
/ speech. Ii was rumored yesterday maj
! Mr.. c. NJ. Wallace. Jr.. would second Col
/ onel Ellett's nomination, but when seen
! by a Dispatch man yesterday Mr. wal
lace said this was erroneous, as, In vie"
Of the fact that he Is one of the State
/ electors. he could not think of taking
such a prominent part in the contest He
Is not even a delegate 10 the convention
In event that a Lamb man Is nomi'
mated by the District Committee TO be
temporary chairman, the first move OF
the Elicit leaders will naturally be &c
have the convention reject him, and, II
that succeeds. the fight Will be made &c
get control Of the body. and through IT,
/ the Committee on Credentials.
IL may be that the fight between the
/ Congressman and his Henrico opponent
/ may result in the defeat of both, and the
election Of Judge Roger Gregory, Of Kine
William county
READY FOR THE FRAY.
Already the clans are gathering for tho
/ fray. and last night the Elicit delegates
assembled at Sanger Hall and made theiI
/ final preparations for the battle to-day
/ The Lamb men decided upon the course
they will pursue on Tuesday night but
a great many Of the delegates who favor
the Henricoan were at his headquarters
/ I'm the Rueger building, last night. anc
all were confident that their man would
be the choice OF the convention.
Captain Lambs friends express them
selves as perfectly satisfied with the
situation. They declare that there car
await the result with confidence. They
say that the contests in King Willial
/ are simply born of desperation. They
cali attention to the fact that even al
the precinct meetings. held in that coun'
! ~. wherever the Lamb men outnumberec
the Elicit men, the latter withdrew from
the meetings, and selected men 10 come
10 the convention as contestants. They
say that at Manquin the action OF th'
/ courthouse meeting was endorsed by 9
vote of % to s. yet the bolted anc
chose a man to contest the seat OF the
delegate twice endorsed; while at Mango
/ hick. where the vote was IS TO 8 In favor
] of the Lamb man. who had been previous
IN chosen at the courthouse meeting
the same thing was done. They insis
that these cannot be bona-fide contests.
The Elicit men were jubilant in anticl'
patton of the nomination of their man
which they claim is inevitable. They say
there is no way in which the result can
/ be figured by which he can be deprived oil
the nomination
no man who has been through this
! canvass" said one OF the Elicit man
ayers, "can possibly entertain any doubt
about the victory which awaits the Dem
ocrauc party in November We feel con-
fdent Colonel Elicit will succeed himself
/ in Congress for the ensuing terHh' ahu
| congratulate our party on the extension
/ Of his usefulness as a public servant
Elicit Delegates.
! Following is the list OF delegates who
have been chosen from this city by Colo
mel Elicit:
CLAY WARD.
First Precinct: Delegates-C. Walton
! Saunders. Charles r. Winston. James ID
! Patton, A. c. Calder, A. c. Hartman
| Waller Scott. Writ IL. TAYLOR. Alter
nates-B. a. Jacob. J. L. b. Stuart Henry
/ Hoppe, f.. c. Walthall. j. c. Smith, Leon