The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-08-13


bathed IN perspiration and his voice
sounding like Il voice from the tomb.
At the afternoon session the old row
about discussion of platform came up
Immediately. Some were in favor of
hurrying matters up and adopting it as
Il whole, but the boys from the forks of
the creek viewed such movements with
suspicion and alarm and would have
none of it. A regular wind row was
again preciptated by resolution by b.
f. Wedy of Smith county looking to an
endorsement of the Texas middle-of-the-
road men in the st. Louis convention.
This resolution was introduced as an
amendment to the platform, and while
innocent enough in appearance was load
ed with dynamite so far as any fusion by
this convention was concerned. So
pregnant was it with anti-fusion dyna-
mite that the leaders very quickly cor
rallied it and showed it committeeman
with many sweet promises that it would
show up again very soon, and though its
owner rushed frantically around looking
for his resolution and demanding that
it be presented to the convention he
sought in vain for sufficient backing or
Il good opening TO get his bottle of pare
goric injected into the convention. After
squelchng it Il second time the CON
vention considered an amendment by
l.. A. Taylor of Grimes to the platform
looking to II demand of the repeal of
the Colquitt delinquent tax bill. and
then squelched Wedy again.
Finally all amendments were dumped
into Il basket and handed over to the
platform committee while Wedy and his
resolution were again pushed to the
side.
At 3 o'clock, after four and Il half
hours of debate, the convention went
right back over their tracks and decided
to start where they had begun i'll the
morning and consider the platform, sec
ton by section instead of as II whole, as
they had been doing. For over an
hour and half the hall had been the
scene of widest confusion and while the
chairman's gavel played Il regular tattoo
on the table a dozen men were clamoring
| for recognition and speakers could not be
heard twenty feet away. The western
sun was beaming in the hall and pCrspi-
ration poured off the delegates like
rain. Midst all this chaos somebody
moved that in the adoption of the plat
| form by sections no speeches be made
Instantly populist orators were up in
arms with that old Roman cry that the
| voice of the people must Ice heard. After
all had hallooed for ten minutes it was
voted, in confusion. to have twO-mnute
speeches in case anybody wanted to
make them, and the platform was then
adopted slowly. section by section. but
outside of the above no radical changes
were made.
After this it took fifteen minutes to
squech Wedy and his st. Louis delega-
ton resolution for about the seventh
time, and the convention went into the
nomination of officers.
While, there was no opposition to
Jerome Kearby and Stump Ashby for
governor and lieutenant governor, re-
spectively, the convention consumed one
hour in nominating them, oratory flying
thick and fast from all quarters. Both
gentlemen, as they were declared nOmi-
mated. advanced and made thrilling
speeches. Ashby putting himself on
record as being opposed to seeking ~ ac-
cepting assistance from any other p0liti-
cal organization.
Barney Gibbs of Dallas nominated
Kearby while Maj. w. o. Hutchinson of
San Marcos nominated Ashby. There
were about twenty-five seconding
speeches.
After these two nominations the con-
vention adjourned for supper.