San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-09-01
BLACK MAN ON TOP.
DEMAS AND HIS GANG TURN MAI.
HERO DOWN.
A Bolt and Two Candidates Nominated
For Congress, Making it Easier
For the PopoCrats.

New Orleans, Aug. 31.-Henry De-
mas, the negro ginned out Republican
leader in st. Johns parish, ruled the
roost yesterday at the second congress
sional Republican convention held at
Longshoreman's hall on Jackson ave-
nue. and Dyrades, and incidentally
threw down Major" Andrew Hero.
Hero is used to throw downs, but the
one of yesterday was severe and can
not but be painful. on account of the
fact that Demas had iOllied the Major
on for quite a while, leaving the little
man under the impression that he had
Demas and his crowd dead to rights
The convention was called for noon.
1t was 3 o'clock before the committee
on credentials and temporary organi-
Zation reported, o'clock before the
convention made start to expedite
business, and midnight ere the worn
out delegates cut loose from the eK-
element of the occasion. 1t was a
riotously inclined mob from start to
finish, and had it not been for the
presence of the police there is no
question but what divers personal en-
counters would have resulted. De-
mas was around all the time smoking
a perfecto and looking as truculent as
ever Captain Wimberly was fulfill
ing the duties of national committee
men as he understands them, by back
ing Demas' game to capture the con-
ventiOn.
Before the convention assembled
Major Hero was working like bea
yer to secure a majority of the dele
gates votes. He claims, at least his
friends claim, that the Major did have
.sc ,s"ar majority when the delegates
We're admitted but the usual unrelia-
bility that accompanies anything
where Sambo is concerned followed
close on the heels of Major Hero's
trades" and on a vote Demas was
sustained in his position as boss" of
the second Republican regular" or
ganiZation with headquartersat New
Orleans instead of st. Johns parish,
rs heretofore. Major Hero and his
friends were furious at their being
turned down, and htey bolted the De-
mas convention and set up side show
of their own in Behrmann's hall. elect-
ing Charles BOURGEOIS as chairman.
DemaS played a star part yesterday
Wimberly and he had rehearsed the
part carefully and having an assur-
ed majority behind him the negro
striker from St.. Johns eSSayed a role
foreign to his nature, and allowed
those opposed to him an opportunity
to speak. With his gang behind him
Demas could afford to let w. S. Will
son bait him, something w. S. didn't
forget to do, and as this really clever
debater got into the weak spots Of
Demas' armOr, Demas could be seen
to vince and grind his teeth, but pre-
serving his outward calm exterior
with really admirable fOrtitude.
After laboring for ten hours the
sum total of the work accomplished
was this: Demas was sustained in
power and made permanent chairman.
j. +. Thomas permanent secretary,
+. \. Wicker was nominated for con-
gress and some other minor offices
filed up. The Hero crowd nominal
ed Mr.. James Legendre for congress,
and then went home to apply liniment
to their wounds inflicted by their OPP
penents. The nomination of Mr.
Wicker, if it be seriously persisted in,
makes things easier than ever for the
Democratic party in the second dis
trict. While very clever gentlemen
Mr.. Wicker is totally unknown in the
district. During the state election in
April he was one of those city Repub-
leans who worked against the regu-
lars and under the order of the Pharr
committee.