The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1896-08-06

s,r President by More thar Two
Thirds Majority at the Populist
National Convention-His Refusal
70 Run without Sewall for a Mate
Ia Irnored-Great Confusion At
tends the Calling of the Roll.
". J. Bryan was nominated at st. Louis
Saturday afternoon by the Populists as
,beir candidate for President of the Unit
ed States.
Only two other candidates were nomi-
mated to contest the field against Bryan.
One wa, seymour +. Norton, a lawyer
from Chicago, and the other was Gen.
Coycy. The generals name was with
drawn before the bal.oting was begun.
Eurrnc Y. Debs would have been a can
dllate had be not sent Il message to the
convention declining to accept the nomi-
nation. The voting was all one way, and
when the result was announced bedlam
broke loose and pandemOnium reigned for
fifteen or twenty minutes. The Texas.
Arkansas and Maine middle-Of-the-road
men. with their guidOns together, took no
part in the demonstration.
The middle-of-the-road men finally
masscl about their standard on the left
of the hall, about 300 in number, and
made Il counter demonstration. They
cApcred and yelled and pushed and fought
for ten minutes. The sergeants at arms
were pDwerlcss to restore order, and, af-
ter rapping for five minutes, Chairman
80 l.l NJ, Dr.. A.. ~a,oo -
the convention.
At the first session Friday the anti
Sewall people moved to change the rules
and make the nomination Of candidate for
Nicc-pre>ident the first order of business,
preceding the nomination for President.
1t was generally understood this was a
test vote on the Sewall proposition, and
on it the anti-Sewall people were %victori-
Gus by 100 majority.
Gen. j. b. Weaver, chairman of the
committee on resolutions, read the plat
form as agreed To by the majority Of the
committee.
Marked applause was given to the pro-
noUhccment for free coinage of silver,
against interest-bearing bonds, the de-
nlaclat!on of the position of the present
administration on the bond question; the
income tax provision, and the Cuban
plank. The platform was adopted as a
whole after the minority reports Of Dele
gates Kirby of Texas and CoXey of Ohio
had been rejected.
The convention met for its evening SEES
sion at $50 o'clock and speeches nomi-
mating candidates for Vice-President
We're declared to be in order. Half a doz-
en- candidates were put up. Thomas L.
Watson Of Georgia had the greatest num-
Der of friends. No fewer than two dozen
speeches were made in his behalf. The
other candidates named were Sewall,
skinner of North Carolina, Burkitt of
Mississippi, Milnms of Tennessee and
Even Page Of Virginia. All the candi-
dates save Sewall were from the South,
there being Il tacit understanding that a
straIsht-out Populist from that section
should be placed upon the ticket.
When the roll was called Arkansas
started off with twenty-five votes for Wat
son Mr.. Patterson of Colorado cast the
forty-iiye votes of his State for Scwall
aiiil a round Of applause from the Bryan
men. Indiana gave her thirty votes TO
watson. Kansas gave Sewall eighty-two
OF her n~incty-iive votes. Louisiana gave
Va itl Notc " w dtSOU, NldIS-
!ahd divided her vote between Sewall and
Watson. North Carolina cast her ninety
I'VE votes for Skinner, Tennessee voted
lor Nimns and Texas for Burkitt. This
Spllt up the large delegations. Before the
ron call was completed. however, Texas
changed her vote to Watson and there
We're other changes in favor of the
Georgian. Col. Burkitt of Mississippi
went 10 the stand and Withdrew his name.
lieh Mimms withdrew in Watson's ia
N"f' he Georgian already had votes
enough to nominate. but the vote of Ten
"eSS"r was finally transferred to his col
t!lH' some one made the motion to make
'Ne domination unanimous and it was
carried with Il whoop.
senator Allen called the convention to
order at $3.50 o'clock Saturday morning.
Alter the Invocation the chairman an
n"Hlcei thar the first thing in order was
Inc selection of members of the national
committee and the committees to notify
,ne candidates for President and Vice
PRESIDENT. Several resolutions were pre-
seated ana referred without reading or
debate.
Weaver Names Bryan.
Inc chairman then called for the nomi-
nations OF President and Nice-President,
ana Judge Green of Nebraska took the
,'iSe to place Mr.. Bryan in nomination.
y Texas delegate interrupted with a point
Vi order that the States must be called
III alphabetical order for nominations.
JUICE Green was driven off the stage by
the Texans point of order. When Ala
pama was called Gov. Kolb yielded to
Zen. Weaver Of Iowa, but Col. Gather
OF Alabama got to the platform first and
UNEXPECTED a speech about joining the
cotton fields of the South with the wheat
neids of the West. At the conclusion
OF MS remarks Gen. Weaver came for
ward and formally placed M. Bryan in
nomination.