The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-07-22
DECIDING CONTESTS
The POpulist National Committee in
Session at st. Louis
DEBS' FRIENDS ARE ACTIVE
Senator Butler Is Selected for the
office Off emporary Chairman
some Speeches hat ARE
iinted With Hot olors.

! st. Louis. July 2l.-The populist ma
tional committee met at II O'Clock
Taubeneck occupied the chair. The
principal work before the committee
Is the selection of temporary officers
and settlement of contests, but these
matters were postponed. The Texas Gel-
egatlon was increased rrom ~ to lO3
The representation In each territory
and the District of Columbia, except
Oklahoma, was increased to six. Okla
homa was put on the basis OF state
and given nine votes because of the
large populist vote cast there. The
committee took a recess until O'clock
The committee at Its afternoon meet
ing took up the various contests for
seats, the Illinois contest being the
first In order. This contest involves the
seats OF % delegates from the congress
slonal district comprised In the city of
Chicago. 1t was charged that the con-
veDtions were irregular and each side
claimed the other was composed OF
men who were not popullsts. one Ct
the delegations was headed by III. $.
Taylor and the other by william
Burns. who was an officer of the Amer
lean Railway union and was imprisoned
with Eugene V. Debs after the Chicago
strike. Speeches were made by both
Burns and Taylor who went over the
merits of the controversy In detail and
indulged In mutual ordinations. Burns
claimed that the Taylor people were
not popullsts. He charged them with
lukewarmness In connection with the
cause of the men engaged I'm the great
strike, and insisted that the Taylorites
had taken position against the inter-
ests of the party In signing the Chicago
manifesto in the interest of Senator
Teller for the presidency. The contest
was decided by the adoption by the
committee Of a motion offered by Igna
thus Donnelly giving each member OF
both delegations half a vote. the vote
In favor of this motion being 40 to Is.
The hearing of the Ohio case follow
ed. This controversy applied to the
Nineteenth Ohio district involving
three district seats and Indirectly the
seat of the delegate large. The dis
triot contestants on one side were II.
NJ. Smith, J. b. Miller and Carl New
ton and on the other ]. NJ. ii. Freder-
lex, j. c. Doolittle and NJ. III. Webster.
The only issue was as to the regularity
OF the call for the two conventions.
The Smith convention was called by
the state committee and the Frederick
delegation by the congressional COM
mlttee. The national committee took
the position that the congressional call
was regular and seated the Frederick
delegation. This discussion had the ef-
feet of deciding the state contest be-
tween Hugo Pryor and John Sites In
favor Of Pryor.
Police were stationed outside the
doors Of the hall In which the national
committee held its session and they
were frequently In demand to prevent
personal encounters between the con-
testing delegations from Chicago.
There was one fisticuff between DR.. II.
s. Taylor, the leader of the regulars.
and Seymour Stedman Of the opposing
delegation. Neither was hurt, but as
1t was evident someone was likely to
be. the police were called.
The Illinois case was again under
consideration in the committee which
had decided to reopen the contests up
on the request of the members OF the
delegation whose seats were not con-
tested, and who had unanimously de-
clared the Taylor faction were entitled
to the seats. After an hours delib-
Grafton the committee reversed It's de-
cision of this afternoon which gave
half a vote to each member Of both
delegations. The vote tonight was 30
to "a to seat the Taylor delegates. The
defeated faction now declares that the
committee was packed and that to-
nights action was necessary to sustain
Mr. Taubeneck in his position OF ma
tional chairman. The Taubeneck-Tay-
lor people were very much elated over
the result.
The contest from the Eleventh Mis-
souri, district was decided in favor OF
Frank f. Ritchie. who contested the
seat claimed by John l.. Talbot The
contestlng Fourth Wisconsin district.
between r. A. Cole and Samuel Isaacs
for a seat as alternate. was decided In
favor Of Cole. The Colorado contest
involving the seats. Of the IS delegates
from that state was decided without
discussion In favor Of the regular dele
CATION headed by the Hon. Thomas NJ.
Patterson. The committee then ad-
uaA