The San Francisco call., 1896-07-08
SETTLING CONTESTS.
Contestants Present Their Cases
Before the Committee on
Credentials.

VI
CHICAGO, ILL, July THE commit.
tee on credentials organized by electing j..
II. Atwood of Kansas chairman and M. E..
Benton of Missouri secretary. Contests
were filed from Nevada, Nebraska, Michi-
gan and South Dakota.
Mr.. Baker for the contestants read a
statement protesting against the seating OF
the four delegates at large from Michigan
E. G. Stevenson, +. A. E. Weadock, Rob-
ert R. Blacker, Peter White-and the dele
gates from the Fourth and Ninth districts.
BE read voluminous affidavits to sustain
his contention that the Michigan conven-
tion was controlled by Federal office-ho
ers, by bribery, intimidation and the vio-
lation of instructions by delegations, and
| by putting on the roll of district conven-
tion the names of nine delegates from
counties that never held conventions.
By these methods he claimed that sill
yer majority of 160 was tnrned into gold
majority of 5S, and with the convention
thus thrown into their hands the gold men
railroaded everything through and would
hear nothing from the silver side.
Mr.. Baker was accorded forty minutes,
and then f. G. Stevenson, for the sitting
0C4CSd PiCoCAbCO LIE cAOC Vi lnc CdS6.
The committee, by vote of 81 to 16,
recommended the seating of the contest.
ing delegates, four at large and two in the
Fourth and Ninth districts each from the
State of Michigan.
The unit rule prevails in the Michigan
delegation, and this action of the commit
| tee, if confirmed by the convention, will
throw the solid vote of Michigan into the
silver column, and it gives the silver men
the majority of the delegation.
Mr.. Stevenson supported his contention
that the sitting members from Michigan
were entitled to their seats by reading
numerous affidavits He made vigorous
presentation of his side and the contest
developed bitter personalities. A general
quizzing by members of the committee
was INDUCED i'll and Mr.. Stevenson. Mr..
Hummer and Mr.. Baker were subject
| to it.
The Eastern men, led by Mr.. Weed of
New York, supported the sitting member
when the committee resumed its executive
session to consider the case. Senator Nc
Laurin of Mississippi led the fight for the
contestants, and finally by vote of 81 to
| 16 the Michigan contestants, eight in num-
Der, were seated.
| A motion to adjourn was taken at A. NJ,
but voted down. the committee deciding
to wind up its business tonight. The
Nebraska business was then taken up and
debate on each side limited to fifteen min
utes. c. ]. Smith opened the case for the
! contestants.
He argued that the silver delegates were
the only regularly elected delegates and
that the other faction were merely bolt
ers. T. J. Mahoney argued for the gold
men. He claimed the silver wing had left
the Democratic party and gone over to the
Populists, whose ticket they had partly in
dorsed in the last campaign, and that the
| gold wing was the only representative OF
Democracy in Nebraska.
Mr.. Bryan closed the case on behalf OF
himself and the other silver delegates.
He asserted that the majority of the STATE
convent ton of 1898 were office holders or
prospective candidates. Nine-tenths OF
the people of Nebraska were in favor oil
free silver, and If the office-holders were
barred from the gold wing there would
not be enough left to hold caucus
a motion was made to seat both delega-
tions. but was voted down. The commit
tee then, without taking a ballot. unseated
the gold delegates and seated the Bryan or
silver delegates.
The action of the National Committee in
the Nevada case was confirmed. The con-
test from South Dakota was then taken
up and William A. Lynch presented the
case for the contestants.