The record-union., 1896-05-06
THE FIGHTING THIRD.
The Alameda COnteSting Delegation
Succeeds i'm Mixing Things.

THE FIGHTING THIRD.
The Alameda Contesting Delegation
Succeeds i'm Mixing Things.
AS was anticipated, there was fun for
all concerned and some left over for
spectators at the Third Congressional
District Convention which met in Su-
preme Courtroom No. l of the State
Capitol building at IL a. m. yesterday.
The convention was called to order by
the Chairman of the District Commit
tee, and commenced the task of organ
izing by selecting S. j. Knowland as
Secretary.
Scarcely was this completed before
Judge w. H. Davis of Alameda was on
his feet primed with a motion to ad-
journ until after the close of the State
Convention. He was a regularly ap-
pointed delegate from Alameda and had
also been elected by the primaries con-
trolled by the disgruntled element of
the party. He protested that the State
Convention was the body before which
the difference of opinion regarding pro-
testing delegates should be stated.
DAVIS OBJECTS.
Pandemonium broke out all over the
chamber, and fifty delegates were upon
the floor, each clamoring for the ear of
the Chairman, and it was some mo-
ments before the latter could rule
Judge Davis out of order holding that
no motion to adjourn could be enter
tanned until an organization had been
effected by the election of a temporary
Chairman. Judge Davis, as a lawyer,
should know that my ruling is proper" >"
continued the Chairman.
Then replied Davis, "I take the
lawyers privilege of taking an ex-
ception."
The Clerk will note the exception"
was the reply, and for the moment
Judge Davis subsided.
The roll-call showed only two absent
ees, besides number represented by
proxies, after which J. L. Gray of Con-
ira Costa was chosen temporary Chair
man by acclamation.
The newly elected Chairman was
barely in his place before Judge Davis
(now in order) once more interposed his
motion to adjourn until after the meet
ing of the State Convention He nro-
ceeded to give his reasons for the ac-
ton at some length, and offered
lengthy protest from the primary
elected delegates of Alameda, which he
desired placed on file.
THE CONVENTION WAKES UP.
1t was at this point that the conven-
tion woke up, and a half-aozen dele
gates were on foot inquiring whether
the motion was to submit the protest or
to adjourn, and it was several minutes
later before the Chairman could make
himself heard in his attempt to explain
that the motion was on adjournment
Judge Davis was on his feet again
proclaiming against any arbitrary &C.
ton in refusing to file the protest Of the
ccntesting Alameda delegates, when it
occurred to an Alameda delegate that
a motion to adjourn was not debata-
BILE question.
This caused another furore and near
" precpitated a smallsized riot Il was
contended by Judge Davis and his fol-
lowing that a motion to adjourn was
always debatable when specified time
was set for reassembling.
After wearing out his gavel (Which
was not in good condition to begin with,
having been previously misused by the
Chairman of the Sixth Congressional
District Convention) Chairman Geary
ruled the point well taken--a motion to
adjourn not being debatable. Accord
ingly the protest handed in by Judge
DAVIS was CefeIf1OHlOuSly p&SStu DICK
to him over the heads of the delegates
many of whom took the opportunity of
the occasion to groan in an exceedingly
deblitated manner.
KILLING TIME.
Time was passing swiftly, and it was
almost II O'Clock m. Time, to the pro-
testing delegates and their friends, was
O. most awkward customer. They were
out to kill time, and showed it from the
start. The State Republican Conven-
tion had been called to meet at >
O'Clock. and if they could work a raz-
zle-dazzle for the next hour the qaes-
tion of contested seats would be thrown
before the State Convention, which
would give the protest" much more
prominence than it held at present
So in order to carry out their aim the
promoters of the motion demanded a
rcIl-call. which dragged slowly along
Secretary Knowland while manfully
doing his best, was handicapped by hav-
ing no assistant. and the counting of
the vote was stopped in order to remedy
the defect, and Delegate Bennett was
appointed to fill the position.
But from the start ii was easily to be
seen that the Alameda contest, if not
a. "defunct canine" at least one that
was snarling and swapping in its last
agony Alameda County as was to be
expected, cast forty votes against an
adjournment, and was followed by
strong votes from most of the other
counties in the district, even Yolo fall
ing into line.
COLUSA DISGRUNTLED.
Prominent among the delegates vot-
irg for an adjournment-in other words.
10 throw the matter before the State
Conyention-were those of Colusa
County Colusa County was sore The
action of the committee had not been
to her taste Favors were not thrown
in the right direction. and, then. Colusa
County was a strong believer in pri-