The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-09-04

d owned amid the threats and insu1fs
from the Williamson delegates, manv
o. whom rushed upon the sta, g, yelling
put MN out" threw him out of Il e
wlndow," etc. There was 10 efforc
made, in parliamentary manner. tn
have reconsideration of the vote
The policemen were present at the re-
quest OF Col. CoX's friends, and when
they saw serious difiiculty was immi
nent they set about to clear the stave
OF every one not belonging there Of
Doth factions. In this they failed: and
WINE the angry delegates were gath
ered around Mr.. Cheairs upon the stage.
Mr. henderson stated to him that un-
less he abdicate and Mr.. Stewart re.
turn, Col. CoXs friends would with
draw, Mr.. Cheairs replied that he
would consult his friends as TO what he
should do, and retired for that Durpose.
HIS frlends thought that to thus sur-
render upon the noisy and unparlia-
mentary demand OF the e gentlemen.
wnlch mad been prefaced by threats of
physical violence as they rushed upon
tne stage, was altogether out of the
question. SO Mr.. Cheairs stated TO the
convention that the gentlemen from
Williamson had announced as their
ultlmatum that they would bolt unless
Mr.. Stewart return and again put the
question OF the selection of a temporary
Chairman to the convention: but that
ne mad already been selected and. nm
der the advice of his friends, he would
PRESIDE untll permanent Chairman
was chosen.
III the Williamson County gentlemen
were aggrieved at this, there was reg
ular and parliamentary method of cor
rectllg the grievance. An appeal to
tne convention, or motion to recon
slder with vote by counties, would
nave brought the matter before the CON
Ventlon. Instead of this, Mr.. Hender-
son called upon all of "the friends of
Hol. O0X" TO repair to the Bethel House
Immediately This invitation was ex-
Sehueu alone TO "the friends of Col.
~ ~ . mosI OF them withdrew, leaving
tne regular convention still assembled
az tne Opera House. "Col. Cox's
friends" then went to the courthouse,
Mmnere no friend of Mr.. Whitthorne had
oeen invited, and there, whilst the duly
constituted and regularly assembled
convention was in session in the Opera
n.puse, they assumed to organize an
o.her convention, of which no notice
was given to the delegates regularly AS
SEM led pursuant to the official call OF
me committee. Upon the assem- bling of
she convention in the Opera House, the
functions and duties of the committee
mad Ceased. BY virtue of what author.
lty or right did they. assume to respond
10 Mr. Hendersons invitation TO "CoL
CoX's friends" to withdraw; and, after
thus boiling, to set up an independent
standard, call convention TO meet in
the courthouse, and there proceed to
the nomination of a candidate for Con-
| gress, of which convention the regular
ly assembled delegates in the Opera
House had no notice, and to which only
1.-THE friends of Col. Cox had been in-
vited? 1t is well known that Mr..
Whltthorne and Col. Cox were both
earnestly claiming the majority of the
delegates. This was the question to be
settled by the convention. If Col Cox
felt sure that he had the majority, WHY
was 1t necessary for his friends to bolt
upon the very initial step taken i'm the
convention? After the withdrawal OF
most of the Cox delegates, the regular
convention proceeded and nominated
the Hon. w. j. Whitthorne as the Dem
ocratic candidate for Congress. While
this was going on the boilers were en-
gagged in organizing convention of
"Col. CoX's friends" of which the dele
gates regularly assembled and then in
session, had no notice, but were i'm fact
! excluded by the invitation or with
| drawal having been extended alone to
those who were so fortunate as to be
numbered among the partisans of the
doughty Colonel.
And now, after having been honored
for six years by the Democracy of this
district Col. Cox puts his party in peril
IN the supreme hour of it, need, and
comes before the people, grotesquely
claiming that his side show was the
regular convention, and that he has
been "regularly nominated" What
could it specially signify who was the
temporary Chairman, if majority of
the fairly elected and duly accredited
delegates favored the nomination of
Col. Cox? Intrenched behind such a
fairly chosen majority of delegates, he
could defy the most partisan rulings of
any temporary Chairman. The bolt
clearly indicated that the partisans of
Col. Cox were not altogether assured
that they were fairly entitled to the
majority of the delegates duly chosen.
Because of the failure of Mr.. Stewart to
| recognize the gentleman from William
son, the Chair is insulted by Kisses,
groans and cat-calls, which never ceased
until after these boistrous delegates
had withdrawn. Because Mr.. Stewart
announced what he honestly believed
10 have been the expressed will of the
convention as to who should be the
temporary Chairman, the gentlemen
who now champion Col. Cox as the
| regular nominee" treated US to the
spectacle of lot of delegates rushing
upon the stage and threatening to throw
our friends out of the windows; and be.
cause we did not submit to their dieta-
ton, that Mr.. Cheairs abdicate, dicta-
ton made in an unseemly and unpar-
liamentary manner, and without any
parliamentary effort to redress their
alleged grievance, these gentlemen
bolt, upon an invitation extended to
"Col. Cox's friends" assume to organize
a convention of tn Dir own of which
none but "the friends of Col. Cox" had
notice, and, after thus boiling and nom
mating their candidate, they and their
candidate appeal TO the Democrats OF
this district to support him as The "reg-
ular nominee" The simple truth is,
If Mr.. Stewart was too hasty in ar
nouncing the election of temporary
Chairman, the partisans of Col. Cox
should not have lost their temper, and
also their Judgment and proceeded 10
rush upon the stage to correct by
threats what could have been easily
remedied by an orderly and dignifed
appeal to the convention. Failing in
this attempt, they very foolishly bolt
ed, and then assumed to organize and
run a convention of their own. Is Col.
Cox thus placed in position TO disrupt
the party that has followed his political
fortunes for six years, and, by so doing,