The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-01-09
CONVENTION ON TUESDAY
Democratic Primaries Nill BE HELD
on Saturday Afternoon.
CONFERENCE or THE LEADERS
They Appointed u Committee to Fix Up
Siatc-So:uc OF the Men Prom
incntIy Mentioned for the
offices to lsc Filled.

committee last night in the ST. CharleS
hotel ii was decided to hold the pri-
maries of the party Saturday after
noon, between the hours of 4 and I.
to elect delegates to attend the city
convention. which will be held Tuesday
afternoon. The place where the con-
vention will meet has not been decided
upon, but it will probably be held in
Music Hall
There was large gathering of Demo-
Gratis who have been conspicuous In the
battles of the party during the last half
dozen years i'm the corridors of the
st. Charles before and after the meet
ing of the committee. They discussed
the Republican convention of Tuesday
aud then spun yarns about the notable
Democratic conventions OF the past.
Yarns and "reminiscences were seasoned
with serious talk relative to the
chances of the party in the coming cam
paign and the proper persons to nomi-
nate as candidates for the city offices
to be filed.
There was n great diversity of opln-
ion. Some contended that the party's
best move would be to nominate what
Is known as an American Democrat for
mayor. while others were just as posi-
tive that man should be selected as
the Democratic standard bearer who
has Celtic blood flowing through his
veins.
Meeting OF the Committee.
1t was 155 when Vice-Chairman
Vaughan, of the city committee, called
the members of the committee to order
| in one of the first floor n8rlors of the
st. Charles hotel. Those present be-
side the chairman were NJ. +. Sando.
secretary; II. II. Koehlcr, treasurer:
William Hopkins, Third ward: John F.
Feeney, Fourth ward: John Devanney.
jr.. and NJ j. Kelly. Seventh ward: Col
| onel +. j. FitZsimmons. Eighth ward:
ID. j. Campbell; Ninth ward: John
Schwenk, Eleventh ward: David Clark
and Morgan Sweeney, Twelfth ward;
Thos. Cosgrove, Fourteenth ward: Jas
White, Seventeenth ward: NJ. j. Biglin.
| Nineteenth ward: Timothy Lavelle,
Twentieth ward. The full membership
| of the committee Is thirty-eight.
Mr. Vaughan explained thai. the COM
mittcc had been called together tn Sc
lect time for holding city convention
| and suggested that the date he an early
one. as Jan. 81 is the last day for filing
certificates of nomination. NJ. ]. Kelly
made motion to the effect thai the
primaries be held next Saturday be-
| tween the hours of 4 and Z and the
convention on the following Tuesday
at p. m. Th;a motion prevailed and
on motion of ID. J. Campbell a commit
tee of three was selected TO secure a
place for holding the convention. On
that committee ID. j. Campbell, NJ. J.
Kelly and H. r. Koehler were appointed
with instructions to notify Chairman
Vaughan today of the place secured
Morgan Sweeney called the attention
of the committee to the fact that there
is no record Of the vigilance committees
| elected to conduct Saturdays primaries
| and suggested that the voters when
they assemble at polling places select
| persons to conduct the primaries.
Swccncy's Idea Adopted.
H1fs suggestion was combated at first
on the ground that it might cause a con-
flct OF authority in many districts but
| the committee ended by adopting mo-
tion made by II. r. Koeher that the Vig-
| ilanCe committee in each district he
| elected on Saturday prior 90 opening
| the polls. Mr.. Schwenk, the rerresen-
| tative on the committee from the Eicv-
enth ward, wanted information con-
cernng the method to he persued in
| selecting vigilance committees and the
chairman said in a jocular way:
| Il thought there We're no Democrats
| in the Eleventh ward, Mr.. Schwenk."
l
yeti" was the reply: ''we're not as bad
as the Twelfth ward yet"
After the preliminaries with regard to
| the convention were settled short ad-
dresses were made by Col. J. J. Fitz-
simmons. C. G. Boland. ID. j. Campbell,
ID. w. Vaughan. II. r. Koehler. M. j.
Kelly. James White. NJ. +. Sando, John
p. Feeney. Martin Bigln, John Schwenk.
William Hopkins, Morgan Sweeney.
John Devaney and Thomas Cosgrove.
The tenor of the speeches We're that the
Democratic party has a chance for vic
tory at the coming election If good
to go on the ticket.
An Informal Discussion.
After the meeting of the city COM
| mittee had adjourned numbe. of
prominent Democrats gathered in the
same room in which the committees
action had been taken and participated
in an informal discussion of the situa-
tion. u. W. Vaughan presided and NJ
+. Sando acted as secretary.
There were also present ex-SherlT
Fahey. Country Treasurer Charles
Schadt. ex-Register of Wills KoehIer,
John Durkin. Attorney Nathan Vida
YER. NJ. ]. Kelly, u. j. Campbell. +. ].
Fitzsimmons. G. G. Donovan. c. Ben
Johnson, C. G. Boland, Thomas Costel-
10. John Gaffney and Martin Cadden.
Speeches were made by Messrs. Camp
bell. Nidaver and Boland.
The purpose of the meeting was to
prepare a slate to submit to next Tues
days convention. but the gathering did
not think itself equal to the task and
decided to postpone this important ac-
ton. Attorney Nathan Vidaver took
the initiative in the matter and moved
that committee of five be appointed
to select committee Of fifteen repre-
sentative Democrats to perform this
important function. EX-Sheri7 Fahey,
County Treasurer Schadt, NJ. j. Kelly.
ID. ]. Campbell and Henry Koehler were
selected to comprise the committee
comprehended in Mr.. Vidaver's motion.
| NJ. +. Sando, secretary of the city
committee, was requested to cooperate
with the committee to select the larger
body. Later in the evening they COM
pleted the work of selecting The COM
mittee. but refused to make public it's
membership. The committee will meet
at the st. Charles hotel tomorrow night
and resume the quest for candidates.
The Principal Difficulty.
From indications that dropped out
from beneath last nights blanket OF
secrecy the principal difficulty that will
confront this body will be the task OF
inducing some one to accept the candi-
dacy for mayor. There was good dea
of talk in the corridors Of the hote
about the probable complexion of the
ticket The general opinion seemed tc
be that C. q. Boland would make the
strongest candidate for mayor, but Mr.
Boland stuck to his determination no,
to be a candidate for that office. He
is willing, however, to take the nOmina-
tion for treasurer and it is quite prob
able that he will be the conventions
nominee for that office. NJ. J. Kelly
and Henry Koehler are also willing tC
go on the ticket in the same place