Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1896-04-28
A LATE CONVENTION.

The Democratic State Convention
will be held at Lexington June 3, toe
late to be of any assistance to the
Carlisle boomlet, which has failed to
attract any attention in the eight
States that have already elected ia
delegates. The State Executive
Committee met in Louisville on the
22nd inst with 10 of the IL members
present, the Tenth district being un'
represented. 1t was found that the
Committee stood 7 for gold and for
bimetallism. The gold men got to-
gether and agreed upon an early con-
yention, with county mass conven-
tons to appoint delegates and the
1892 vote as the basis, but disagreed
among themselves as to the place,
though the newspapers hooted at the
idea that the bimetallists could keep
Louisville from getting the conven-
ton. They even settled the whole
business in advance and announced
that the convention would be held in
Louisville May 20. When the time
for the meeting arrived, the seven
gold men delayed the meeting half
an hour to finish caucus in which
they were engaged. The three Stall
warts, representing the First, Second
and Third districts, found themselves
holding the balarce of power and
their first vict"ry was to take the con-
vention away from Louisville and
give it to the Democratic city of Lex
ington. A compromise on the ques-
ton of the basis was then proposed
by the Lexington men, but it was not
satisfactory to the double standard
men-Messrs. Wheeler, Meacham and
Roark-who contended for the 1895 |
vote as the only proper basis. The
compromise proposed was however
adopted, which made both 1892 and
1895 the basis, the counties to take
the highest vote cast in either year.
On the question of the method the
hardest fight of the meeting took
place. The discussion lasted an hour
and some very plain talk was indulg-
ed in by the minority members. They
were, however, out voted and the |
court house convention plan was
adopted by the gold men, who were
afraid to give the country people
chance to vote at their own precincts.
Just before the adjournment. Mr..
Meacham moved reconsideration of
the vote fixing Lexington as the place
of meeting, This motion was passed |
with the aid of the Louisville men.
Once more holding the balance of
power, the Western members, with
the votes of the Lexington men, vot
ed for recess and some concessions
were promised, which were lost by
the failure to secure the attendance
of one member who had given his
proxy to a Louisville man and gone
away before the question was reopen
ed. At the night session the date was
postponed from May 16 to June 3 and
after an animated discussion upon
several points, the call was finally
settled upon as published elsewhere.
But for the failure of the member
from the Fourth district to act with
them, the free coinage members would
have secured the method usual with
the party and the people could have
had chance to express themselves
at precinct conventions. The Fourth
is strong silver district, but Mr..
Hubbard acted uniformly with the
gold side. As it was, the minority
was able to take the convention away
from Louisville and defeat the prop
osition to hold snap convention in
side of three weeks. An attempt was
made to give the State Convention
the authority to over-rule the election
of district delegates by district con-
ventions, but this was also prevented
and the districts will "choose" their
own delegates as heretofore.
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Gov. Altgeld, of Illinois, has pub