The San Francisco call., 1896-05-03
The Skirmish Will Open at the
Central Committee Meeting
Monday Night.
MAJORITY WANTS NO PLEDGES.
Strong Opposition to Ironclad Instr uc.
tions Shown by a Careful
Canvass.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, May 2.-Mem-
bers of the Republican State Central Com
mittee who voted to hold the State Con-
vention in this city will not regret having
cast that vote when they view the arrange
ments made for their reception and COM
fort. The expectation is that an immense
crowd will assemble in this city as early
as Monday night, and will probably re-
main at least two days; and no matter
how much this number may exceed the
predictions of the accommodation COM
mittee, whose headquarters are at III K
street, all who come will be cared for.
The chairmen of the various committees
met tonight and reported that all details
were complete.
The canvass of the city for funds has
been remarkably successful, and sufficient
money has been secured to defrav all the
expenses of the Republican, Democratic
andrPopulist conventions. The chairmen
of the various committees are as follows:
T. H. Wallace, hall; c. T. Jones, printing;
A. L. Johnson, badges; William McLaugh-
lin, transportation; Z. B. Willis. press;
r. D. Stevens, accommodation, and w. w.
Douglas music.
In the pavilion the rotunda has been
inclosed with canvas to a height of fifty
two feet with Turkish red border twelve
feet wide at the top. These canvas walls
are lined with flags, banners and the en-
blems of the various States of the Union,
and topping all is an immense center
piece, 142 feet in breadth, from which hun
dreds of vari-colored streamers run to the
outer edge of the inclosure.
The platform for the chairman and
clerks is forty-eight by fourteen feet in
dimensions, and the press platform is
eighty feet long, with accommodations for
thirty press representatives. In addition
to this Secretary of State Brown has placed
the Assembly and Senate chambers and
the two Supreme Courtrooms at the dis
posal of the convention to be used as dele
cation and committee rooms, and head
quarters rooms have been secured in
abundance. While arrangements haYe
been m ade in the pavilion for the seating
of over 1000 persons, J. A. Steppacher, as
sistant secretary of the State Central Com
mittee, Will meet with 7. H. Wallace of
the hall committee tomorrow and ar
range for the location of the seats of the
delegations.
There will be very important meeting
of the State Central Committee in this
city on Monday night, presumably to de-
eide upon what deleg gations will be recog-
nized, those elected at the primaries or
those appointed by County Central Com
mittees, and it is rumored that the session
will be extremely warm"
The delegates and press representatives
will be furnished with badges, and the lat
ter will be given city transportation facili-
ties, such as hacks and streetcar tickets
L. B. Willis, chairman of the press COM
mittee has made complete arrangements
for the accommodation of all representa-
tives.
The Republican headquarters will be
located at the Golden Eagle Hotel.
In this county there will be two delega-
tions to struggle for recognition in the
convention-those appointed by the
County Central Committee and those
elected at the primaries. 1t is claimed
that the former delegates are Mckinley
men. The delegation elected at the pri-
mariesis comprised of anti Mckinley men.
In an interview with one of the most
prominent men of this faction he said:
'"Our belief is that free silver is q far
more important issue to California than
the election of William Mckinley. We
are hopeful of getting at least half vote
in the coming convention, and we have
reason to believe that our delegation will
be seated in place of that appointed by
the County Central Committee.
"We have made careful canvass of the
various delegations and find that many
counties have held primaries and sent un-
instructed delegates. To my positive
knowledge there is not one instructed dele
gate south of Tehachapi. Sutter, Nevada,
San Joaquin and Yolo counties will send
divided delegations and they will doubt
less be unpledged. Our opinion is that an
unpledged delegation from California will
hold the balance of power in the Nat ional
Convention and will be in such request as
will enable it to demand the insertion of
a free silver plank in the National plat
form. On the same basis. if seated, our
delegation may hold the balance in the
coming State Convention
The convention will be opened at p. NJ.
on Tuesday, and the first days contest
will be over the election of temporary
chairman and the selection of the commit
tee on credentials. Already the skirmish
line has begun the battle, and by Wednes-
day the entire city will be in political
turmoil.