Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-12

joined the bolt leaving about seventy in at
tendance upon the regular convention. He
alleged among other things that the men
whose seats were contested were allowed to
vote upon contests In which they were in
terested
Judge Thompson appeared for the Lee
delegation. He contended the convention
was in all respects regular, and that there
was no justification for the bolt which Mr..
Gunby had admitted was based upon dis
satisfaction.
Continuing, Judge Thompson said the bolt
had taken place before the committee on
credentials had made its report, and that
IL was understood at the time that the bolt
had been planned long before. He con-
tended that not more than one-quarter of
the delegates went out with Mr.. Gunby.
Mr.. Worthin of Pennsylvania moved that
the Lee-Long delegation be seated. The
roll was called on this motion and 1t pre-
vailed unanimously.
The two district contests from Florida
were disposed of next. Mr.. Gunby appeared
for the contestants who In these cases were
Morton men, while the contestees were for
Mckinley. In the First district r.. G..
Weeks and Armstrong Pordue were the con-
testees and M s. White and ]. N. Nc
Combs the contestants and in the Second
Dennis Egan and Il. L. Purcell were the
contestees and r. w. Archibald and w. G.
Robinson the contestants. Mr. Gunby stated
the questions involved in the Second dis
trict were the same as those in the state
at large He, therefore, abandoned the
case in this district before the committee
and proceeded to make an argument in
favor of the contestants from the First dis
trict There was more stubborn fight
over the First district contest than over
those from the state at large. In this case
Mr.. Gunby was chairman of the district
committee and the convention was held at
his call. Both sides claimed to have had
the cooperation of a majority of the COM
mittee and both also that a majority of
the duly elected delegates had participated
in their respective conventions. The roll
call resulted in the seating of White and
McCombs, the Morton delegates. The vote
was % to 90.
The Ninth Georgia district contest was
decided in favor of'A. j. Spence and ]. B.
Gastin, Mckinley delegates. In this case
the contestants, Blodgett and Smith, based
their objections to the fact that the chair
man of the regular convention, himself a
contested delegate, appointed committee
on credentials to pass on his case
BETWEEN CoLoRED MEN.
The Mississippi contests next engaged the
attention of the committee. In this state
the entire state delegation, including the
four delegates-at-large and the fourteen del
egates from the seven districts, Is contested.
The claimants for the seats at large were,
on the one side, James Hill, j. s. Burton
A. M. Lea and e. H. Hampton and on the
| other N. A. Anderson, w. b. Sorsbye, w. A.
Alcorn and w. E. Mask. The contests are
the result of the old quarrel between Hill
and Lynch, both being headed by colored
men. 1t had been arranged that delegates
to the state convention should be admitted
to the hall by tickets. Lynch objected to
the use of tickets and refused to accept
them, failed to obtain admission to the hall
and organized another convention. The
| Lynch men have with them the chairman
of the state committee, l.. B. Mosley, who
certified the Lynch delegates to be the reg
ulary elected delegates. 1t is contended
that both sets of delegates are for McKin-
ley Mr.. Lynch explained the admission
by ticket, saying that the proposition was
sprung at the last lnpment and that the
tickets could not be. obtained when applied
for by his followers and they could not en-
ter without them because the police would
not allow them to do so. They then organ
ized an independent convention. Judge
Thompson and Albert M. Lea spoke for the
Hill contestants. Mr.. Lea asserted that
tickets were refused to no one and that
Lynch would not allow his followers to ac-
cept tickets. This statement brought out a
denial from Lynch, and such spirited dis
cussion between him and Lea that the chair
man was compelled. to call them to order
National Committeeman Hill also spoke for
his delegation.
"Of all the statements l have ever heard
from a mans lips. that delivered by Mr.
Lynch as to tickets Is the fasest," he
began and then followed an acrimonious
wrangle between representatives of the two
factions, which the chairman finally sup
pressed. The door had scarcely closed upon
them when the committee decided without
division on q motion by Mr.. Wilson of Della
ware to seat the Hill delegates. The con-
testants from the First district were ]. M.
Bynum and w. E. Parker and the con-
testees w. f. Elgin and r. d. Littlejohn.
The two latter were seated.
The committee here took recess until
8 o'clock, but not until they had formally,
80 C,,tI 4 80 w.
denounced as untrue, unjust and un-
authorized a report published in st. Louis
evening paper saying that the California
member. Mr.. DeYoung, had in a speech
today, in connection with the contest from
the Fourth California district, denounced
Mr.. j. ID. Spreckels of that state. The
motion was carried unanimously.
After its recess the committee resumed
consideration of the Mississippi district
contests beginning with the Second. The
speeches were again very personal, result
ing in many clashes. This state of affairs
brought out sharp rebulSe from Chairman
Carter early in the session. He informed
the committee that hereafter persons,
whether members of the committee or not,
who wished to interrupt speakers. would
be required to first address the chair. After
that time the proceedings were more In
accord with the rules observed in the senate.
General Chalmers, one of the contest
ing delegates from the Second appeared
said he and his colleague based their claims
upon the right of revolution as their con-
vention was not organized according to law
He did not contend that his delegation
was entitled to admission, but asserted
positively that the other delegation was not
entitled to any consideration.
Committeeman Hill moved to refer this
contest to the committee on credentials
seating neither delegation for the temporary
organization. He satd 7 both conventions
were frauds. The motion was voted down
and the delegation composed of G. W.
Buchanan and William Simmons was
seated The vote stood 22 to 10 in their
favor.
MOVED TO RECONSIDER,
At this point Senator Hansbrough of
North Dakota created something of a SEN
sation by moving to reconsider the vote
by which White and McCoombs. Morton
delegates had been DECLARED entitled to
seats In the convention from the First
Florida district during the days proceed
ings. He based the motion upon the fact
that several members had voted without
sufficient knowledge of the facts.
There was an immediate fury and roll
call was demanded. When the name of Mr.
Sutherland, member from New York, was
reached, he first declined TO vote, and, TAX
ing the floor, proceeded to say in very
vigorous language that there was no rea-
son for reconsideration, that forty-three
votes had been cast on the original vote,