The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-09-01
Convention Opens With
a Free Fight on the
Stage.
The Motto on the Wall Was,
"Bryan-SpeciaI Privi-
legeS to None"
w. E. Retter Named for Auditor
General and Mayor Weidel
for Treasurer.

READING, Pa, Aug. 31.-The Demo
| cratic State convention to nominate can
didates for Auditor-General and State
| Treasurer met in the Academy of Musl c
to-day. A conspicuous feature of the
decorations was handsome banner
adorned with a portrait of William j.
Bryan, bearing the inscription: Liberty,
Justice, Humanity. Equal rights TO all.
| Special privileges to none"
There were ass delegates State Chair
man Carmen called the convention to or
der at 2:30 p. NJ. and announced the tenn
porary organization as agreed upon by
the executive COMMITTEES.
The opening proceedings were enlivened
| bv free fight on the stage over the ques-
tion of seating certain delegates, the tenn
| pcrary chairman refusing to recogn re
| them, and ad journed the convention for
an hour.
| John T. Murphy of Philadelphia, sec
rotary, grabbed the gavel from the chair
man and attempted 10 preside. The de-
posed officer tried to recover the gavel.
and fine row was on. The police were
called in 10 quell the riot. Murphy was
finally elected from the stage and the bel
| ligerents ordered to take their seats.
Nobody was injured in / scrimmage,
bpt much bad blood was engendere The
| convention took recess.
The money plank of the platform in
| dorsel the National convention at Chi
cago OF 1896. opposed the single gold
| standard and congratulated William ].
Bryan for glorious Championship OF a
righteous cause.
When the convention reassem bled in
the afternoon the force of policemen in
the hall had been increased, and there
were evidences of preparations 10 prevent
a repetition of the disgraceful scene that
brought the morning session to a close.
Temporary Chairman Ermantrout an
nounced that the offending secretary, J.
T. Murphy OF Philadelphia, would be ex-
Guided from the stage.
the committee on permanent organiza-
tion reported the name of r. w. Irwin oil
( Washington for permanent chairman, and
recommended the continuation OF the
other temporary officers.
Mr.. Irwin addressed the convention
briefly. He declared that the party stood
ready to-day to continue that battle on
the same platform and under the same
leaders lip and that in 1900 hey would
carry their banner to victory, restore
the people to gold and silver of the con.
stitution, overthrow the money power and
1 the organized trusts and enthrone the
| people in governmental affairs" He as
serted that there could be no middl lie
ground to occupy.
Charles P. Donnelly of Philad phia
| presented a minority report str king out
| the money plank of the platform. and
commencing the recommendation OF
James NJ. Guffee as National committee
man in place of William F. Harrity. l..
McQuestion of Butler County defended
the plank.
The roll was then call ed on the motion
of Donnelly TO strike the Guffee PLAN,
| from the platform.
The result of the vote sustained the m a.
jori y report by 290 to 1885,
Elk Mayor William K. Verbeke of Dau-
phin County and ex-A ssem bly, man Walter
E. Ritter were named for Auditor Cen
eral. The vote resulted: Ritter 2S5, Ver-
beke 43, and the former was declared the
nominee For the Office of State Treas.
urer Mayor Jacob Weidel of Reading and
| NJ. E. Brown of Blairsville were named.
| Brown was the for innate candidate by a
vote of 22S to 127. The convention, at 5: 55
P. NJ, adjourned sine die