The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-03
ONE LARGE, RIoTOUS JAG
MIR. SPAN, IN DESPAIR, ADJOURNED
DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.
NO Nominations Made-The "BOO'
Gang Had Gained Control, and
1T Was Declared on

The tag ends of the Democratic county
convention, adjourned from o'clock Friday
morning got together last night and held
riot, which, for disorder and drunkenness,
surpassed even their former effort, and fin
ally after transacting no business whatever,
adjourned in the midst Of a brawl.
There had been an attempt on the part of
some of the candidates to run in proxies
where delegates were not present But the
plot was discovered and plan adopted by
which all but regularly elected delegates
were excluded from the floor. This is what
caused the confusion. The proxies who had
been corralled were fighting mad at not be-
ing able to earn their hire, and even those
who came decently and in order to vote the
proxies held legitimately hadn't sense
enough to understand that the rule applied
to all alike and no holder of a proxy was
entitled to vote In every ward, when the
roll was called, there was a fight, either
because some precinct claimed more votes
than it had delegates, or because some dele
gate in some other precinct thought it did.
Chairman Spaan finally left the platform
and went down among the "boos" himself.
He hustled" the DRINKS and the scrap
pers" in such good style that if he ever
wants job on the police force his appoint
ment is assured. Even when there was no
fighting, which was seldom, the noise was
so great that the clerks could not hear the
votes.
Chairman Spaan took a chair with him
from ward to ward, accompanied by a lusty-
voiced clerk with another chair. The clerk
would call a precinct and some 'heeler"
would yell -Four for Tamm!'
Quoth the clerk, who are the four dele
gates? Where are they at?" Then Spaan
would settle the dispute and enforce his
decision with poke directed at the scrap
ping delegate. After every decision came
the order, Officer, remove that man from
the hall!' Exit officer with a drunken pol
itician in tow.
THREATEN TO ADJOURN.
A drunken row of unusual dimensions
broke out in the Fifteenth ward, and Chair
man Span resumed his place on the stage
for few moments to issue an ultimatum.
Said he: 81 was under the impression that
this was a convention of gentlemen, but if
you persist in this kind of conduct I will
adjourn the convention sine die. Officers,
clear that aisle and take any man who gives
you trouble to the station house. And any
man who is drunk and attempts to vote or
to interfere with anyone else voting, take
him to the station house also" For mo-
ment it was less noisy, and the chairman
for recorder had resulted in no choice The
yelling broke out afresh. Mr.. Span seized
his gavel and shouted LAS chairman of
this convention adjourn it until o'clock
next Saturday.,
Then the brawlers, yelling and fighting,
tumbled outside to finish their carousal
1t was $50 O'Clock when Chairman Span
began pounding on the table for order He
pounded for half an hour, off and on
especially on-until something nearly like
order as it Is possible to secure in Demo-
f,Hlf ffl ion alNfE iTn6 h0rf
Sahm made himself heard long enough to
make a motion. He said he understood an
attempt had been made to corrall a number
of proxies, and he moved that only regu-
larly-elected delegates on the floor be al
lowed to vote, and that none but delegates
be allowed on the floor. The motion was
carried by a large majority, though there
was howl from the holders of proxies,
both legitimate and otherwise. But Chair
man Span played no favorites. He an
nounced that any man who was not regu-
lar delegate would be put out of the hall,
and put out they were when they wouldn't
go without being put. One man contended
that he had held and voted a proxy at the
convention on Thursday, and began to tell
his pedigree. II don't care if you are Pres
man, ''out you co. And he did. During the
call of the roll sblear-eyed gentleman in
the front seat made himself prominent by
giving away the snap when holders of
proxies tried to vote. Finally some one
called attention to the fact that the "kick-
er" himself was not delegate. He was
the balance and found wanting. His name
was John Langston but it wasn't written
on the list of delegates so between two tall
bluecoatS he Wended his way to the door.
Outside John and the beer inside him got
scrappy," and he was thrown down. stairs.
There were Others, too, but one by one
they were ''chucked' after short interviews
with Chairman Span up at the front.
TOO TURBULENT TO CONTINUE.
The first order of the evening, which pro-
ceeded amidst great disorder, was the NOM
ination of county recorder. The candidates
for the nomination named on Thursday
were: August Tamm, w. c. Allen, John
Scanlon, w. ]. Shinn, p. j. German. Michael
j. Burns and John Schad. Patrick Cor
mans name was withdrawn early in the
voting.
The first ballot resulted as follows:
Tamm, 131; Allen. 14Sla; Shinn, 81; German,
A: Burns, 80; Scanlon, 1919. There were
52S votes cast, 265 being necessary to a
choice. No candidate having received a ma
jority, the convention proceeded to second
ballot. The name of Michael j. Burns was
withdrawn
1t was during the second ballot that most
of the rioting described above occurred.
The fifteenth ward had just been finished
at 11:25 when Chairman Spann adjourned
the convention with the announcement that
the second ballot had resulted in no choice
and that 10 good Democrats would care to
wait and work on Sunday. Those who had
kept tab claimed that Scanlon was ahead
and his supporters set up cry of gang
rule. But there was no recourse from the
decision of the irate chairman and the con-
yention stood adjourned till o'clock next
Saturday.