Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-08-28
M'LEAN MEN CLAIM A LEAD.
In the Ohio Democratic Convention a!
Evansville.
THE KILBOURNE MEN MADE NO
CLAIMS YESTERDAY = T H E
LEADER ALREADY ON THE
GROUND-MANY CANDIDATES
FOR PLACES ON THE TICKET.
A PARTY CONSTITUTION TO BE
SUBMITTED TO THE BODY.


A PARTY CONSTITUTION TO BE
SUBMITTED TO THE BODY.
GAINESVILLE, Ohio, August 81
Some of the workers for candidates ar
rived here to-day for the Democratic
State Convention which meets here
next Tuesday and Wednesday. The
delegates meet by congressional dis
tricts Tuesday afternoon, to select MEM
bers of the new State Central Commit
tee and of other committees, including
a new one on Party reorganization"
These committees meet Tuesday night
SO as to report on the assembling of the
convention Wednesday morning. There
will be no contests over the resolutions,
which will favor 16 to 1. and the rest
Of the Chicago platform, endorse Bryan,
denounce Mckinley and Imperialism,
and Hanna and bossism But there will
be contests before the Committee on
Credentials, especially from Cuyahoga
county.
The Mclean men claim the result OF
the contests cannot affect the lead OF
their favorite.
The Kilbourne men have claimed that
much depends on the Committee on Gre
dentials, but they are
NOT MAKING ANY CLAIMS
to-day. congressman J. J. Lentz, Isaac
r. Sherwood, James A. Rice, Charles
n. Haskell, James P. Seward, Horace l..
Chapman and others mentioned for the
gubernatorial nomination arc no longer
in the field. There is an unusually
large number of candidates for the nom
ination for Lieutenant Governor. At
torney General, Auditor, Treasurer, SUI
preme Judge and member of the Board
of Public Works, an average of almost
dozen for each.
One of the most important acts of the
Convention here this week will be the
adoption of State constitution of the
Democratic party. Heretofore the party
government has been by precedent like
the unwritten English fundamental
law, and not like the federal and State
constitutions.
THIS NOVEL MOVEMENT
in party organization was started two
years ago when there was a Democratic
constitution presented, but it did not
suit all. The constitution presented to
the State Convention last year was re-
ferred back to the State Committee for
changes and a subcommittee has been
at work all year on this instrument,
which was unanimously adopted by the
Ssate Committee in June. 1t will now
become the fundamental law of the
Democratic party in Ohio if it is adopt
ed by the present Convention. 1t vests
the chief control in the State Cenral
Committee, composed of one member
from each Congressional district. A
new committee on party organization
is likewise constituted, the same as the
committees on resolutions, credentials,
etc. Under this new constitution mo
county shall be entitled to representa-
ton in any State Convention where
delegates therefrom are
SELECTED OTHERWISE
than as directed by the State Central
Committee
In the present convention there will
be delegates who were selected by mass
county conventions, by delegate county
conventions, by county committees, by
primaries, by chairmen and any way
that the local chairmen or others
choose There has been no uniform sys-
tenn in the counties for selecting dele
gates and the plan was usually adopted
that would best serve the purpose of a
few and sometimes of one local leader.
Section II begins thus:
''All delegates to any State Conven-
ton shall be chosen either by a direct
vote of the people at general primary,
or by convention of delegates chosen
by the people at primary, and none
Others shall be legal or entitled to
seats" Etc.
All county and municipal delegates
and committeeman are to be elected by
primaries. County, State, congress
sional, judicial and old committees
shall have no right whatever at any
time to appoint or select delegates to
any convention
This document covers all details. and
contains over 5000 words.
Although the Mclean men still claim a
majority of votes of rs on the first ballot
with all the candidates still in the field. the
Kilbourn men worked hard tonight after
the arrival of some of their workers from
Columbus. Efforts to have Col James Kill
bourne accept second place on the ticket
have again failed II is now stated that
Gen. Isaac r. Sherwood, of Toledo will be
the Mclean candidate for that place Kill
bourne will arrive tomorrow morning. and
Mclean in the afternoon. When Mclean
arrives there will be quite a demonstra-
ton. He will be accompanied from Gin
cinnati by about fifty Democrats
The Hamilton county delegation and the
Duckworth Club will not come till Tues