The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1900-06-26

Although called for 12o'clock the dem
ocratic convention at Butte last Wednes-
day did not convene at that time owing
to the fact that the state central COM
mittee had not yet settled the difficulties
that presented themselves before. them.
For some reason or other the Clark peo-
pie deemed it desirable to secure the
control of this committee, and that was
what made the row, which had not been
settled when the hour arrived for calling
the convention to order.
The central committee had been called
to meet at II o'clock at the Butte hotel
1t was the expectation that the com
mittee would finish up it's business in an
hour and the convention could be called
to order at the regular time. The Clark
people, however had been busy accord
ing to their characteristic methods
during the past "a hours, and when the
committee met Frank E. Corbett of Sill
yer Bow county, personal attorney of w.
A. Clark, presented the proxy of J. w.
Pace, committeeman from Jefferson
county, and proprietor of the Whitehall
Zephyr, although that committeeman is
in the city.
By other irregular and questionable
methods the Clark people, anxious to
vindicate at any cost or any price, sought
to interpolate certain men into the COM
mittee not having right to be there.
The meeting was called to order by the
chairman, w. M. Cockrill, with D. B.
Marks as secretary.
The first effort made by the committee
was to slide man is as committeeman
from Beaverhead county. The commit
teeman is w. H. Cochran, who has
removed from the county. To fill the
vacancy the chairman appointed T. w
Poindexter of Dillon, Charles Padley
presented the report of the Beaverhead
county convention held on Tuesday
where w. H. Cochran had been deposed
and Padley selected in his stead. AS to
which should be elected was the occa
sion of long and heated argument. T.
j. Walsh of Lewis and Clark county
argued that there were no precedents ex-
cept for appointment by the chairman OF
the state central committee until the
vacancy had been filled by the state con
vention at it's next meeting. The com
mitteemen are originally elected by the
state committee and never by the county
committee. The county committee has
nothing whatever to do with the selec
ton of the members of the state com
mittee.
Walter Cooper of Gallatin county op
posed this view and argued that the
county convention had the right to select
when vacancy exists. Mr.. Walsh re-
piled that the precedent to the contrar,
was shown as recently as the last pre-
vious meeting of the state central com
mittee when the chairman appointed Mr.
Wiltse of Meagher county to fill the va
cancy caused in that county by the death
of the late j. w. Anderson. Mr.. Wiltse
under that appointment, had acted as
the member of the committee from
Meagher county without protest from
Mr.. Cooper or any other member of the
committee.
At the end of the debate the chairman
settled the matter by the appointment
of r. w. Poindexter as the committee
man from Beaverhead county. He made
the ruling that the appointment lies with
him until such time rs the state conven
tion should name a successor. This pre-
cedent held in all national committee
proceedings. A state committee never
selects the members of the national com
mittee, but merely recommends aud the
convention selects. When there is a
vacancy the vacancy is filled temporarily
by the national committee.
The next fight was made when the
Gallatin county was called. Walter Hart
man was named by the chairman to fill
the vacancy caused by the removal from
the county of G. P. Blakeley. An affida
Wit was read from MI. Blakeley himself
stating that he was no longer resident
of Gallatin county, but of Carbon coun-
ty, and afidavits were presented from
other citizens to the effect that Rlakeley
is recognized resident of Carbon coun-
ty. Mr.. Hartman was therefore
recognized as the committeeman from
the county. Frank E. Corbett then
presented the proxy of J. W.. Pace, com