The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-06-27
WOOLEY LEADS.
Editor Of the New Voice Appears
to Be the FavOrite
Among the Candidates For the
Nomination
OF PROHIBITIONISTS.
National Convention Called to
Order by 0. w. Stewart
With a Large Majority Of the
Delegates Present.

Chicago, June 27.-The national con-
vention of the Prohibition party met
today in the First regiment armory,
| Sixteenth street and Michigan avenue.
OF the 1034 delegates who were enti-
/ tied to seats in the national convention
more than three-fourths were in attend
ance when Chairman oliver w. Stewart
of the national executive committee
| called the convention to order and it is
| expected that by tomorrow when the
| nominations for president and vice pres
1dent will be made that nearly thous-
ana representatives of the party will be
present to take part in the choosing OF
| the national leaders.
Nearly all of the eastern and central
| western states had full delegations
present, the abSenteeS in most instances
being from southern and Pacific coast
states. Three avowed candidates for the
presidential nomination are in the field,
John G. Wooley of Chicago, editor of
the New Voice and a prominent plat
form advocate of the cause of prohibf-
ton; Hale johnson of Newton, Ill, and
Rev Silas G. Swallow of Harrisburg.
ia. The latter has high reputation as
a pulpit orator and has many support
ers among the delegates from the east
ern states.
Friends Of Mr.. Wooley expressed
themselves as being confident of his
nomination on the third or fourth bal
lot, claiming for him the almost solid
support of the Michigan, Wisconsin,
Maryland, Missouri and Nebraska dele
gates, a majority of the votes of the
II New York, Kansas, California and Ohio
delegates and half of the vote of Illi-
nois- Last night Mr.. WOoley was also
assured or the support of the Delaware
delegation, a representative of that del
egatton asking to be allowed to place
Mr.. Wooley in nomination. This, accord.
ing 70 Mr. Wooley's partisans, assures
him the nomination.
| For Hale Johnson the votes of North
/ and South Dakota delegations solid. a
majority from Minnesota and half of
Illinois, besides scattering votes from
other states were assured. A majority
of the votes of the New England states,
Colorado, Pennsylvania and Indiana
delegations were claimed, the Indiana
delegates desiring the nomination for
president of an eastern man on account
of the vice presidential boom for Felix
b. McWhirter, of Indianapolis. For vice
president, besides Prof. McWhirter,
! Henry b Metcalf of Rhode Island. w,
b. WitherSpOon, of Alabama, and w.
w. Smith of New York, are candidates.
) The vice presidential nomination, how
ever, probably will be governed entire
5 ly by the result of the balloting for
4 president. the nomination of a western
man being almost certain to result in
the choice of an eastern man for second
3 place on the ticket and vice versa
Nearly twenty-five hundred Prohibi-
tionistS including the delegates to the
! ! national convention and to the state
p /
j. gathered at the Palmer House and
marched through the down town streets
4 to the first regiment armory. Previous
! to the parade the reception committee
4 had met Joshua Lowering of Baltimore
q Prohibition candidate for the presidency
/ in 1896, who arrived this morning and
= escorted him to the Palmer House
= Tt was exactly 1920 a. m wher
. Chairman Stewart of the national COM
mittee raped for order. At that time
nearly all the delegates were in theil
seats while the galleries surrounding
the big drill room of the First regiment
= were filled with spectators. Just pre-
= vious to the fall of the gavel, the dele
gates from the New England states
, marched into the hall in a body, eacf
p delegate carrying a canteen with the
n letters III. s" inverted and bearing tht
s legend Anti-Canteen." They were lib
# orally applauded.
e MR.. STEWARDS SPEECH
a In calling the convention to order, Mr.
e Stewart said:
) 1T affords me great pleasure, in call.
II ing this convention to order, to congrat
= ulate you on this great gathering TIL,
Prohibition party is not dead. 1t is no
- asleep. It is wide awake and full O.
life. Slowly but surely has the realiza
tfon come to US all that this year af
fOrds the greatest opportunity in tn,
history of the party. 1 have said Otter
that if we had the spirit of 1888 or 1S9
along with the opportunity 1900 bring,
to us, we could poll a million votes
nave SdlQ lndl III IDo past. QOuDT1ns
whether we could succeed in raising th
party to the zeal and enthusiasm o
those years. This convention proves be
yond doubt that the task is not an i'm
possible one.
This is to be a history making con
vention, and you who are here as dele
gates to participate in it's deliberation
occupy positions of no small honor an
responsibility. That you will discharg
your duties in proper manner is no
doubted l am confident that your plat
form declarations will be acceptable t
all the members of the party It is no
an easy thing to prepare platform up
on which q great reform orga nizafion i
to go before the country, but our dut
is so clear and so plain that this con
Vention could not get far astray w
are set for the overthrow of the HauO
traffic We intend that the America
saloon shall be outlawed On that ac
count we have withdrawn ourselve
from the other political parties and hav
banded ourselves together as Prohibi
tionists.
I'VE are agreed that the saloon ougr
to die and upon that declaration we al
ready to face the world. This conventio
is to nominate candidates for our part,
There are many able men from whol
to make the selection.
1T is a source of rejoicing to kno
that whatever contest there NAV I
for the hOnors of this convention it wi
be, on the part of all. a friendly rivalr
If, in its wisdom, the convention chOos
as its standard bearer him who Iiv.
in this city by the lake. the mention
whose name always thrills our heart
he will be Loyalty followed by Prohi1
itionists beyond the AIeghanies al
Rockies. as well as by those of the gre
e Mississippi valley. Should your choi
Y be him who viii be named by the Ke
1, stone state, your support will not
l. less enthusiastic and if southern IL
IS nois is to have this honor in the pc