The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-14
MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE.
Action ON the Alabama and Delaware
Contests.

| Chairman Hanna was not present when
| the committee was convened and Henry c.
, Payne. member from Wisconsin, was
chosen to preside in his place. Senator
| Hanna came in from Washington about
| half-past l O'Clock. but he did not assume
the duties of the chair during the after
noon.
| The entire afternoon session was devoted
| TO hearing the recital of testimony and
| TO arguments In the contests from the State
| of Alabama. There were seven contests
| from that State, including those over the
representation from the State at large and
| those from the Second. Third. Fourth,
Fifth, Seventh and Ninth districts. Half
| an hour on each side was given to the
| contestants on the State delegation and
f, fifteen minutes to each side in the district
cases. The newspaper representatives as
well as the public at slrge were excluded
| from the room in which the committe sat.
The hearing in the main consisted of re-
| citals of petty acts of bribery and of in
timidation from both sides of the contro-
versies, and I'm some cases affidavits were
read in which the witnesses had testified on
both sides OF cases, giving absolutely con-
Trajectory testimony. The principal de-
velopments of the day, however. consisted
in bringing out the fact that the federal
Office holders in Alabama and some OF
| those from the State who are employed In
Washington had been extremely active in
shaping the result of contests for dele
gates. In the State contest there were
| two factions. one led by District Attorney
| Vaughan. and the other headed by Dis
trict Attorney Wickersham. The
technical grounds of the con-
test had reference to the reg
ularity and irregularity OF the two dele
cations. Mr. Vaughan is now chairman
of the State central committee. and not
withstanding he has held the position for
the past two terms. Is a candidate for re-
election. The controversy grew out of his
renewed aspirations. He appeared before
| the committee in support of his delegation,
as Mr. Wickersham did in the interest of
| his followers, each demanding recognition
| of his own faction and denouncing the OPP
| position.
OFFICE HOLDERS ACTIVE.
1t developed during the hearing of the
| State contests that federal Office holders
| had been very active I'm the campaign on
| both sides. and the hearing on the district
| cases served to accentuate this fact. Ii
| was brought out that previous to the be-
| ginning of the campaign for the election of
| delegates a number of the Office holders
| met I'm Washington and resolved that ''as
| it was the wish of the President of the
| United States that no federal Office holder
/ should participate in the selection of dele
| gates they would refrain from taking any
| part in either the primaries or in the State
| convention The further fact was devel
/! ored that.-ncs withstardips this action on
| their part. most of the participants in this
| meeting hurried TO their homes and i'm
mediately started campaigns in behalf of
| their favorites with view of controlling
the State delegation and thus. 1t was ar
| gued, directing the disposition of patron
| age under the next administration in case
| of Republican success 1t was found that
Office holders had also been prominent on
/ the other side of the contest
/ So palpable did IL become that the fed
eral patronage was the principal object in
| view that the committee not long in
reaching a decision to practically exclude
all the contesting delegates from the tenn
porary organization of the convention, ex-
| cept those from the Ninth district In fact,
| the contestants had hardly left the room
when Committeeman Joseph Manley. of
| Maine. offered the following resolution as
| the sense of the committee:
Resolved, That the committee declines
to place on the temporary roll any contest
ing delgates alternates from Alabama
| except in the case of the Ninth district
| and in that district that A. ID. Winds and
j. w. Hughes and their alternates be
placed on the temporary roll
| PAYNE WANTS AN INVESTIGATION.
This resolution was speedily adopted and
| II was hardly disposed of when Committee
man Payne. who had been acting tenn
porary chairman, introduced the following
resolution.
Resolved. That this committe requests
| the President of the United States TO direct
| the proper officers to cause an investiga-
| ton into the acts and doings of certain
| federal officeholders in the State of Ala
bama in connection with the election of
delegates to the primary conventions and
TO the State and district conventions held
/ In said State to elect delegates to the ma
tional convention to be held in Philadelphia
on the 18th inst, and IL the facts as stated
In the hearing held before said committee
regarding the contest in said districts and
State be true, this committee asks, not In
the interest of the Republican party, but
or the country, that such action shall be
taken as the good of the public interest re-
quires."
In presenting the resolution Mr.. Payne
| said that he introduced IL because of the
evident pernicious activity OF the office
| holders In the campaign and he believed II
would be a very serious mistake for the
committee TO fail to ask that official recog.
milton be taken of this infraction of the
laws of the country. The committee had.
however. agreed to take a recess after the
disposal of the Alabama cases and some of
the members insisted that, as Ii was then
half past O'Clock. this decision should be
adhered to. Accordingly the committee
dissolved for the time. Mr.. Payne request.
ing that action be postponed until to-mor-
| row.
The resolution was the subject of much
| discussion among other contesting delega-
| tions present, and District Attorney Atwell.
| OF Dallas. Tex, sought out the Associated
| Press to ask that statement be made 4,
| behalf of his State that the question of
| federal patronage had not entered into the
| contest there.
THE DELAWARE CONTEST.
The evening session of the committee was
devoted to the Delaware contest, Walter
| III. Hayes appearing for the Addicks. or
| Union Republican Contestants and Levi
| c. Bird for the Dupont. or regular" Re-
publican delegation. Mr.. Hayes contended
that the Union Republican party was in
reality the regular organization. a slight