The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-07-18
HOW IT WAS DONE.
Inside History Of Our Delegations
Choice for Vice.President.
HOW EACH MAN VOTED.
Senator TiIIman Tried Hard TO
Get Them to Vote for Towne,
but Failed and Grace
fully Yieleded-
fully Yielded

At the Kansas City convention the
South Carolina delegation was Of course
unanimous in its choice fer the presi-
Dental candidate, but when it came to
the Vice-presidency the members we're
pretty badly split, and from all &C.
counts the members had quite a lively
little verbal spat before the majority
decided that South Carolina should
support Stevenson.
Senator Tillman was heartily and en-
Enthusiastically in favor of the delegation
supporting ToWne. When the delega-
ton met, the senator made vigorous
and characteristic speech in favor of
his candidate, but all his art Of persus-
sion and his blunt and unconventional
though strong and emphatic language
was in vain.
Governor McSReeney and John Gary
Evans stoutly opposed Senator Till
mans choice, holding that ToWne was
Republican, even though he favored
Is to l, and they declared that they
would not support him when there were
life long Democrats who we're available.
When the ballot was taken, Towne
was showed under and majority Of the
delegation, eleven members, decided to
support Stevenson. AS the unit rule
prevailed this gave Stevenson the whole
eighteen votes from the state.
1t will be interesting under these cir
cumstances to know how the delega-
tion did vote:
For ToWne-Tillman, Stokes, Garris,
Traxler and Wilborn, 5.
For Hill-Latimer and Williams, 2.
For Stevenson-Goyernor McSWee-
ney, Wilson, Boucher, Stribling, Nc
Ghee, John Gary Evans, Polaty, Tai
bert, Mooney, Gruber, 10.
For Carr Of North Carolina-Wilie
Jones, /.
Senator Tillman read the platform in
the convention and he is said to have
done so eloquently and was frequently
interrupted by cheers. He took very
prominent part in the convention and
in shaping the platform. The New
York Sun correspondent, referring to
the part he played at Kansas City, has
the following:
'From start to finish Senator Ben
Tillman of South Carolina has been
about the most conspicuous man in the
convention and in the conferences out
side of it. He dominated the commit
tee on resolutions and dominated every
body on the presiding officers stand
during the convention sessions without
regard to their official standing. Every
body seemed to be afraid Of him, and
no matter how much he interfered in
business that did not in any way con-
Germ delegate from South Carolina,
nobody saw fit to object. MIR. Tillman
ran amuck in the hotel lobbies and in
the street crowds just as he did in the
convention hall, and at all times wore
a huge cork helmet, lined with green,
and black alpaca jacket. Those who
did not know him thought he was
crank, and those who did know him
were apparently not very proud Of him.
1t was Tillman who led the commit
tee on resolutions to adopt the sugges.
tion that was in the minds of several
delegates, but finally put into language
by Barkworth, Of Michigan, to attempt
to nullify the free silver declaration in
the platform by the insertion Of the
sentence about Imperialism being the
paramount issue Of the campaign.
Then when the campaign document
was fnalsy licked into shape it vas Till
man who, without anybody's motion,
grssped the first copy and read it to the
committee with the same dramatic eff
feet that he showed later when he read
it to the convention at the request Of
Senator Jones, the chairman Of the
committee, who had been much i'm
pressed with Tillmsn's powers Of elo-
cution.