Cochise review., 1900-10-22
BIsBEE, ARIz., OCT. p, 1900.
Jnf DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.


 make 1t appear that the Benson Demo-
 cratic convention did the right thing
 when 1t nominated all of it's candidates
 before it presented its platform for the
 consideration of the convention The
 rule without exception always has been
 to adopt the platform upon which the candidates are to stand before the nom'
 nations are made, and it is for the can. didate to say, before he is nominated,
 whether he will abide by its principles,
 If not, he is not eligible to be candi. date. Why was he report of the com
 mittes on platform aud resolutions de-
 ferred until after the candit ates were
 nominated, and then presented during the absence of large number of the delegates of the conventionY This is fair and pertinent question. "--Star.
 Yes, this is fair and pertinent ques- tion, and we will answer it as well as it is possible for it to be answered:
 Immediately after the temporary or. ganization had been made, motions were introduced and seconded instruct ing the chair to appoint committee on credentials, committee on perma- nent organization and order of busi- ness and committee on platform and resolution. The motion to create a committee on credentials was adopted without division. After some discus sion the motion to create the commit tee on organization and order of busi- ness was adopted. The motion to ere ate the committee on platform and res olutions at that time was opposed by several delegates on the ground that the action was not in order until after the permanent organization had been perfected and the committee could be composed of men who had been recog- nized us actual delegates. The vote of ths convention justified the opposition to the motion and decided that the committee should not be appointed un- til after the permanent organization had been perfected. An intermission was had to give the two committees time to prepare their reports Upon the reassembling of the convention each of the two committees did report and their reports were adopted, The first order of business, as adopted, was the nomination of candidates for coun- ty offices. At this point, the original mover of the motion that the chair ap- point committee on platform and res olutions again made the motion and the convention now adopted it without division. The chairman named the committee but the delegates selected showed no inclination to absent them selves from the most important part of the proceedings of the convention in | order to hasten their report, and no one suggested that they do so. Conse. quently, the first opportunity given the committee to confer and prepare their report was during the recess which was taken after most of the county ticket had been chosen. Possibly the | order of business suggested by the Scar would have been better one, but we think that even the Star will admit | that the convention had perfect right to adopt any order of business that it | chose to.
 Furthermore, to answer she implied | theory of the Star, we will explain that the mover of the motion that the tenn porary chairman name a committee on platform was pronounced Smith man Fully four-6fths of the men were pro nounced Smith men The others were silent on the question. Some of them had been Wilson men prior to the Phoenix convention, just as they had a perfect right to be. Most of the ex pressed opposition to the temporary chairman's naming the committee on platform came from the men who con stituted the Wilson forces, if there were any. The report from the com mittee on platform, which had been selected at random from all over the county, was a unanimous report. It was adopted by a unanimous vote of tue convention. Some of the delegates had left the convention, but how it can be contended that all the Wilson men had left and all the Smith men had re mained is mystery to us, and even if so, how 1t can be claimed that such situation could have been anticipated aud the platform held back on that ac- count is more of mystery We agree with the Star that under most circum- ,tances platform should be adopted before the selection of candidates to