The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1900-06-09
The vardaman Convention at Jackson

JACKSON, June 5.-The Hall O
Representatives was filled thg
morning with the delegates to tht
State convention and the lockers
on who came to see and enjoI
whatever sensational delopment:
the day might afford. 1t was {
very intelligent body of men. too
some of the leading Democrats OF
the State being present and partl
cipating in the proceedings. The
roll call,by counties showed that
representatives from twenty-nine
counties of the State were in THEN
seats in answer to the call for the
Fconvention issued some time ago
by Major Vardaman, and indorsed
largely by the press. Following is
a list of the co1nties thus repre-
sented: Attala, Benton, Carroll,
Claiborne, Copiah, Franklin, Han
cock, HARRISON, Kinds, Holmes,
Jackson, Lafayette, Leake, Lee
fore Madison, Marshall, Monroe,
Montgomery, Pamela, Pike, Pom
.totoc, Scott, Sunfower, Tisho-
mingo, Union, Washington, 1alo-
busha and Yazoo. The number
of counties in the State unreprer
sented either by regular or irregt
lar delegates was forty-six. OF
the counties named not all were
represented by the county execu-
tive committees in the. legal way.
Representatives from Carroll,
Pike and Lafayette arose and
stated to the. convention that they
were there simply as individuals,
and had no official authorization.
The chairman ruled that any good
Democrat could have seat and
participate in the proceedings.
Yalobusha county was also repre-
sented by a delegation unauthoriz-
ed. It will thus be seen that
twenty five counties delegations
in the State sent authorized de-
legations to the convention.
AS the action of the convention
shows, it was all for harmony,
with the exception of a few dis
cords. Repeated opportunities
were taken to reiterate the state
ment that the convention meditat-
ed no bolt, and only intended to
act within the party in nominating
a ticket and promulgating Il plat
form. Mr.. Bowers of Hancock
county made strong and force
full speech along this line, urging
that no action should be taken
that might be even remotely con-
strued into a repudiation of the
authorities of the party. Only
too many opportunities would be
sought, he said, to characterize
the convention as a boiling con-
vention, and he, for one was
extremely disirous that nothing
should be done that would give
even the color of~an excuse for
such an imputation. Major Var
daman and others followed along
the same line. The contingent
that was in favor of totally repu-
dating the State committee and
its primary scheme, nominating
or rather electing delegates then
and there, was thus in the decid-
ed minority. Judge S. r. Cole
man of Greenwood was the main
representative Of that side. He
took the position that the action
of the committee was illegal, and
to obey an illegal act was to be
guilty of the same illegality. No
obedience, according to HIM, was
to be paid to an authority order
ing him to do what was plainly
contrary to the law.
On the whole the convention
was success. 1t accomplished
what it came here to do, and that
was to nominate q ticket to be
voted for at the primary election
June q. There is little doubt
that the ticket is strong one. 1t
expressed its disapprobation of
the action of the State Executive
Committee and promulgated a
platform that doubtless represent
ed the opinion of the majority of
the people of this State on pend
ing political questions. And then
it adjourned in a dlgnified manner
predictions that IL would result
in split in the party. 1t Is
probable that had it not been
for the short time allowed the
county committees in which to
act and the recent heavy rains,
the attendance at the convention
would have been much larger and
more representative.