The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-04-30
WAS NOT ENDORSED.

IaEolleCteS OWu SOulty NOSo ASAsA
on Him and Divides Up for the
Other oandidates-Taylor County
Man Much Perturbed.
Special Dispatch to the Intelllgencer.
GRAFTON. April 2s.-Saturday Wit
messed the greatest county convention
ever held in Grafton. The town took
ON the appearance Of Decoration day.
Early in the morning the voters com
menced coming and by noon the streets
were filled with u jam Of people. The
object of the convention was to elect
delegates to the state and senatorial
conventions, and the interest that CALI
ed forth such immense crowds centered
in the selection Of delegates to the state
convention.
The authorship was the bone OF con-
tentIon. The county is against LaFol-
lette and when It was understood that
he was determined, II possible, to have
the convention instruct for him. the OPP
position rallied TO the fray as one man.
Long before noon 1t became evident
upon the streets that instructions Tor
LaFonette could not be gotten through
and his friends forced him to abandon
his cherished hopes in that direction.
But LaFollette has nerve, and he
pluckily determined to have some ex-
preston from his home county, and II
beaten, be beat in the house Of his
friends. Both Scherr and LaFollette
were on the ground, and Captain Scott
of Fairmont was also here in the inter-
est of Swisher,
County Chairman B. F. Bailey called
the meeting to order ut one o'clock.
sharp, and after stating the object OF
the convention, announced Hon. T. E.
Davis as temporary chairman and j.
Clark Gather as temporary secretary.
The announcement was greeted with
cheers and on motion the temporary
organization was promptly and enthusl-
astIcally made permanent. The court
room did not hold half the people and
the corridors below and surrounding
grounds held as large a crowd OF dis
appointed men who could not get in as
the court house accommodated.
Chairman Davis made n neat little
speech upon taking the chair, which
was heartily received, and then de-
clared the convention ready for busi-
ness. At this 1uncture Major +. b.
Blue arose and offered resolution
commencing the political work done In
the past for the party by the Hon.
Thomas e. Davis and instTucting the
delegates this day elected to the senato-
rial convention TO vote for him for state
senator. The resolutions promptly
carried, and there being no opposition
to Mr.. Davis, resolution was also
passed TO permit him to select his own
delegates to that convention. Mr..
Davis gracefully acknowledged the
licomplIment and. thehr- resolutions OF.
that kind seeming to be in popular fa7
vor, the LaFollette men were embold-
ened by the precedent thus established
to offer one themselves, and W. H. Nc
Daniel offered an innocent little resolu-
tlon which briefly and simply endorsed
the candidacy OF the Taylor county
man, but did not ask for Instructions
But this time there was opposition.
The convention was against LaFol-
lete and was determined that he should
not have even modest recognition. A
dozen excited men were on their feet In
nm instant. Ike Lock and Moses Kim
kaid. OF Knottsville district, b. F. Bal
lev and Others Of Grafton district, and
Claude Wyckof and Rev. David Pow
ell, of F1emIngton, LaFollette's own dis
trlct, loudly and vehemently detained
against the adoption Of the resolution.
In the uproar LaFollette himself took
the floor in favor OF the resolution and
begged the convention to give him at
least that small announcement, inas-
much rs the other candidates were be-
ing instructed for by their counties.
But he was up nglinst It, and n resolu-
ton was offered and adopted that the
delegates to the state convention should
go unlnstructed and unhampared, "un-
awed by influence and unbribed by
gain"
A resolution lnstructing for any other
candidate for auditor would have car
rled In that convention rather than
resolution instructing Cor LaFollette.
Resolutions were unanimously adopted
endorsing the President. Senators Elk
lns and Scott and the state administra-
ton. md the convention then resolved
itself into district conventions and pro-
ceeded to elect delegates. At least two
thirds of the number selected are
against LaFollette. In the effort to get
his resolution through La Toilette was
ably assisted by Ira E. Robinson and
]. G. st. Clair. but even the eloquence
OF these sllver-tongued orators was un-
avaIling to stem the popular current OF
opposition to their favorlte that was
rampant In that convention,