Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-08-22
SOME sLEIGHT-OF-HAND
Delegation Challenged and No One
to Defend it.
HANDFUL OF FRIENDS CARRIES DAY
Beat the Leaders in the Game of Poll.
tics to a standstIl and Successful
ly Place T. j. Phillips at the Head
of the Ticket.

of the Ticket.
Governor. T. j. Phillips, OttunWa s.
Lieutenant Governor ..........
G. e. Ferguson, Harrison County =
IS Supreme Judge ............. y
..John ShortIey, Dallas County :.
= Superintendent Instruction -. $
j.. p. johnson, Carroll =:
! Railway Commissioner ........
......... "A. C. Brice, Bedford .
s# x# m tt "a *a SO 50
Des Moines, Aug. 22,-(Special.)-
Backed by mere handful OF personal
friends, with all the leaders of great
party working against him, in fact
making light of his campaign. ex-May-
or Thomas ]. Phillips yesterday did
what no other man would probably
have attempted. He secured the demo
cratic nomination for governor of
Iowa. The nomination of Mr.. Phil
lips was the elimination of careful
ly worked plan of campaign, and in
face of the innumerable difficulties
thrown in its path, and the coldness on
the part of men who could have
brought 1t to a successful close in
much shorter time, reflects great cred
it upon the men who carried it out.
To John w. Lewis belongs the great
est credit. For months ne has quietly
formulated plans, which when brought
to the test were successful When ne
took the stage yesterday to place the
name of Thomas j. Phillips before the
convention, victory was in his grasp
Still there was something wanting,
the men who had been the leaders OF
Iowa democracy for years stood silent.
They did not lend their aid to the mag
nificent effort made by the able attor-
ney from Ottumwa He TOOK the plat-
form amid the most ominous silence.
He was talking for man who was
known but little outside of his own DIS
trict but as he progressed, his elo-
Guent word pictures OF Ihomas j..
Phillips. laying bare the heart OF the
man for the inspection OF the conVen-
ton, hiding nothing. telling them ne
was uncouth, rough, but Wlthal with
a heart bigger than any, and honest 10
the end. he won his audience. With
limit on nomination speeches oil hVe
minutes Mr.. Lewis spoke hfteen min
utes. and when he sat down he was
cheered wildly.
Then the balloting began. When
the result of the first ballot was learn
ed by Phillips friends they saw he
was badly defeated. Then began an
other campaign, going rapidly to the
floor of the house, they began to get
delegations tn, change their votes
They needed about 100 votes. The
Phillips workers got in their work and
after about fifteen counties had chang
ed their vote they could do no more
II was seen the result was close, but
the Philips men were hoping, that
there would be no nomination. In this
they were successful. Stiger receiv
ed 563 votes on this ballot, and ne
needed 565 for nomination When the
result of the ballot was announced
pandemonium reigned. The Phillips
men were hard at work during all this
time. and when the roll call began fol
the second ballot they began to slowly
gain. In the meantime the Stiger mer
got resolution through forbiddine
the changing of ballots, and in this
manner they hoped to win. AS tht
vote progressed the count was very
close, and it took the official count tt
determine the winner. Phillips re
ceived 5951a votes and Stiger receiv
ed g5S91a.
lust before the count was made
and the Phillips people fearing the!
had lost, George Clifton, who wa:
working hard for Philips on the floor
challenged the vote of a county whose
delegates had all left the house, ant
who had cast their votes for Stiger
The Phillips lobbyists raised such ;
commotion about the vote, and ther'
being no one from the county to pro
tect it's vote, it was ruled out. ant
Clifton's challenge substantiated. Th
D. throwing out of this vote gave Phil
~, lips six votes and the majority
Interest in Resolutions.
All the interest in the convention
centered in the report OF the commit
tee on resolutions. After many hour
or hard work, the silverites carrie
the day and platform endorsing tn
Kansas City platform was adopted
is very moderate in its tone, however
and 1t is practically victory for tn
sound money men in the convention
The platform makes no mention of si
ger nor Bryan, merely ye.af1rming tn