Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-08-22
They Refuse To Have Their Party
An Insurgent Annex.
A BIG VOTE AGAINST FUSION
Their State Convention Places the
Party Unqualifiedly Against Any
Combination To Support BoIter
From the aiorjty
From the Majority.
Especial Correspondence

BY an overwhelming vote the dele
gates to the Democratic state conven-
tion declared against fusion of any
kind and insisted upon the nomination
of a straight Democratic ticket. They
nominated Harman Yerkes, of Bucks,
for the supreme bench, and A. ]. Palm,
Of Crawford for state treasurer, both
Democrats. and then proceeded to
adopt resolutions to meet any emer
gency and to block any future move in
the interest of fusion campaign.
A PROBALE SCHEME.
1t had been reported that some of
the Democratic leaders, recognizing
the sentiment among the delegates to
the state convention against fusion,
had agreed to support a Democrat for
state treasurer on condition that after
his nomination by the state convention
he would withdraw and allow an insur-
gent Republican to be put upon the
ticket in his place.
When a rumor of such an arrange
ment got around among the Demo
cratic delegates, they were incensed at
the very suggestion of such scheme.
The party rules provide that in the
event of a withdrawal of any candi-
date ON the Democratic state ticket
the Democratic state committee shall
be empowered to make nomination
to fill such vacancy. The Wanamaker
adherents were banking upon getting
better show before the state com
mittee than in the state convention,
supreme power in the party its ac-
tion is binding upon the state com.
mittee.
FOR A DEMOCRATIC TICKET.
When the Yerkes-Palm ticket had
been nominated former State Chairman
John M. Garman, of Luzerne, present
ed a resolution which set forth that it
was the sense of the Democratic state
convention that in the event of the
withdrawal of either of the Democratic
candidates nominated that day. such
vacancy on the ticket shall be filed by
the Democratic state committee by the
nomination of Democrat This res
olution was adopted by vote of over
five to one in a convention of over 4cQ
delegates.
Then, in order to meet the stories
that had been put afoat regarding the
alleged intention of the nominee for
state treasurer to withdraw later on,
delegate William j. Breen, a repre-
sentative Democrat of Venango, made
a spirited speech in which he spoke
of the staunch Democracy of Repre-
sentative Palm. the candidate for state
treasurer and asserted that he would
not mislead the convention or attempt
to thwart the will of the great majority
of the Democrats of the state, who in
sist that both candidates of the party
this fall shall be Democrats. He de-
clared that the insurgent Republicans
should vote the Democratic ticket, if
they are dissatisfied with their own
party, and that the Democracy should
not be made to be longer an annex
to the insurgent element of Republi-
canism.
He therefore moved that should eth
er of the candidates withdraw from
the ticket or vacancy occur for any
reason, that the Democratic state COM
cancy with Democrat. While this was
practically reiteration of the former
motion, Chairman John b. keenan,,
who is a straight ticket advocate, plac-
ed the resolution before the conven-
tion and it was carried by even a more
decisive majority than was given the
previous one.
WANAMAKER GAME BLOCKED.
This action will preclude the carry
ing out of the Wanamaker project for
a ticket to be supported by the Wana-
maker insurgent Republicans and the
Democrats. 1t never was their expec-
tation to elect such a ticket, but they
hoped to poll large vote which could
be pointed to as a nucleus for fusion
campaign for the legislature next year.
The fact that representative of
Wanamaker was constantly at former
Judge Gordon's elbow throughout the
struggle at the Democratic state con
vention prior to the adoption of the
harmony plan which Guffy engineered,
showed the great interest the Wana-
maker managers had in the proceed
ings of the convention. The Gordon
men were all for a fusion ticket and
the nomination of e. A. Coray, of Lu-
zerne, Wanamaker insurgent Repub-
lican for state treasurer by the Demo-
cratic convention. The sentiment
against this proposition was so posi-
tive that it was not formally presented
to the convention.
CORAY WITHDRAWN
One delegate a Gordon sympathizer
from Blair county, referred to the fact
that there had been a suggestion for
the nomination of Mr. Coray, but he
said that in view of the undoubted
sentiment of the convention for the
nomination of Democrat, he would
not place Coray in nomination He
expressed the hope that some arrange
ment would he reached hy which ha