Omaha daily bee., 1902-05-31

IN NAG aHHAnhlAnh aAA - HaAAANA
Of both speakers were received cordially
and IN good spirit.
Hands Not Idle.
There was plenty Of applause for each as
he began and closed each Of his addresses.
The time was divided equally, each speaker
having seventy-hve minutes at his disposal,
In spaces Of twenty. ten and hve minutes.
The demonstration, while frequently
tumultuous. was never r%iotous, the most
audible member Of the crowd being a IA:
man. with q face as open as his shirt
bosom. who was perched in the gallery. aud
a beardless youth who sat next Mr.. Cur
ley's law partner on the stage and pounded
the floor with the neat new cane he is
learning to carry.
Engineer Blackburn, with great modesty
and a clean collar, secreted himself in the
right wing where he could whisper to Mr..
Gurley without having to lean out where
the women could see the Precipitation trick
ling down the slope of his radiant brow
to lose itself in the underbrush over his
optics.
In the BoxesJ on the Stage.
In the boxes there was a preponderance
Of judges and prominent attorneys. Among
the nfty-hve who sat on the stage we're
r.. w. Richardson, who acted as Mr.. Rose
waters chairman; Charles A. Goss. who
performed the same office for Mr.. Gurley;
Howard Baldrige and NJ. l.. Learned, who
acted as bodyguard to the Adonis OF the
Omaha bar to prevent his being prema-
turely showered with boquets when he
strobe down the aisle fifteen minutes be-
fore he was due; Mayor Frank e.. Moores,
City Clerk Elbourn, Councilman Karr, Judge
z. R. DUNE, Captain H. E. Palmer, G. NJ.
Nattinger, Judge Guy r. g. Read. Judge
e. wakeley, John l.. Kennedy, J. w. Wood
rough, W. G. Shriver. c. S. Huntington,
Jules Lumbsrd, Luther Drake, ]. H. Van
Dusen, Judge Clarkson, V. B. Buresh, County
Commissioner ostrom, George C. Thomp-
son, A. ]. Coleson and Hon. 1. II. Noyes
Of Valley.
Richardson Opens Meetipg.
At the opening Of the meeting r. ".
Richardson, chairman on behalf of Mr.. Rose
water, introduced that debater as a man
Of indomitable courage, one who fights in
the open, a national character who has done
yeoman service for the party. His re-
marks were received with cheers and an
ovation greeted Mr.. Rosewater as he arose.
Mr.. Rosewater opened his remarks by
saying that 1t would appear presumptuous
in him to challenge to debate such an
orator, suCn a VIII as MS opponent WHO
has power to hypnotic with his eloquence
and charm with his Adonis-like figure. He
said that 1t seemed at first impertinent In
Mr.. Gurley to challenge him to debate the
question of the return of David H. Mercer
to congress for the sixth time, as men are
not generally required to give reasons for
their choice OF public servants But Mr..
Gurley seemed to be in humor for a meeting
and l decided to indulge him." said Mr..
Rosewater.
The speaker then said that the first ac-
quaintance of either Mr.. Mercer or Mr..
Gurley with state politics was in the legis-
lature Of 1887, a legislature which had to
perform great work for the state. Reading
from the testimony before the Pacific Rail-
road commission at page 1857, the speaker
showed the testimony of Mr.. Gurley as to
the action Of Mr.. Gurley and Mr.. Mercer
at that session of the legislature. when en-
ployed as lobbyists by John NJ. Thurston,
then general solicitor Of the Union Pacific
Railway company.
Cheers greeted Charles A. Goss, who in
troduced Mr.. Gurley for his first twenty
minute speech.
Gurley's First Evasion.
Mr.. Gurley said his actions before the
legislature Of 1887 were not under discus
sion; that he had known Mr.. Mercer in
1887 and since then, and had never known
anything in his record which should deprive
him OF the vote OF any American citizen
The speaker referred to editorials in The
Omaha Bee favorable to the candidacy o.
Mr.. Mercer In previous years-notably the
campaign of 1896. The reading Of the edi,
Ie torials ELECTED considerable applause ant
the speaker, referring to the support ther
given Mr.. Mercer by The Bee, asked wheI
the editor had changed his mind.
In the second division of Mr.. Rosewater'i
remarks he referred briefly to the fact tina.
assessments made In political campaigns
upon Mr.. Mercer had not been paid ant
that The Bees support in 1896 was be.
cause OF the fact OF the pending measure
for the Transmississippi Exposition, and
that 1t was for the purpose Of securing
man friendly to the enterprise as chair
man Of the committee to which the bill
would be referred. The speaker said tina
in 1900 Mercer was elected to the fifth tern
in congress, and Immediately began to va,
cate that place by an attempt to enter the
senate and leave the Second Nebraska dis.
trict without a representative.
Mr.. Rosewater then produced the ledger
of the Capital hotel at Lincoln, showinl
that more than $500 had been paid fol
liquor and cigars for the Mercer-Gurle!
lobby. The speaker then compared tn,
work OF two congressman from this dis.
trict. He said that the first appropriation
for the South Omaha postofhce was secured
by John A. Mcshane and that Mercer wal
not entitled to much credit that had beer
given him.
:, TIP for Hitchcock.
Referring to the statement Of Mr.. Cur.
ley that he had always been friendly to Mr.
Mercer. he called attention to the fact tina
In 1898 Mr.. Gurley told a Third ward poll
tician to follow the advice Of Frank T
Ransom. who that year was supporting G
NJ. Hitchcock for congress.
Mr.. Gurley again asked why Mr.. Roose-
water supported Mr.. Mercer previously, ant
) then read a letter from a South Dakota con
} gresham to Captain H.. E. Palmer sayinl
that Mr.. Mercer should be reelected; alst