Arizona republican., 1902-08-28

In spite of as hot and as bitter fight as ever took place in this county, and against an active and resourceful minority, Colonel J. F. Wilson yester- day secured the indorsement of Mari copa county as candidate for delegate to congress. His strength was shown by the primaries of last Saturday to be so overwhelming that his opponents could only hope to beat him by T scratch. They had several kinds of scratches ready, but the opportunity to use them never came. The front of the Wilson forces was always too solid to be scratched. But strong as they knew they were. the Wilson people always had a superstitious fear that some thing. they did not know what, would happen. They held in remembrance the disaster of two years ago. The tac- ticians were on the other side, and tac- ticians often in the most ineXplicable manner undo at the convention all that has been done at the primaries after weeks of careful preparation.
 The confidence of the Wilson element was never perfect until after final conference of all the delegates on that side just before the hour for the call Ing Ol llG NOIlN tlltlpil- hCS hiltN NAAS-A for the first time where they stood. and they even then did not know so pre- ciseIy as their opponents did.
 The convention was held at Curry hall in Tempe The train from Phoe- nix bearing all the north side delegates arrived there at half-past 9 o'clock. The convention was to be called to or der at 10. At that time none of the shannon delegates were in the hall, and Secretary Miller quieted the nervous ness of the Wilson folks to begin by telling them that he would have to make out the roster before anything could be done. MT. Miller was one of the Shannon workers and that roster ought to be framed as a work of art if it was any more beautiful because of the time consumed on it. When it was finally done there were still no Shan non men in the hall and the Wilson managers. who had grown impatient beyond the point of forbearance, were threatening to call the convention.
 The Shannon workers came in little after Il o'clock. They were cast down but not despairing, but they concealed their feelings. The situation was like this: They had fifty-fve of the 132 votes on which they could depend. InGy nau DlIG IllOIG WHICH Nllty NOOAA use only on one condition which will be hereafter mentioned. and there were three more which they thought they might land if they had time. But with out the last three they hoped that things would turn out so that by their superior skill in the game of politics they might create a stampede. It was, by the way, no part of their plan to secure a Shannon delegation. Their object was to either secure delegation for some one else or prevent the giving of instructions for Wilson. MT. shan non had not been since the miners con- vention at Prescott a candidate for the nomination. He desired to withdraw at that time and the matter of taking up Frank Cox or Mark Smith was dis cussed. It was decided though not to change horses until after the rest of the stream had been crossed. The con- vention was the thither bank. They believed long before the primaries that the withdrawal of MT. Shannon would be a confession of weakness, and they preferred to continue the fight with him as standard bearer, crippled as he had been by the miners.
 When Chairman Clark of the central committee called the convention to or der he made a brief speech. in the course of which he hoped that the democracy of the territory would go into the coming campaign with solid front whereat there was great cheer ing on both sides of the house. He next alluded to the worthiness of Mark Smith as a representative of the peo- pie of the territory, and this time the cheers were all confined to the shan non side. The call was read and the factions began to get ready for the fray. The Wilson men seemed to be the more aggressive. They looked with sus- picion on every proposition that came from the other side of the house and growled often because they did not uE- derstand it, though it might be harm less Before the reading of the call had been finished w. T. Smith, who was already on his feet as if he had q boil that prevented him from enjoying himself when he was sitting down, of fered suggestion. A delegate on the shannon side asked him to be still and promised to tell him when the proper time came for the interruption Of the proceedings.
 The call of the delegates showed that there were two sets of proxies from three precincts. One set was always in the hands of Wilson delegates and the other in the possession of shannon delegates. The proxies of the latter all read alike and closed with the state ment that the delegates. from whom they had been received revoked" any