Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-08
MERCER STILL HOLDS BACK
DELEeATE coNVENIION IS PRoeAaLE
~nereerftss weaken on Cravvfora sys-
ten Propostaon asa seen -
Favor Direct Delerntes -
oenuressionaif Convention.

Although Congressman Mercer gave Il
out on bis return from Washington that as
soon a. he had adjusted the police com
mission matter to bis liking be would take
NJ the question Of . congregational conyen-
ton, both Mr.. Mercer and his chairman,
Tom Blackburn, stiIl profess complete ig-
norance a. To when they viii allow the re-
publioans to express their choice for the
congressional succession.
Chairman Goss Of the republican county
committee also expressed himself as still
In the dark IS to the program. Il do not
know anything about the congressional con-
vention,~ he Gays. "and "a to the county
nominatinE convention. / do not think 1t
VIII be held before The latter part Of Sep
TENDER. We certainly cannot take any
steps for the selection Of Delegates 70 the
congressional convention until We know
whether there is 70 be q congressional con-
v%ention. ana how It r. to be made up"
Now that the Mercer Police board has
been appointed. q meeting OF the congress
sionsl committee Is, however, expected be-
fore long. Il is rumored on apparently
good authority that Mercer and his boost
eTB have abandoned their scheme for nomI-
mating the congressional candidate BY dl-
rect primary vote under the Crawford sys-
tenn. although, as = matter OF fact. they
have. been hesitating all along as to which
plan would prove more advantageous TO
Mercer, the direct nomination or the direct
delegate convention. The excuse they give
for their cooling ardor toward the Craw-
ford system is that they have discovered
legal d~ificulties in the way. although no
legal diflculties were Visible when The same
kind Of . scheme was sprung IN Mr.. Mer4
GERS interest two years ago.
According 70 this same authority the Mer-
ceritss are IN q quandary whether they
should recognize the corgressionni eelesa-
ti0ns already selected By Warrington and
sarpy counties. one OF which Is instructed
for Mercer and the other against him. BY
calling for q direct primary nomination
Mercer would lose the seventeen votes AL
ready corralled In Washington county,
while his chances Of making gains In sarpy
county would not Offset the prcbsble loss
Ia Warrington. The prospects. therefore.
favor q call for a congressional nominating
convention in which the delegates already
selected IN Washington and sarpy counties
will be entitled to seats and to which
Douglas county viii be invited 70 elect
delegates.
Discrimination Against Douglas.
Another question presented Is whether
NMC OUNkAMI tNuNtN WNAD|NNoH un-AAA 70
chosen In county convention or be selected
at the ward ana precinct primaries and
sent directly from the primaries into the
congressional convention. This would con-
GvIgute q INSTRUMENTATION against Douglas
county. but q little thing like that would
not phase the Mercer management.
The delegates already selected In the two
outside counties are under an assumed APP
portionmenf OF one to every 100 or major
fraction OF the votes cast for Mercer in
1900. and on that basis Douglas county,
which cast s,s20 votes for Mercer last time,
would be entitled to 1ss delegates.
Az II takes twenty-five days under the
primary election law to sive rnoticeS for
holding q nominating convention. the date
for the congregational nomination anhos be
earlier than the middle Of September. with
the custom 10 name the county ticket to-
ward the latter part Of September. II viii
be up to the county committee to decide
whether douhle primaries hould be held
as close together e. a week or two. a for
the campaign for the Congressional nominal
tion and the ether for pisces on the county
ticket. By consolidating ard putting all
the nominations into one call quite q saving
would be effected. bet e. Mercer has given
It out that money IL no object. the Mercer
ties viii probably prefer TO 60 It alone.