The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-12-20
A Meeting of the Prohibition
Party's Leaders.
HE FACED HIS ACCUsERR
National Chairman Stewart
Had Much to Say.
A CLASH OF THE FACTIONS.
Mr.. Stewart Said the FaIIuro q ef,o
Party to Poll More Votes was Due -
Attacks Made by Certain Party
Leaders on His Work.

Chicago, Dec. 16.-At q meeting a
the prohibition party's national oom-
mittee yesterday, Chairman Oliver W.
Stewart faced his accusers and replied
to their charges made during the last
presidential campaign. He denied
every charge against him and IN ~
turn bitterly attacked John q. Wool
ley, who led the fight on Stewart.
Forty Of the n members Of ths com-
mittee were present.
The first clash between the factions
came when an effort was made to
seat w. c. johnson, who held the
proxy Of John NJ Parker. Of Maryland.
Chairman Stewart and his friends
tried to prevent the seating Of John
son, but were defeated by . vote Of -
to Is. 1t was asserted that the pro9y
had been brought to Chicago signed IN
blank and that Johnson's name hAA
been inserted, written in lead pencil.
The chairman ruled that q proxy
might properly be signed in blank and
then Mr.. Stewart attacked johnson On
other grounds.
william e. johnson has publicly
confessed that he made q bitter -
| sault through the old party papers in
the last campaign on regularly nomi-
mated candidate of the prohibifioa
party and I insist that any man who
will do that is not ht to sit in q gather
ing of respectable prohibitionists."
shouted Stewart
| A. A. Stevens, Of Pennsylvania, who
led the fight on the floor against Stow
art, declared that any prohibitionise
hod vf0 IN fxrc0 IN
unfit party candidate. Stevens said
he had done it on one occasion and
would do It again IL necessary.
A. A. Stevens read the report ok -
auditing committee which spent GZx
weeks investigating the accounts q
Chairman Stewart He explained that
the committee had not gone back q
the face of the vouchers and had not
attempted to question the wisdom q
the expenditures made for cert13A
purposes. The report contained itom-
lied statements Of every branch of tho
campaign involving the expenditure
Of funds, but made no direct charEos
against Chairman Stewart It CO..
cluded with q number Of recommen6A-
lions which indicated that q new sye-
tenn of raising campaign funds and
depending them was desired.
Action on the report was deferred
until Chairman Stewart had presented
his annual report The results Of The
last campaign, he said, were In q
measure disappointing. as the vote In
q number of states fell below the Total
Of four years ago. The reason for this
decrease, Chairman Stewart asserted,
was the attack of a prominent prohi-
bition paper and certain individual
on the method Of conducting the cam
paign. Mr. Stewart accused J. O.
lwoolley and his associates Of causing
all the trouble.
He said: when the matter a
nominating Gen. Miles for president
on the prohibition ticket came up Mr.
Woolley and I talked 1t over and
agreed that he would be good candi.
date IL he would subscribe to the prin-
ciples of our party. communicated
with Gen. Miles and ascertained he
was a democrat, hence I decided 4
would be inexpedient to nominate
him. woolley criticized me for taking
this position"
Chairman Stewart then read sx.
tracts from q score or more attacks q
him published in the New Voice, tn
organ of the party. in the course d
the campaign.
The resignation Of Chairman Stew
, art was deemed a necessary sacridc>
, to party harmony and his resignation
was practically demanded by q votl
of "a to 20 of the members Of the com
lmiffoe