The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-13
NEAL WON IN ELEVENTH
BY 4 NARROW MARGIN

Staf Correspondence Of the Journal.
PERU, Ind. Jan. 12.-Elam II. Neal. OF
Jonesboro, was elected member OF the Re-
publican state committee from the Elev-
enth district tonight by 81 1-s votes to
So 2-S cast for Adam L. Beck, of Hunting
ton. Mr. Meals election was then made
unanimous
The election was finally settled at 7:90
o'clock, after thirty hours Of the hardest
ante-convention work that has been known
in Indiana for many a year. and the result
came as a surprise to most OF the delegates.
as well as TO the leaders OF the op11osffg
forces. The supporters OF Mr.. Beck had
been confident; those of Mr.. Neal had been
hopeful, but with many of them II was a
case of hoping against hope. Mr.. Neal was
elected because. as indicated in these dis
patches yesterday he might he was able to
capture one of the delegates who had been
regarded a Beck man. and 10 keep his
success in that respect a secret until the
first roll call in the convention; because
Warren C. Sayre was absolutely fair in his
rulings as chairman OF the convention. and
because Maj George w. Steele, John r..
Hadley and one or two others of the men
who had charge Of the Neal campaign laid
a clever parliamentary trap, into which
the Beck people fell.
The delegate captured was John Wiley,
of Cass county. The test of Mr.. Sayre's inn
partiality came when he was called on
to decide whether the Cass county delega,-
ton could be voted as a unit. The parlia-
mentary pitfan came in connection with the
action on the report of the credentials COM
mittee. The majority report moved that
three delegates be unseated The minority
report was submitted in three sections. TAX
ing up in turn the case of each delegate.
In moving the substitution Of the minority
report for the majority. John r.. Hadley
moved that the report be taken up section
by section and his motion prevailed by con-
sent without an objection.
A FATAL MISTAKE
Had the Beck forces insisted on consider
alton of the report as a whole the minority
report would have failed for none of the
three delegates involved could have voted
upon the question. AS il was two Of the
delegates voted each time with the Neal
forces while the case Of the third was
passed upon and their votes. together with
the vote for the delegate captured in the
Cass county delegation, gave the Neal
people a narrow majority on each ballot
The plan hinged also on the consideration
of the case of the contested delegate in
Miami county for that delegate had only
half vote, and in passing on the Sec
ton in the report relating TO him the Neal
people had the advantage Of one whole
vote from Cass.
After five and a half hours OF wranglinx
over the contested seats, the credentials
in respect TO all the contests but three-ons
in Miami, one in Wabash and one in Cass.
In the compromise the Neal forces were
given three and one-third delegates from
Blackford county instead OF but three. as
originally claimed by the Beck supporters.
The Miami county case was that OF David
rson township entitled 10 one-half OF a
vote was contested by Newton Freeman.
The Cass county case was that Of John
Wiley, the delegate who went over TO Neal.
II seemed that the Beck people grew sus-
picious of Wiley's loyalty and instituted q
contest the ground that his election had
not been legal ana tnat MS seat shoui9 De
declared vacant and the Cass county dele
cation empowered TO fiji the vacancy. The
seat of NJ. j. Barton. OF Wabash. at
tackled upon similar grounds.
When the frst test vote was taken this
evening on the Stitt case in the Circuit
Court room where the convention had as
sembled after preliminary sessions In the
opera house. the great crowd was keyed 10
the highest point Of nervous tension and the
hush that fell over it was almost painful.
Blackford county cast three and one-third
votes for the Neal people and I'VE and two
thirds for the Beck forces. That was not
unexpected. Then came Cass c0untys vote
and the chairman OF TIE delegation an
nOunced twenty votes for the Beck side.
THE TURNING POINT.
Next came the dramatic declaration of
John Wiley that he protested the accuracy
OF the Cass county vote. The chairman OF
the delegation explained that in caucus the
delegation had decided 10 vote "A unit.
but Chairman Savre ruled that any t.ele-
gate had a right TO dispute the accuracy OF
a vote and that under such circumstances
the vote of the county must be taken again.
The Neal forces realized at once that this
ruling gave them more than fighting
chance 10 win in the end II they could but
hold their strength and they became almost
delirious In their Joy. Pandemonium
reigned fkr several minutes before tbs
n