The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1904-09-23


for Fry. If the convention hat
been called for and held at Harri
station, where it had always beef
held, Fry would have carried tn
district by two-thirds majority
but that is what McDowells friend
feared and hence it was held a
Jordan station, and for the frs
time since it was a village or a vot
ing place, Jordan had a Democrat,
convention. Fry's friends, fee lins
the injustice of such a move anC
feeling that it was done so as Il
rob HIM of his old home district anC
unlustly beat him out of it, held Z
convention at Harris station at the
same time one was held by Mellow
ellis friends at Jordan station, and
at the Harris station convention
there were 54 Democrats voting
while standing for Fry and none fol-
Mcdowell, though there were -four
men who did not vote at all, while
at Jordan station there were d
votes for Mcdowell and none fo1
Fry, showing that Fry had the dis.
trict by two-thirds majority. ] dc
not blame McDowell's friends for
not wanting the convention at Har.
ris station, as he would have been
swamped there by the Democratic
Fry votes.
In the district conventions on
Saturday, the 30th of April, Fry
carried Nos. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, IA,
Is, or nine districts ia the county,
with 10 votes, on a basis of the vote
for Governor in 1902, while mellow
ell, giving him No. l, carried Nos.
l., S, 9, 10, IL, II and 10, or seven
districts with a total of s votes in
the county convention. 1t is said,
and have the word of several rep
utable gentlemen for it, that Sat
urday afternoon, after the results
in the district conventions were
known in Union City, Mcdowell
went to Mr.. Fry, congratulated
him on his nomination, told him he
had won the nomination, and that
he, Mcdowell, would support him.
Monday morning, the day of the
county convention came, when 10!
and behold, he was still candidate
for the nomination before the con-
vention which was to meet that at.
ternoon--his great mind had under
gone a change-this Saul of Tarsus
had seen new light and was then
going to die in the last ditch, or
place like it.
The county convention met in the
circuit court room at 2 o'clock as
called by the committee, and the
chair in of the county Democratic
execu We committee, Mr.. Hurt, as
is always usual and customary,
called the convention to order and
stated that the first business be-
fore the convention, was the cleo
ton of a chairman OF the conven-
ton. Mcdowell then lnterposed
with a point of order that the first
business was the appointment of
committee on credentials and basis
of representation, thing never
heard of before in any convention,
but the chairman overruled his
point of order, when G. r. Wilson
was placed in nomination by Fry's
friends for chairman, and Mellow
ellis friends placed in nomination
A. N. Moore for chairman of the
convention. The chairman, Mr..
Hurt, then ordered a roll call by
districts, taking a vote on the last
governors election as a basis, to
which Mcdowell objected, and on
that basis Wilson received 19 votes
and Moore 2. districts No. 9, 10, IL,
IL and 10 not voting under direc-
tons of Mcdowell. After this vote
was taken and declared, Hurt an
nounced that Wilson was elected
chairman of the convention who
then came forward and from then
on to the close, discharged the du-
tied of such chairman. A motion
was then made to appoint a COM
mittee on credentials and basis of
representation, which was carried
and the chair appointed A. X.
Wells, John Bennett, Dave Glover,
Aubrey Whipple and Geo. w. Sto-
vail, who went out and made a re-
port to the convention, giving Nc
Dowell all the votes from Nos. l, S,
10, IL, II, 9, 10, or a total of votes
and Fry all the votes from Nos 2,
8, 4, 6, Z, s, ID, Ia, Is, or total of
10 votes. Just at this time Nc
Dowell arose and asked all his men
to leave the courtroom, but stated |
he would not be candidate either
as a bolter or an independent cam
didate for the Legislature. His
crowd went to the county court
room and after making a lot Of
noise, nominated Hardy Davidson,
who had gone home and who, the
next day as soon as he learned of
it, promptly repudiated it and
would have nothing TO do with it
and who is now actively for Fry.
The convention, in the circuit court
room, proceeded with the business
Tor which it was called together
and selected a lot of delegates to
he State convention at Nashville
md instructed them as to how
hey should vote in the said State
and then nominated
Ir. Fry as a Democratic candidate
or the Legislature, who came for
ward and accepted the nomination.