The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-06-01

GUS was called to order by eX-Speaker Amos Treat of Bridgeport and E. H. Bugbee of Killingly, who was also an ex-speaker of the house, was elected chairman. The clerks of the two houses, Joseph L. Barbour, Edgar M. War ner of Plainfield and Clinton Spencer of Suffield, were the secretaries. The tell CTS were Senators I. Luther Spencer of Suffield and Carlos Smith of New Ha- ven, and Representatives Increase w. Carpenter of Norwich, B. K. NOrthrop of Ridgefield and Samuel DOdd of Mer- iden. Outside of the Capitol a severe snow storm prevailed, blockading the railroads and impeding travel. One of Mir. Platt's supporters, A. F. Migeon, of Torrington, was not able to reach the city until midnight, when the balloting had become of vast interest The Rev. T. O. Judd, of North Haven, also a Platt man, was unable to be in the caucus. Tha first informal ballot gave General Hawley 49 votes, Marshall Jew ell 35, O. H. Platt 24, Henry B. Harri- son, of New Haven, II, eX-Governor William T. Minor, of Stamford, 14, P. T. Barnum, of Bridgeport, 10, and one each for Charles B. Andrews and Ben jamin Douglas, It was on the ninth, tenth and eleventh ballots that MT. Platt's vote dropped to five. This was the crucial hour in the struggle, Sena- tor Lines was undauntsd, holding that the key to the situation was in the hands of the Pfatt managers. The Hon. Henry c. Robinson, of Hartford, who was member of the house, be- sought Senator Lines to withdraw the name of MT. Platt in favor of General HaWley. He assured the Meriden sem ator that he was making the mistake of his life in adhering to the destinies of his townsman. But no argument or inducement could dislodge him from the position that he had taken. Before the twelfth ballot was taken Senator Lines had secured the promise of ten men outside of the five, who were standing with absolute loyalty to their chief, to vote for MT. Platt. Five of the promises were kept, the twelfth ballot giving Mir. Platt ten votes. That was the turning point in the contest. From that time on the Meriden candi- ueILS liieiiS e. SpSetuy SlIlls IuS SuppuIl
 CTS of Governor Jewell also entreated the Platt men to give up what was re- garded by thsFn as a hopeless issue and unite in the nomination of the ex-Post- master-G General. They received the same answer that had been given to the Hon. Henry c. Robinson. On the thirty-second ballot Mir. Platt distanced Governor Jewell. Ex-Governor Minor and F. T. Barnum had dropped out en- ttrely. The figures of the ballot were: Hawley, 63, Platt 39, Jewell 37 and liar rison g. On the thirty-fourth ballot Governor Jewell dropped to 26 and MT. Platt reached 51 Governor Harrison still held and General Hawley 64. The Jewell forces were now crossing to the Platt column, augmenting it's strength and fnvincibility. On the tfirty-sixth ballot MT. Platt was two votes ahead of General Hawley, receiving "A. Gov ernor Jewell dropped to eight and Gov ernor Harrison to two. The thirty-sev- enth ballot gave Platt 75, Hawley T, Jewell and Harrison ?. The two liar rison men holding out were Senator Carlos Smith of New Haven and Rep resentative Marcus F. Baldwin of Woodbridge. On the final ballot, the thirty-sighth, both of these gentlemen voted for MT. Platt. The result of the ballot was: Platt 76, Hawley 72 and Jewell 1. It was 2:25 when the vote was declared. MT. Robinson sprang to his fee't and moved that the ballot be made unanimous. This was done amid the intensest applause The Platt leaders were literally carried from the hall on the shoulders of the Jewell men. While Governor Jewell reached his highest vote on the fourteenth ballot, receiving 52, it was not felt until some ttnIs after that that his columns would be disintegrated. He was one of the first to foresee the inevitable and his managers were authorized to support MT Platt. William A. Hall, of Meri- den, who was in the Capitol corridors, received the first inkling of this fact. He managed to get the famous note Stick Lines, Jewell men are coming" to the heroic leader, Senator Lines, in the house. This note is still in the pos- session of MT. Lines. At the end of the caucus the Jewell headquarters in the Allyn House became the scena of the most enthusiastic rejoicing, the jubilee lasting till broad daylight. The tele- graph office in Meriden was closed at midnight, and no way had been found for notifying Senator Platt of the nom- ination. The Meriden friends and neighbors of the successful candidate, who had been in the Capitol through the contest and at the Jewell headquar- ters afterwards, took the 6:20 train for home, on reaching the city immediately left for the residence of Mr. Platt. Mrs. Platt was found attending to the household cares. John w. Coe asked: Where is the Senator?'' What" ex- claimed Mrs. Platt. lis MT. Platt nomi- nated?' Then she pointed to his bed- room. The friends and neighbors, still covered with snow from the storm, pushed inside and awoke MT. Platt from sleep. While he sat on the edge of the bed in his night robes and slip pers he listened to the story of the con- test that had resulted in the complete triumph of his forces, the Spartan band of five having held the key of the situ- ation to the last. From that hour until the end of his life Scnator Platt held the hearts of his townsmen and of the people of Connecticut in fascinating thraldom.