Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-10-03
Madison. Sept. 20.

That was the conSummauon OF one OF
the hardest convention fights in the
| history of this state. Notwithstanding
that there were people who believed
that the primary election law had
put an end to the time Of heartbreak-
| ing political convention fights.
The end came at two o'clock this
morning, after IA hours of struggle
| since the convention had been called
to order. Attempts to delay the cleo
ton of Mr. Conner were temporarily
successful, but they were only tenn
porarily so. The final vote was Con
nor II. Dick AZ.
When Chairman Hudnall announced
the result OF the vote, the assembly
chamber, filed with tired delegates
and anxious, expectant spectators,
rang with cheers. The Conner paople
| eheered for the hard victory they had
won, and even the others joined in,
! because it was a fair victory, wei de-
served if hard fighting counts for any
thing. All through the convention,
everything seemed to be pushed aside
1
ing contest, that for chairman Of the
state central committee. Even the
| formulation Of the platform seemed
to be of secondary Importance; and
even though that process occupied
nearly eight hours Of hard work in
the committee on resolutions, it was
said by leading delegates and mem
! bers Of that committee that an eff
| fort to delay the election of state
| chairman was the reason for the long
! deliberation in the executive office.
| Certain it is that the Connor mem
| bers Of the committee wanted to re-
port at 8 o'clock, but were held for
more than three hours longer because
/ Assemblyman Ekern and A. H. Dahl
| offered almost multitudinous pro-
| posed plauks for careful consideration.
| These men, however. did not fail TO
| gain some points In this long meas
urement OF reason over the table in
the governors private Office. for it
was after II O'Clock that an amend
menr to the previously completed
platform was secured, consented to by
both Governor Davidson and Chairman
Conner. endorsing the work OF Sen
ator La Toilette in the national con
gress since he has been in Washing.
ton, and calling upon the others in the
Wisconsin delegation in the senate
( and house Of representatives to sup
port his wise course.
Roll Ca Five Times.
Five times during the convention
was the long roll of delegates called
and each individually responded to
his name. The lines were closely
drawn and victory lay first on one
side and then on tne other On one
vote, that on the question of adjourn
| ing until morning, the vote was in
favor Of the anti-COnnor people, So
! to S., but Assemblyman Leroy took
: long time to count up the result
! and verify it, and meantime w. L.
Essmann, handy assistant and earn
! est worker in the interests of Mr.
| Conner, fastened to cause some
wheels to move. The result was that
Senator J. II. Stout arose and changed
his vote from favoring adjournment
20 fayoring sticking it out" Then
! George G. Sedgwick, nominee for the
| senate in the fifteenth district,
| changed his vote the same as did Sen.
ator Stout. and they were followed in
/ this step by Wallace Hager, nominee
for the assembly IN the second dis
trict of Brown county. These three
, changes reversed the standing of the
! vote from GO to 50 in favor of adjourn
| ing to 81 to 60 in favor of enduring
| without sleep to the joyful end" as
| Mr.. Connor is reported to have given
out as the program he desired to have
| followed. That settled it, and after
/ q bit OF sparing, In which speeches
| were made for and against electing
! a chairman In the wee sma hours,
and for and against the advlsability
of eecting Mr.. Conner as the man.
! ager Of the state and legislative cam.
paign, the final passages took place,
tile last vote taken and the republican
| convention OF 1906 was quickly wound
/ up. When at last adjournment was
/ taken the hands Of the clock pointed
to 2:30
The first roll call was had on
motion of Assemblyman Dahl prop9s.
Ing TO amend a motion of Senator
/ John NJ Whitehead of GAINESVILLE.
Senator Whitehead proposed the adop.
ton of the rules OF the Wiscon sin as
sembly as the rules of the convention.
but Mr. Dahl desired that there be
: congressional district meetings and
that the membership of the platform
and central committees be determined
In This way The Dahl amendment
was lost by vote Of St to So, and
then the senator's motion went
| through as a matter of course.
| The second roll call was demanded
when senator Frear proposed a reso
| luton providing that the chairman Of
the convention appoint the platform
committee. and Senator Sanborn on
| posed this and moved an amendment
| that the congressional districts meet
and recommend members of the state
central committee and the commit.
tee on platform.
Senator saIborn seemed so much