Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1908-01-11

" SOuIpHO III ARAAAt AoVAg W&b " NAS~s
his successor. Senator Call was q
candidate 70 succeed himself, and Col.
w. d, Chiplcy OF Pensacola, although
not candidate himself, was the updia-
puted leader OF the anti-Call forces in
the State. The fight was waged un-
eeaslngly from one end Of the State to
the other. All other issues dwindled
into inslgnificance beside the allah
sorbipg question Of the Senatorial sue
cesslon.
when the Legislature of 1891 con-
voned, It was organized by the Call
forces, with Hon. JeR. B. Browne Of
Key West as President Of the Senate
and Hon. John l., Gaskins Of Starke
as Speaker Of the House Of Repre-
sentatives. Frank Clark, then not ten
days over thiFtyOne years OF age, was
q representative. from Polk county,
was made chairman Of the House in.
dietary Committee, which position he
flIed with great ability. Hon. D. II.
Yancey held this position IN the Sen
ate, and the editor Of The Index, an
open and avowed Chipley man, was
his clerk, and this position gave him
an opportunity TO know what he IL
now writing about. The Legislature
was composed Of ninety-nine Demo
Gratis and one lone Republican-Sena'
tor o. B. Smith Of st. Johns county.
The ninety-nine Democrats met in
caucus TO nominate q candidate Of the
party for United States Senator The
anti-Call forces, led by some Of the
strongest men and most skillful lead.
ers that ever lived In Florida--notably
among whom wera~Judge Joseph b.
Wall Of Hillsborough, Hon. Ed. M.
Hammond Of Orange. Hon. Joseph r.
Baya OF Columbia, Hon. Robert r.
Rogers OF Suwannee, Hon. Fred T.
Myers Of Leon, and others--outgener.
aled the Cali people In the caucus by
passing q resolution in the caucus
adopting the twothirds rule, and
pfovlding that IN the Joint session
each day the votes should be so scat
tered as not TO make an election OF a
Senator until the caucus had, by
two-tbirds vote, nominated a candi-
date for the party. With these two
points gained, the anti-Call people
went into the fight determined to win.
Mr.. Call had Sixty.three votes in
the caucus when the contest began.
but he lacked three votes OF the re-
quisIte two-thlrds. Clark was q Call
man. and from the very beginning ne
was the recognized leader OF the Call
people on the floor OF the House: and
In the caucus itself he and Senator
Dalton II. YAncey OF Lake divided the
honors Rs the undlsputed Call leaders
on the floor OF the caucus Many were
the hot oratorical duels that took
place on the door when Hammond and
DouGherty measured swords with Yam.
coy and Clark. For more than SIX
weeka--nlght after night--the weary
struggle went on. growing more bitter
as the session Of The Legislature. BY
constitutional limitation, drew to
close, Mr. Call had steadily lost, one
by one, until what was known as The
Tall Call Column has gone down TO
hftytwo.
THE object Of the AnttCAll forces
was to SO on and on until the Legis.
lature Ahould die, leaving the appoint.
ment OF q Senator to Governor Elem.
Ing. who was q stalwart Anti.Call man.
Clark, YRnsey, Browne and others
saw this. and determined that there
was only one way to win, and that
was to adjourn the caucus sine die;
then 80 Into the joint session and
elect their candidate. The caucus had
been held each night with open doors,
aud ~ the citizenship Of Tallahassee
was overwhelmingly anti-CAll, and the
lobby was packed by these outsiders
every night. who Cheercd the anti
Cali forces and ieered at the Sen
Ator's supporters, II vas determined
to clear the lobby and debate the qucs
ton OF adjournment alne die behind
closed doors hut some reason must
he found for this procedure, and Clark
soon furnished (unlntcntlonally. per.
hapsl ample reason lie Eot into a