Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1908-05-26
SeWall'S
Good Fight
BUT HE WAS SECOND IN RACE
FOR NOMINATION. FOR
CONGRESS

LEWISTON, Me-, May IA. = Tn,
Second District Republican Conven.
tion at Lewiston Tuesday nominated
for Congress the Hon. John p. Swa.
sey OF Canton after the most spirited
convention In district annals. In q
convention seating 352 delegates Mr.
Swasey received 212 votes. Hon
Harola M. Sewall Of Bath with 123
IVES his nearest competitor. The re.
naming II votes were cast for the
Hon. George G. Wing OF Auburn. On
the motion of Mr.. Sewall, seconded
by Judge Wings representative, the
nomination was made unanimous
! Though spirited at all times and
marked by wild outbursts of enthu-
siasm at the mention of favorite
cons. the convention was at all times
good humored and in no speech was
word spoken which the speakers
would now have unsaid.
Though the convention kept siz.
cling all the afternoon and every del
egate remained to hear the result of
the ballot, every man in touch with
the situation knew before the con-
vention was called to order that It
was only question OF the size of
6wasey's majority.
The Sewall men knew at noon that
their cause was lost but they stood
to their colors loyalty and cheered
all the afternoon as though victory
was in sight.
The. breakup OF Franklin indicat.
ed on the night before came with the
dawning of convention day and
when the last installment Of Frank.
lin delegates arrived at IL o'clock
they found themselves without a
candidate Of their own. Blanchard's
following scattered like the leave,
before an autumn breeze and within
B minutes after II was known that
he was out Of the race every Blanch.
ard delegate was safe In either the
Sewall or Swasey corrals. Men who
have grown gray watching Franklin
politics say the break was nearly
even-that Sewall corraled most OF
the delegates in North Franklin,
while Swasey gathered in most OF
EN- in southern Franklin.
Then came the formal announce
ment that the Hon. Jesse M. Libby
OF Mechanic Falls was out of the
race and was going to second the
nomination Of Swasey. That added
so many votes to the Oxford candi-
dates string and took away few OF
the votes which had been counted
upon to prevent choice on the first
ballot.
This left only Swasey, Sewall and
Wing In the lists and with the know
ledge that half, II not two-thirds, of
Knox. would go to the Oxford man
1t needed no prophet or son of a
prophet to foresee the nomination of
Swasey on the first ballot.
One o'clock found the hall al
ready well filled. Well down In
front was the great brass mounted
banner Of Swasey and around the
white badged delegates were the red
tagged supporters of Sewall. But II
was In the gallery that music and en-
thusiasm burst forth In full forts.
simo. On the left, rising In the
dense mass from the gallery railing
which was placarded with a great
banner bearing the words "Swasey
delegation" were the men of Oxford
and high above the rail on a pedestal
OF yellow cheesecloth was stuffed
Oxford bear. On the opposite side of
the hall, the gallery rail was decor
ated with the banners that were
carried In the Sewall parade. In the
center with Its guns trained on the
Oxford bear was the model of the gal
liant battleship Georgia. And the
men behind the guns were the LOYAL
sons OF Sagadahoc, cheering Justify
for Baths chosen son, the Hon. Har-
old M. Sewall.
The Rumford Falls band was in
the Swasey gallery and the Lewiston
Brigade band In the Sewall gallery,
They commenced their music prompt
" at o'clock and kept 1t up un-
ceasingly till the convention was