Omaha daily bee., 1910-07-25
HALL OPTIONTSTS DEFEATED
ATTEMPT to Prevent instructions
Against Plank Fails.
BOTH CONVENTIONS ON RECORD
Each IL Against County Option, but
Both sidesteP Any Action on
the Initiative and Refer
endum.

GRAND ISLAND, July 24-(Special)-
The county optionists of this county who
attempted to prevent resolutions from being
| adopted in either one or the other of the
two county conventions are decidedly dis
pleased today, and perhaps especially so
on the democratic side because of the de-
feat, likewise of the initiative and refer
endum endorsement offered by w H.
Thompson, F. w. Ashton and william
Gideon. The latter Is democratic candl-
date for nomlnatioa. TOR the legislature.
He Is an avowed county optionist. The
other two candidates are openly opposed
to it. On the republican side there like
wise came out an avowed county optionist
followed by two candidates openly opposed
to county option. Both conventions de-
clared against cunty option and both con-
ventions sidestepped any recommendation
however mild or nonessental, of the initia-
tive and referendum. IF you had found
the platform and proceedings of both CON
ventions on the street this morning" said
an "optionist," you couldn't have told the
difference between them and wouldn't have
known which was the democratic and which
was the republican record. Aside from the
fact that, in this county, it is generally re-
garded absolutely hopeless for either
party to win on a county option platform
there is no apparent reason for the similar
ity in action. In the democratic convention
each Of the three members of the resolu-
tions committee brought in a different re-
port. Mr.. Thompson's opposed county op-
tion and favored no change in the Slocum
law. 1t recommended the initiative and
referendum In general sense. Mr.. Ash
tons opposed county option and recon-
ol,a IL,
ping there. Both instructed the county
delegation to the state convention to vote
the sense of the resolution as a unit. Mr.
Gideons report dissented from this unit
feature. There was the most intense de-
bate, not free from personalities, Mr.. Ash
ton declaring that he would favor it in
the state convention, but being unwilling
for Mr. Bryan to dictate In the county
convention. The Gideon report at no time
had a look-in. After struggle lasting
two hours a vote was taken and resulted
26 for the initiative and referendum declar-
alton and q against.
In the republican convention the resoiu-
tons committee consisted of A. F. Buech- |
ler, Seth Wilson, II. f. Clifford, T. V. Bird
and DR.. II. c. Miller. The committee
brought in a unanimous report, concluding
with a declaration against county option.
an instruction 10 the delegates to vote
against it as a unit and a pledge that the |
republican candidates for representatives, |
il elected, would vote against any county |
option bill as at present proposed, with a
declaration for a preference as compared |
with county option, for the settlement of
such questions by means of a limited in |
itiative and referendum law SO opposed /
were d majority of the convention even to
this. however, that this declaration was
voted out of the resolution by a substantial !
majority.