Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1912-05-09
INSTRUCT DELEGATES.
For Woodrow Wilson at Democrat 10.
Convention al Ithaca.

Ilin d TO carry their states, the De-
moc7ats met in mass convention at
Ithaca last Wednesday TO elect six
\ teen delegates TO the Democratic con-
vention TO be held at Bay City, May
18th. 1t was a rehearsal of tie fights
tat have taken place in every Demo
crct'c county convention held thus
f9r iii The state this Spring On one
side the supporters OF Woodrow Will
son were lined up demanding that the
convention instruct the delegation for
Will on and on the other side the
county organization was as determin-
Ell to send the delegation uninstruct-
ed. The Wilson men were in strong
majority and carried the day.
In the morning the county commit
tee me- or rather less than half of
tkem met and selected John I. Ma
thews Cf Ithaca to act as temporary
chairman at the convention. This
selection was not without protest.
Mr.. Mathews was put in by the old
line organization wing, they believ-
ing that he as chairman would be
able to fir .strate any movement that
was made to instruct the delegates
for Wilson Dewitt Vought of Alma
was the only Wilson committeeman
present and he vigorously protested
against such an action pointing out
t here was less than half of the
committee present while the MAJOR,
ity OF the committee were in favor
OF a neutral chairman. In spite of
the protest the selection stood and
John T. Mathews acted as temporary
chairman
The convention met at two o'clock
in the opera house. 1t was evident
from the first that there would be a
hot fight on. There was, and it start
ed the minute the work got under
way W. d. Tucker was selected to
act as temporary chairman. Imme-
diately Newton Burns arose and
moved that c. M. Brown, Geo. w.
Torbert. c. Sullivan, Thos. Grover
and T. Arnold be elected a commit
tee on permanent organization and
order of business. c. M. Brown re-
minded the chairman that the motion
was out of order as the officers of the
convention were not sworn in. Mr.
Mathews. said that he would hold the
motion in abeyance which he did not
do. After the oath was administered
George Gargett jumped to his feet
ahead of Mr. Burns and moved that
the chairman appoint the committee
upon permanent organization and or
der of business. A protest went up
from all sides of the hall, demand
ing that Mr. Burns previous motion
be acted upon. The chairman put Mr..
Gargett's motion and it was voted
down, two thirds of the delegates
voting nay. The Burns resolution
was then acted upon 1t carried by a
majority as the other was lost. The
convention then moved that the chair
man appoint committee on creden-
tials and another on resolutions. A
discussion arose as to whether or not
credentials committee was necessary
as the meeting was a mass conven-
ton Mr. c. M. Brown insisted that
a credentials committe was very MAJ
terial as a man, he claimed, who was
an enrolled Republican, sat in the
convention and had made very i'm
portant motion. Dr. McLachlan len;
a little humor TO the situation re-
minding the convention that "the Re-
publicans had raised HI in Bay City
and we don't want any of them here. "
The resolutions committee was
Hon. G. P. Stone, Hon. James K.
Wright and George Way The COM
mittee on credentials consisted of
Philip Creaser. John Burns and Frank
NJ. Peat.
The convention then took a ten
minutes recess.
Temporary Chairman Mathews in
his address at the opening Of the
convention claimed the Republicans
had been stealing Democratic thun-
der for the last quarter century. He
told the convention that the Demo-
cratic chances were the best this year
since the civil war. but that the Dem
ocrats must make no slips, that har.
mony was the one thing needed in
the party and so he requested that
the convention act in moderation
judgment" When he closed he asked
that the convention ego slow" on in
structing delegates. The same plead
ing for harmony came 1om the Will
son men but for all the speeches and
pleadings there wasn't much harmony
when it came to selecting delegates
The committee on organization and
order of business reported first. The
temporary officers were made per-
manent. The credential committee in
their report were unable to find any
Republicans seated in the convention
Hon. George p Stone, chairman OF
the committee on resolutions, read
the resolutions drafted by the com.
mittee. Thereupon started the fight
in the convention. The resolution:
did not endorse any candidate. The
Wilson men put themselves in evi