The Green Forest tribune., 1914-06-05
KIRBY PRESENTS A BRIEF
BASES HIS CONTEST UPON AL LEGED FRAUD IN PolNSETT
 COUNTY RETURNS.
SENATOR CLARKE CONFIDENT
Declares That He Received a Clean Majority of PIP and that There
 Was No Fraud.

l Western Newspaper Union News Service
 Pine Bluff.-The Senatorial contest will provide the real interest for what might otherwise have been very un- interesting session of the Democratic State Convention, which meets this week in Pine Bluff. For the first time in the history of the country, the direct selection of a United States Senator by the vote of the people will figure in the. deliberations of the body.
 Pine Bluff is entertaining the largest body convened in years representing the Democracy of the state. There are ,629 delegates, as compared with 5S0 | In the convention of 1912. This in crease is due to the large increase in the humber of votes cast for Governor in the last general election It is rroIoI \. -<soat tLdg Of all he 2 Ee-adiTsf 'ur bills. wish coul54 oo 2. 53.5-s..,1 IS easy as they die, 1s It IS Soiisl'tei GU the tresatE 6uilkmit the convention oasS become u3reildy in numbers. Pu- lash county leads in this convention with thirty delegates.
 A meeting of the State Central Com mittee was held on Tuesday preceding es. oo4ly e.itiol on "Wednesday. Tn purpose of the committee conference was to make plans for the convention proper. Judge A. J. Walls of Lonoke i' chairman and Sheriff w. G Hutton i' secretary of the committee.
 The convention is being held in tht 1 EIlrc' fhaafor h,Ji16in0 oIY o h ' adapted for the occasion. The citi zens of Pine Bluff have been active il their preparations for the entertain ment of the convention, anticipating the largest attendance in the history o the party. The hall is beautifully done to make comfortable the stay O the two thousand expected visitors Judge c. M. Philpot is general chair man and Meyer Solmson secretary ot the executive committee in charge.
 Chairman McCombs Present.
 Hon. w. F. McCombs, of New York formerly of Arkansas, is a distinguish ed guest of the convention, and invita- tions were extended to President Will son and Secretary Bryan, who were unable to attend on account of the pressure of state affairs in Washing ton. The picture of Chairman Me Combs appears on the medallion of the delegate and alternate badges. The badge is very attractive and may be worn as watch fob after it serves its purpose at the convention.
 There was an interesting pre-con- vention contest over the temporary as well as the permanent officers of the convention, which kept political wise acres revising their states up to the last The closely-drawn lines of con flict between the Clarke and the Kirby factions were the cause of this pro tracted uncertainty as to the personnel of the presiding officers. Usually it is the governor who sounds the keynote of the convention, suggesting the tenn porary officers, and the Committee on Platform. There are thirty members of this important committee, consist ing of five at large, one from each Congressional and one from eslch Judi | cial district.
 The Clarke-kirby Contest.
 The chief interest of the convention centers in the nomination of United States Senator, all the state officers having been nominated at the March primaries, with no contest for any of them. Senator Clarke, it is admitted, l as shown by the attitude of the mem bers in the contest, controls the State Central Committee, and therefore the selection of the temporary officers. | This would necessarily have a strong bearing upon the selection of the per manent officers.
 Both the Clarke and the Kirby forces have kept up a hard fight since the primaries, each to gain an advantage 1 Tn the state convention. Senator Clarke, who has been home from | >-->>-~-~-~----~--- --->-~-~->--->i~----~ | ~aUu nH nrnlro nrarraarAI AIT