The Springdale news., 1914-06-12
STATE DEMOCRATIC CONyENIION


 made to show a majority of 1 ,071 for Clarke. At the hearing before the state central committee an inVestiga- ton of an exhaustive nature was made of this matter, and the commit. tee by the decisive vote of 22 to determined that this part of the alleg, a4ions was wholly unsustained by the proof, and accordingly dismissed the complaint and declared the contested the nominee of the Democratic party. Third The contestant has pre- sented no substantial evidence in ad- dition to that heard by the state cen tral committee in support of his alleg.' ation that the returns from Poinsett county had been fraudulently chang ed after the declaration of the result by the county convention. He asks for an enlargement of time as we'll as an enlargement of the scope of the investigation so that there may be a general examination of the condi-
 
 ton in Poinsett county on March p, 1914. This is a departure from the issue presented in his petition, and in the opinion of this committee, his ap- plication is not supported by suffi- cient showing to warrant the belief that any such investigation if ordered would justify a change in the result as declared by the state central com mittee
 'Foarth-The committee is of the opinion that the hearing and decis- Ion by the state central committee was broad and fair, and that the sub- stantial rights Of the contestant were, duly considered. and that he has fail ed to sustain the grounds Of contest alleged by him. The committee therefore recommends the adoption of tn resolution accompanying the de eislon and finding of the state central committee and declaring the contes- tee Clarke to be the nominee of the
 
 United States senator.
 Fifth-It is recommended that the convention shall immediately pro ceed to the consideration of the ac- compaaying resolution CT any substi- tute offered therefore upon the pre- sentation of this report, and that consideration shall continue to be a privileged and special question, entitl- ed to continuous consideration until finally disposed of And the char man Is directed to disregard all dila- tory motions or obstructive methods altil the matter has been submitted to the final vote of the convention.
 '5ixth-That on the adoption or re- jaction Of the proposed resolution or any substitute offered therefore, the contestant and contestee are respect lively to be allowed for argument one hodr and a half on each side, after which time the vote shall be taken without further delay The time of
 
 herein shall be occupied by the con testant or eontestee in person or such persons as they may designate to rep resent them, the contestant shall be allowed to open the discussion with 50 minutes, and the contestee shall b, allowed one hour and a half in which i n Gi of when the contestant will be allowed 8 minutes in which to close the arg ment.
 Following the reading of this re port a resolution was read dismissing the charges of Judge Kirby and de claring Senator Clarke the nominee.
 Minority Report.
 A minority report was submitted asking that committee of three on which both Kirby and Clarke shall be represented, be elected by this convention and that said committee proceed to Poinsett county forthwith and then and there for a period of twenty days, before some officer au- thoriZed by law to take depositions, proceed to take testimony of such witnesses as may be offered by either party of their attorneys, and that, when taken, they shall submit all of the testimony so taken to the state Democratic central committee on the first Monday in July, 1914, at Little Rock, Ark. and that after hearing from each side the committee be au- thorized to pass upon the contest and decide the nominee of the party for United States senator. .
 A substitute motion to adopt the minority report was made, and a mo- ton was carried to allow each one hour for arguments, the contestant to have forty-five minutes for the open ing and fifteen minutes for a rejoin- der, with one hour for the contestee.