The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-05-15
HEAD
BEATEN IN TEST
At CONVENTION
Temporary Chairman Opposed
10 Him Named,
POLITICS is MADE OF WAF
Chairman Declares Most Of
Army Is Republican,

Two hours after the republican pref
ercntial convention had been called T.
order this morning in the city Audi
torium. the insurgents against furthei
rule Of Arthur H. Geissler state chair Z
man, and under fire as pro-German
had won their first victory.
The ]. J. McGraw- lake Hamon'
Jim Harris coalition elected thtr
candidate for chairman Of the conyen
ton, J. Dychc oi this city, over Rev
f. T. Lane. GcIsSler pledged delegate
from Oklahoma county, by a majority
Of l0l votes.
Merger Against Geissler.
Not until the first test vote was I
absolutely certain that the McGraw ana
Harris forces. rivals when McGraw was
elected national committeeman over
Harris. had finally reached merger
to attempt to crush the state chairman.
All night at the Skiryin hotel there
had been conferences between the FAC
tons. with emissaries frantically hur-
rying from one leader TO the other,
bearing the olive branch. Early thlS
morning. il was reported at the con
vention, the factions had been merged
for the big drive on Geissler. but it Was
no, until Lane and Dyche we're nomi-
| mated that the majority OF the delegates
learned that the leaders had definitely
become aligned against Geissler.
Jim Harris gave the first indication
when he rose to defend the McGraw-
Harris candidate for chairman OF the
meeting from an attack sponsored by
the Oklahoma county delegation.
Dyche IL Attacked.
Ed Arnold OF Hughes county had
declared that Dyehe told him he was
democrat and had been so registered.
II was also announced by the chair.
man OF the Oklahoma county delepa.
ton which was strongly pro-Geissler,
! that Dyche was not even a delegate TO
The convention.
Harris jumped to his feet and de-
manded that Dyche be given a chance
to defend himself
Ii was the signal that McGraw-
Harris forces had been merged and the
rank and file leaped to its collective
feet and roared out a thunderous cheer.
ANY man who says that demo-
cratic registrar has registered me as a
democrat is a damned liar" Dyche
Numbered from the gallery. There was
another cheer, then the voting began.
Oklahoma For Geissler.
County after county cast its vote for
Dyche with frequent votes for Lane.
Then Oklahoma county doomed in with
fifty-three votes solid for the Geissler
candidate and the Lane adherents
cheered again. But counties following
Oklahoma alphabetically swung the
vote to 48915 for Dyche to 588H for
Lane
Then Mr. Lane moved that the votd
be made unanimous, pledging himself
anew TO republicanism.
Political sharps found that the entire
eighth congressional district, that OF the
republican congressman, Dick Morgan.
had voted with one county opposed. for
Lane 1t was declared that in this
district county offices are held by re-
publcans and they feared to endanger
their positions by too much opposition
TO the powers-that-be.
Roosevelt is Cheered.
At 20 o'clock the conveltion adj
journed until 2 Is when the big scrap
OF the day was 10 get under way. The
meeting did not begin until about
o';lock
The demand that the rules of the
party be changed limiting the chairman
TO two years in service instead OF four
years is the means OF attacking Gels.
sler The change will mean automati>
| c1lly that Geissler will be forced from
dictatorship
Throughout the meeting there were
frequent and tumultous cheers when-
ever the name OF Roosevelt was mems
toned
GeiSsler. in speech before the eonA
vention declared that he is patriotic
through and through md stands behind
the government IN the war 10 crush
German militarism
The chairman. when he walked to-
ward the stage, at the opening cf
the meeting was greeted by only
scattering applause He called the con.
vention to order and after John NJ.
Goldberry OF Collinsyille, had read the
official call OF the committee. the chairs
man declated he had personal pfiy-
ilege to address the convention
Says Harmon Lied.
He began by asserting he stood for
all that was good in government and
that he loves the republican party and
the government. He asked how he has
been repaid for the many years he hss
been active Is leader of the pafty
in Oklahoma. He asserted HE snsvss,
came Saturday when he declared ~
some OF the county conventions NJ
given him vote Of eonfideDce. Isp0
he turned to the attack made aGDSaeo
him during the meeting of fhe elste
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