Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-04-21
c. 0. P. CONVENTION
Continued from page l

To show the temperament OF tne eeie-
gates, only two features IN the piaeorn'
we're applauded real vigorously. one Was
the plank lauding Governor TOWNSEND iol
his administration and the other lnuorseo
woman suffrage Other planks were ap-
,,,a,,dcd hut not with the spirit that greet
ed these two. Really, it looked as II the
convention was about ready, when Gov
ernor Townscnd's name was mentioned IN
tbe reading of the platform, to elect nm
,o any office he might seek, and Tor an
instant il appeared as if the convention
might be stampeded to do that very
thing-but pothing happened. While the
suffrage pIank got lots Of applause, 1t
develoned that very little of IT came IRON
the Sussex section of the hall. Incidentally,
tbe Kent caucus was the only one, that
acted ON suffrage, and 1T gave ndorse-
ment after fight.
CONVENTION LATE IN MEETING.
Though scheduled to meet at Ii o'clock
Yesterday morning, the convention dld
not Get into action until after o'clock In
The afternoon. When it did meet, how
oyer il rushed its program through like
",,raased lightning" This, too, In the face
oF tho fact that the result was dlstasteful
~ q large minority of the delegates. Any
other course. however, would not have
accomplished anything, hence the wisdom,
from nartv standpoint and from stand
point of individual aspirations, OF sub
mitting TO the inevitable. Sore spots that
are likely to grow worse as the campaign
moves on resulted from:
The defeat of Governor Townsend Tor
national convention delegate.
The attempt 10 defeat i. coleman
du Pont. in the Wilmington caucus, Tor
national convention delegate
The defeat of DIR. COnwell Banton,
cnlored. in the Wilmington caucus, for
national convention delegate.
The fact that some of the rural New
Castle county delegates absented them
selves from that caucus.
The developments at the several cau-
r,,ses indicated factional control as foi-
lows:
Wilmington-Ol Old Organization.
Rural New Castle-Old Organization.
Kent-Old Organization.
Sussex-New Dispensation.
The chief factors that contributed to
the defeat Of Governor Townsend were
the opposition 10 him, generally, OF the
New Dispensation; his advocacy of
woman suffrage and the School Code.
However. the fight is not over, though
II was not echoed in the convention. The
raucrses showed the lines of demarcatlon,
and these. many believe, will mark the
factional divisions all through the cam
palgn. The Organization Will attempt TO
resume control in Sussex, while IT VIII be
on the defensive in the rest OF the state
Its showing here yesterday has gwen the
Organization leaders the courage to press
the fight on which they have embarked
With some temerity, not knowing, until
Yesterday, what there was to contend
with on the other side.
NEGROES FIGHT, THEN SUBMIT.
Prior to the opening of the afternoon
session of the convention II looked very
much rs If a big fight was in prospect, not
only because of the detection In Sussex, but
also because the Negroes were 'klckn
IN The Sussex trouble was kept oil the
convention floor after friends of the gov
crnor, who had threatened TO take It
there, had conferred and decided that
rothing could be accomplished by doing
80. Therefore they swallowed the bitter
plll with the knowledge that they would
have later opportunity, during the cam
paign. to show that they had not been
killed off and that they would have 10 be
reckoned with. So the fight is on.
With the Negroes, however, it was diff
ferent. They had number of grievances
that they proposed to have aired-and rec
tilted. II possible-in the convention.
Accordingly, after the Wilmington caucus
had adjourned the Negro delegates from
that city. under the leadership OF DIR.
Conwell Banton, held an hour 5 confer
ence in the State House. Their feelings at
the opening OF the Wilmington caucus
we're not pacified any by what happened
there. for DR.. Banton, who had been
placed In nomination for alternate dele
gate to the national convention, was
bowled out and Judge Daniel o. Hastings
was nominated in his stead. While DR..
Banton said he did not feel badly about
it-that he felt honored that his name had
been placed In nomInatlon-many OF the
other Negro delegates did not accept the
situation so gracefully. They said they re-
Earded his defeat as a slap at the race and
also that it was really serving notice that
Negroes need not apply when 1t came to
naming delegates 70 a national conven-
ton.
At the Negroes conference, which
followed the Wilmington caucus they pro-
ceeded to fay Republican State Chairman
Daniel J. Layton on the belief that Mr..
Layton had made remarks, In the recent
suffrage fight before the Legislature, had
They based their belief on an article
printed In one OF the Wilmington news
papers mot Every Evening, however,.
Accordingly they adopted a resolution
condemning Mr.. Layton, which they in
tended to present TO the convention.
The resolution was not presented to the
convention, however, and 1t was learned by
Every Evening correspondent, that there
was a very good reason for not presenting
IT, State Committeeman Charles II.
Colpurn, one of the Wilmington Negro
delegates, looked up Mr.. Layton, after the
Negro meeting aud told him what the
meeting had done. But Mr.. Layton told
him that he never made the remarks at
tributed to him. Therefore as the resolu-
ton of condemnation, was considered un-
Just, IN the light Of this subsequent in
formation, the convention remained in
ignorance OF any such action having been
taken, and the Negroes saved themselves
from making an obviously unjust .accusa-
ton.
At the Negro conference another reso-
luton was passed demanding Negro
representation among the alternate dele
rates to the national convention, but they
we're induced not TO insist on this-and
hey didn't. 1t was not presented to the
convention.
The third point they made In their reso-
utions they gained. That was to have the
Negro members Of the Republican State
committee selected In regular caucus, the
anne as the white members, the election
Men Who Do THINGS