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The Commoner
VOLUME 8, NUMBER 2
jjir v
4
movo that Representative Richmond P. Hobson
of Alabama bo invited to address the convention.
Mingled with cheers for "Hobson, Ilobson,
wo many cries of "No, no." Chairman Bell
put tho motion to a viva voco vote and thero
wore ensuing storms of "aye" and "no, some
of tho delegates demanding "give us the com
mittee roport; wo want to do business.
"Please permit tho chair to announce tho
result," said tho chairman as soon as he could
bo heard above tho confusion. .
"I have a very sensitive car and I decido
tho vote is a tie. It is therefore the privilege
of tho chair to cast the deciding vote. I cast
in (ho afllrmativo and Congressman Hobson is
invitod to address tho convention."
Cheers and a few hisses followed Hobson
to tho stand, and ho received a warm welcome
as ho stood besldo Chairman Hell. After Mr.
Hobson had been speaking for fifteen minutes
tho crowd began to grow restless and cries of
"timo" camo from floor and galleries.
Chairman Bell called for order saying tho
speaker would conclude in a few minutes. In
concluding his address Congressman Hobson de
clared that if tho domocratic party was success
ful in the election ho believed that it would,
before tho end of tho four years, "have a great
foroign war on its hands."
Instantly thero came from tho convention
a chorus of mingled groans, catcalls, hisses and
cries of No, no."
Hobson was compelled t ccaco his speech
entirely, but stood calm and tense, determined
to finish his address as soon as ho was given
an Opportunity to do so.
"My countrymen, my message is nearly
through," said I-Iobscn, when ho had attention.
A cry of "amen" sent a galo ,of laughter
oyer ho hall,
"I want to say to you," wont on Hobson,
gritting his tooth in determination, "that not so
voiy long ago tho president of tho United. States ,
said in my presence that thero exists tho great
est possibility of a war with Japan."
"No, no, come off," shouted tho crowd, and
thero was an outburst of cries which, continued
for several minutes.
"Gentlemen," said Chairman Bell, 'this
speaker will bo allowed to finish, and if ho Is
Interrupted again by tho galleries, J.ho sergeant-at-arms
will bo directod to clear them."
This announcement was greeted with cheers
which sprang from tho coast delegations. He
was for a time heard in silence, but a roar of
laughter went up when a voice far in tho rear
shouted, "Hurrah for the Merrimac!"
Mr. Hobson finally closed with a plea that
even if tho democrats succeeded in power in
the nation thoy should prepare for war so as to
bring peace and good will toward man through
out all tho world.
Colonel Haldeman of Kentucky was then
recognized by tho chair and, standing at his
place in tho center aislo ho asserted that the
convention had business to transact and ought
to1 proceed to it without further flights of ora
tory. 'Colonel Haldeman then proceeded to take
issue with Mr. Hobson, declaring that tho United
States has twenty-two first class battleships and
Japan but sixteen. "And I want to say that
K uuiiuiuiu in japan or anybody else on
the face of tho globe," concluded Colonel Halde-
auu umiu appiause.
Chairman Bell announced that the commit
tee on credentials would not bo rpndv in rAnnrf
IS for SfiVftrnl mrnfo
This afternoon," said Chairman Bell, "I
sent a comraitteo down into tho Now York dele
gation to escort to tho platform Senator Charles
A. Towne " That was as far as the chairman
was allowed to proceed and Mr. Town took the
rostrum amid much applause.
His address was brief and ho left tho plat
form with tho distinctly expressed good will of
the convention.
'k ,rTnvlnr Tnvlm. n,,i ,. .
.w., M.,jU, viwtiu luuuy 01 tne ueie-
f noon to thp Tonnesseo senator.
Mr. Callahan of Massachusetts, chairman
of tho committee on credentials, was in the aislo
clamoring for recognition when Senator Taylor
was escorted to tho stage by a number of his
constituents. Ho was introduced by Chairman
Bell amid cheering.
As Senator Taylor retired tho chairman
announced: "Gentlemen of tho convention wo
. v b"i"b iu Bot uuwn lo naru work Tho
committee on credentials is ready to roport The
chair recognizes Mr. Christopher G. Callahan
chairman of tho committee."
, Mr. Callahan then read tho report which
ivas as follows: '
In the matter of tho contests from, tho states
Of Idaho, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Ronnsylva-
nia and tho District of Columbia, the commit
tee recommends that in each of tho following
contests the delegations as named by the national
committee are entitled to seats as the regularly
accredited delegates and alternates to this con
vention, namely:
Tho state of Idaho:
Tho First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth,
Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth dis
tricts of Illinois.
The Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and
Soventh districts of tho state of New York.
The Nineteenth district of the state of Ohio.
The Thirty-second district of the state of
Pennsylvania.
Tho District of Columbia.
In the matter of the contest from the First,
Second, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth districts of
the state of Pennsylvania we recommend that
the contestants shall be seated and recognized
by this convention as the duly accredited dele
gates and alternates from said district in the
state of Pennsylvania, to-wit: First district,
Neil Bonnor, Michael Francis; Second district,
Ryorson W. Jennings; Fourth district, A.
Raymond Raff, Horace F. Fogel; Fifth district,
Patrick F. Horan, Paul Wise; Sixth district, P.
J. Hall ah an.
In the matter of the contest from the Ninth
district of tliq state of Ohio your committee
recommends that the following be seated in this
convention as the accredited delegates from said
district: E. A. Powers, Dr. William Watts.
When Chairman Callahan read the decision
of tho committee in favor of the' contestants
against Guffey in Pennsylvania, there were a
few hisses and some applause. The interruption
was of brief duration, however, and the reading
of tho report was continued.
In the matter of the two lists of committee '
appointments from the state of Pennsylvania,
Chairman Callahan reported that the creden
tials committee recommended that in' view of
tho contest decisions, the lists be referred back
to the delegation for action. Mi Callahan con
cluded by moving the adoption of the report.
"I second that motion," shouted a delegate
from Indiana. The chairman stated the ques
tion and thon recognized L. L. Straus of -Maryland
who read tho minority report, which rec
ommended that the contestees in the Pennsyl
vania case be seated.
The report recommended that tho delegates
from the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth
districts of Philadelphia, holding seats in tho
convention be declared lawfully entitled to such
seats, and in support of the recommendation
the minority gave tho following reasons: ;
First That there was no evidence adduced
by the contestants before the committee to sup
port their claim to said seats.
Second That the contestants produced no
credentials conducive to support.
Third That they made no protest or ap
peal to any convention of tho democratic party
of Pennsylvania or to any tribrnal or function
ary of said party or to any court in said state,
as provided by the primary election law of the
state.
Fourth That the credentials of contestees
were unexceptional in every particular and that
abundant proof of their right to the seat was
adduced.
The action of the majority of the committee
is a staggering blow at the independence of the
democracy of a sovereign state,. This conven
tion can rest upon no other foundation than tho
supremacy within state lines of the party organ
ization of every state. We therefore recommend
that the said contestees retain their seats here
tofore ordered them by a legalized democratic
committee.
The report is signed by the representatives
of the committee from tho following states
Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Louisiana
Illinois, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia Min
nesota, Delaware, New Hampshire, Kentucky and
West Virginia.
The statement made by Mr. Straus that
tho action of the majority of tho committee
was a staggering blow at the democracy of a
sovereign state called forth cheers. He asked
the chairman for permission to make a few
remarks in support of his motion to substitute
tho minority for the majority report bUUSUUUe
"Now," said Chairman Bell, "put your mo
tion apd I will state the resolution." On motfon
of Governor Haskell, a limit of thirty minutes
to each side was put on the debate
The chair then recognized Chairman Calla
han of tho credentials committee as the firsV
speaker in behalf of the majority roport Be
fore Mr. Callahan begun Mr. Straus claimed that
as ho carried tho affirmative, ho should have tho
right to open and close the debate. The chair
ruled that the chairman of the committee, as
he represented the majority, should have 'the
right to open and close. Thus he again recog
nized Mr. Callahan.
Mr. Callahan began by saying that the timo
allotted to the majority would be divided be
tween himself and Governor Haskell of Okla
homa, the latter closing the debate. Mr. Calla
han said the evidence before the committee
showed that in Pennsylvania the Guffey faction
brought a host of republicans to the democratic
primary polls. These voters, he declared, were
members of the Philadelphia machine, of which
"one McNichol" was the head. In one con
gressional district, where the normal democratic
vote was about 1.000, the vote in the primary
swelled to more than 2,700. This was but ono
instance of many, declared Mr. Callahan, tho
evidence of which is supported by undisputed
affidavits.
"When we considered all the evidence,"
he concluded, "it was impossible to escape tho
conclusion that the real democracy of Philadel
phia had been kept at home by an alliance of
one element of tho democracy with the dominant
republican machine in that city. We were
urged that expediences of harmony required
that wo should shut our eyes to these irregulari
ties, but no set of men with ji spark of justice
in their 'breasts could do other than we have
done."
. The first speaker for tho minority report
was Mr. Straus, who had presented it. Mr.
Straus asked that the substitution of the min
ority for the majority report shall be on tho
ground that tho majority report was an attack
upon the indefeasible rights of the democrats cf
the sovereign state. The New York delegation
showed marked signs of sympathy with tho
minority report- as Mr. Straus went 6n, applaud
ing, him frequently, They cheered him lustily;
as did many other delegates, notably those of
Pennsylvania, when -he said that any man who
had read, law for three weeks .knew that to de
prive delegates of their seats it must be shown -that
enough illegal votes had been cast at the
election to chango the report and no evidence,
he declared had been heard by the credentials
committee. ,v
Mr. Straus, who spoke with great fervor
and earnestness, was given an ovation ' as'Sfhe
left the stand, after making an Impassioned ap
peal for the adoption of the minority report.
To conclude the argument in behalf of tho
minority report, the chair recognized John D.
Bellamy of North Carolina, one of the signers
of the. document. He declared the contestants
brought absolutely no sort of credentials with
them to set against tho undisputed count of bal
lots cast in faVor of the Guffey delegates. The
speaker called out a storm of disapproval when
he asserted that the republicans who went to
the polls as democrats had a right to have their
votes counted as democrats.
"No, no, nothing like that," came the chorus
from the floor.
When Mr. Bellamy again got attention he
explained that the democratic party was ready
to open its doors to any one who desired to
adopt its principles. There was some applause
at this and the speaker soon brought his address
to a close.
. ,Te ??!ing sPeaker for the majority and
the last of the debate was Governor Haskell of
J oma;, He PromPtly took up the statement
of Mr. Bellamy that republicans could properly
vote at democratic primaries. He discussed in
sarcastic sentences the contention of Mr Bel
lamy, asserting that, under that gentleman's,
argument, ho might as well have been elected
delegate to the Chicago convention. Governor
Haskell charged the Pennsylvania contestees
with being the tools of tho Standard Oil
company.
Ti1ro11 cal1 was ordered on the substitu
tion of the minority for the majority report.
mi ?en S ro11. ,ca11 was closed Chairman
??lJds 7?,on thIs (luestion the ayes have
387 votes and the noes 615."
The announcement was greeted with great
cheering. The majority report then Tvas adopt
ed by a viva voco vote.
Great confusion followed the announcement
Srt rSUlt ?f the l?U cal1' but through the
uproar filtered a motion to adjourn until 11
o clock tomorrow morning. It was seconded in
a flash, and carried with a shout, and the dele
gates made for tho doors.
The vote was announced by the chairman
showing a total of 1,002 votes cast the full
strength of tho convention, including tho ab
sentees. ,
,K
