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The Commoner.
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'movo that Reprcsontatlvo Richmond P. Hobson
of Alabama bo invited to address the convention.
Mingled with cheers for "Hobson, Hobson,
wo many cries of "No, no." Chairman Bell
put tho motion to a viva voco vote and tliero
woro ensuing storms of "ayo" and "no, somo
of tho delegates demanding "give us tho com
mlttoo report; wo want to do business.
"Please pormlt tho chair to announce the
result," said tho chairman as soon as ho could
be hoard above tho confusion. .
"I havo a very sensitive car and I accluo
tho vote Is a tie. It is tbereforo the privilege
of tho chair to cast the deciding vote. I cast
in tho afllrmatlvo and Congressman Hobson Is
invltod to address tho convention."
Cheers and a few hisso3 followed Hobson
to tho stand, and ho received a warm welcome
as ho stood beside Chairman Doll. After Mr.
Hobson had been speaking for fifteon minutes
tho crowd began to grow restless and cries of
"tlmo" camo from floor and gaheries.
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
foreign war on its hands."
Instantly there came from tho convention
a chorus of mingled groans, catcalls, hisses and
crjes of "No, no."
Hobson was compelled t ccaso his speech
entirely, but stood calm and tenso, determined
to ' finish his address as soon as ho was given
art opportunity to do so.
"My countrymon, my message is nearly
through," said Hobscn, when ho had attention.
A cry of "amen" sent rt galo ,of laughter
over tho hall.
"I, want to say to you," wont on Hobson,
gritting his tooth In determination, "that not so
vdiy long' ago tho president' of the United, States ,
said in my presence that there oxists tho great
est possibility of a war with Japan."
"No, no, come off," shouted the crowd, and
there was an outburst of cries which continued
for several minutes.
"Gentlemen," said Chairman Boll, .''this
speaker will bo allowed to finish, and if ho Is
Interrupted again by tho galleries, J.ue sergeant-at-arms
will be directed 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 the rear
shouted, "Hurrah for the Merrimac!"
Mr. Hobson finally closed with a plea that
even if tho democrats succeeded in power in
tho nation they 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 the chair and, standing at his
place in tho center aisle ho asserted that tho
convention had buslnoss to transact and ought
to proceed to it without furthor flights of ora
tory1. Colonel Haldeman then proceeded to take
issue with Mr. Hobson, declaring that tho United
States has twonty-two first class battleships and
Japan but sixteen. "And I want to say that
wu uio not lunuci or japan or anybody else on
uiw iuuu 01 ulo giooo," concluded Colonel Halde
man amid applause.
Chairman Boll announced that the commit
tee on credentials would not be ready to report
for several minutes.
"This afternoon," said Chairman Bell, "I
sent a committee 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. Towne took the
rostrum amid much applause.
His address was brief and ho left the plat
form with tho distinctly expressed good will of
tho convention.
"Taylor, Taylor," cried many of the dele
gates, remembering the invitation of tho after
noon to tho Tonnessoo senator.
Mr. Callahan of Massachusetts, chairman
of tho committee on credentials, was in the aisle
clamoring for recognition when Senator Taylor
was escorted to tho stage by a number of his
constituents. He was introduced by Chairman
Boll amid cheering.
As Senator Taylor retired the chairman
announced: "Gentlemen of tho convention wo
aro now going to get down to hard work 'The
committee on credentials is ready to report The
chair recognizes Mr. Christopher G. Callahan
chairman of tho committee." v,iumnan,
. Mr. Callahan then read tho report which
Was as follows: '
In tho mattor of tho finntnato j ,
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:
The 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 the 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
tho 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 Bonner, 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. Hal lab an.
In the matter of the contest from the Ninth
district of the. stnte 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 the 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 the 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. Mr. 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 caso bo seated.
The report recommended that the delegates
from the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth
districts of Philadelphia, holding seats in the
convention be declared lawfully entitled to such
seats, and in support of the recommendation
the minority gave the 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 tho contestants produced no
credentials conducive to support.
Third That they made no protest or ap
peal to any convention of the 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 the
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.
Tho report is signed by the representatives
of the committee from the following states
2S-n Nf?VriSiey' 5eW .Yopk 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 tho democracy of a
sovereign state called forth cheers. He asked
tho chairman for permission to make a few
remarks in support of his motion to substitute
tho minority for the majority report bUDStltute
"Now' said Chairman Bell, "pit your mo
tion and I will state the resolution." On motton
of Governor Haskell a limit of thirty minutes
to each side was put on the debate
Tho chair then recognized Chairman Calln
han of tho credentials committee al the first
speaker in behalf of the majority report Be
fore Mr. Callahan begun Mr. Straus claimed that
as he carried the affirmative, ho should have the
right to open and close the debate. The chair
VOLUME 8, NUMBER 2
ruled that the chairman of the committee, as
ho 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 tlmo
allotted to tho 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, wero
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 one
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 the democracy with the dominant
republican machine in that city. We were
urged that expediences of harmony required
that we should shut our eyes to these irregulari
ties, but no set of men with a spark of, justice
in their 'breasts could do other than we have
done."
The first speaker for the 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 the 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 the
minority report as Mr. Straus went On, applaud
ing, him frequently, They cheered him lustily,
as did .inany 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 change 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' ftie
left the stand, after making an impassioned ap
peal for the adoption of the minority report.
To conclude the argument in behalf of the
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 the 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.
The closing 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, he might as well have been elected
delegate to the Chicago convention. Governor
Haskell charged the Pennsylvania contestees
with being the tools of the Standard Oil
company.
, The roll call was ordered on the substitu
tion the minority for the majority report.
nQn m?R lu?r ro11 Sal1 was closel Chairman '
?llJd! T?n thIs nation, the ayes have
387 votes and tho noes 615."
The announcement was greeted with great
cheering. The majority report then Tvas adopt
ed by a viva voce vote.
Great confusion followed the announcement
of tho result of the roll call, 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 the doors.
The vote was announced by the chairman
showing a total of 1,002 votes castthe full
strength of the convention, Including the ab
sentces. . -