People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 May 1896 — THEIR FIRST VICTORY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THEIR FIRST VICTORY

NARROW - GAUGERS WIN Al PITTSBURG. Wheeler Elected Temporary Chairm >n Talk of Tr»dins In the Convention Mrs. Gougar Wants Prohibition, set frage and Silver. * Pittsburg, Pa., May 27. —By an ov whelming majority late Tuesday ni-.i the narrow-guagers won the first ba.’ in the spirited contest among the pro?.: bitionists now gathered in this city. T.. national committee met at the Se ven Avenue hotel at 9 o’clock. Chairm a Samuel Dickie of Michigan preside 1 There were twenty-seven regular me ?. bers present from twenty states. Ni mteen proxies were admitted. After prayer by the Rev. Dr. J. B. Cranfell ■_.*

Texas the committee proceeded at once to the selection of temporary officers if the convention. Scores of delegate: crowded the corridor, anxious to learn the result. George C. Christian of Arkansas presented the name of A. A. Stevens of Tyrone, Pa., for temporary chairman. Ex-Gov. John P. St. John of Kansas, for the broad-guagers, nominated Edward J. Wheeler of New York. The vote was taken by roll call, Stevens receiving 32 and Wheeler 16. This result is a keen disappointment to the silver men. After a short consultation Gov. St. John announced that they would present a minority report with Mr. Wheeler’s name. Chairman Dickie said that he would deprecate any such action, as there was no propriety in presenting a minority report. The broad-guagers insisted on it. and Oliver W. Steward of Illinois, moved that the national chairman be instructed to receive such report. This was voted down by a vote of 31 to 12. Alonzo E. Wilson of Chicago was chosen unanimously for temporary secretary of the convention,

John Willis Baer of Boston, of the United Society of Christian Endeavor, is being talked of for permanent secretary. The treasurer submitted his report, which was approved, and cheers given for the youngest boy of the prohibition movement. This pleased Mr. Hastings, as he is now over 80 years of age. The day’s development were decidedly favorable to the narrow-guage element. Narrow-gague delegates have been arriving by the hundreds, until they seem to have a large majority of those on the ground. New England, 200 hundred strong, came with banners flying at supper time and marched through the streets headed by a brass band. In reference to the platform of the convention Mr. Dickie said: “I do not think the platform will commit the party to any specific financial policy. I expect it to be definite in that it will generally advocate ‘sound’ money, but I do’ not favor going into special details. For instance, if we declare that all money shall be issued by the national government, that it must be full legal tender and that no private corporation or private party shall profit thereby, that, to my mind, is specific enough for the prohibition party. That, too, according to my information, will probably be the tone of the platform adopted'by the convention.” Trades and rumors of trades —silver for suffrage, suffrage for silver—are in the air, and the women are aroused and anxious. The money men on both sides are ready to sacrifice anything except the prohibition plank itself to gain this special end. Southerners offer silver votes for anti-suffrage votes and hard-money jnen offer suffrage votes for gold votes. This is what the women say, and this is the situation. They are organising to fight. The word has gone out that the women are to stand like a rock for suffrage and trade it for nothing. Mrs. Gougar claims to be solid for prohibition, suffrage and silver, and means to fight for all three. There was a notable scene in Gov. St. John’s room, where the action of the Michigan delegation was announc-

ea to him. and there was handed to him the local paper containing Dickie’s withdrawal from the cnairmanship race. Said Gov Sc. John: "This fight is not against Dickie personally. He is one of the finest of our men, but we must have a broad-gauge chairman.” The report that Levering is not a suffragist is enthusiastically controverted by his fellow ere, since Mr. Levering is a stanch supporter of the woman’s cause. Indeed, the alarm about the passage of a suffrage plank is not warranted. The opposition to suffrage received its death blow at the Indianapolis convention in 1888. The suffrage plank will go in. Even the women, however, feel that the effort to nomi-* nate a woman for vice-president is a mistake. Miss Willard’s name was withdrawn upon theyurgent plea of a woman. Miss Thompson, of Oakland, Cal., who is cna of the best workers among the women delegates. Mrs. Gougar was named by a man, and when she declined Miss Willard’s name was offered by a Woman’s Christian Tetaperance Union adherent, whose love for her lead: r outran her political wisdom. The women here are with few exceptions silverites. The Griffin resolution restoring silver to its standing before the Sherman legislation of ’73 is their platform and seems to be the favorite all around.

James H. Southgate of North Carolina and William H. Berry of Pennsylvania were presented for second place. The vote was 58 to 50 in favor of Southgate. L. B. Logan of Ohio was selected as candidate for national chairman, after a long contest in which J. M. Dunlap of Indinan figured as an aspirant. It was finally made unanimous. Oliver W. Stewart of Illinois was approved for permanent chairman. It was decided to accept no compromise on platform or in the matter of candidates. Tire im: row-gaugers had an informal gathering at the Seventh Avenue hotel. Mr. Dickie made a speech in which he declared that every plank adopted ought to be approved by three-fourths of the delegates in ti e convention. The chairman was authorized to appoint a steering committee of seven to direct the destinies of the narrow-gauge idea. Ihe broad-gaugers are elated because Michigan turned down Mr. Dickie. He failed of re-election as a member of the national committee. Mr. Dickie says he is out or the race for national chairman, not because of the state’s action, as he fully anticipated it, but he is anxious for a rest. His wide circle of friends are dete; mined to continue the fight, and Mr. Stevens of this state and Mr. Tate of Tennessee-are sanguine of his re-election by the new national committee.

The Intercollegiate Prohibition association held its national convention in Exposition hall in the afternoon. S. T. Michell of Wilberforce university presided. W. A. Avery made an address of welcome. The following officers were elected: President, Merrill C. Ward. Tuft’s college, Massachusetts; vice-president, G. H. Gaston, university of Illinois; treasurer, Fred S. Nave, Northwestern university, Evanston, 111. Narrow-gauge resolutions were passed. Plans were adopted for the work of the coming campaign.

SAMUEL DICKIE.

HELEN M. GOUGAR.