Judge Gresham of Indiana, was prominently named as a Presidential candidate, and he finally consented to the use of his name if it could command unanimous support, but this was denied by what were called “the old guard,” who favored the recognition of those only who were plainly identified with the Third party.
At 12 o’clock the roll of States for nomination for President was hardly completed and there were four candidates before the Convention—Weaver, of Iowa; Kyle, of South Dakota; Field, of Virginia, and Page of Virginia. The chance seemed favorable to Weaver, but the uncertainty of a nomination on the first ballot made his friends still painfully anxious. Gresham’s declination had been at last reluctantly accepted by his admirers, and the refusal of Van Wyck to allow the consideration of his name practically left the field to the four candidates who had been formally presented.
The Ballot.
The first ballot for President resulted as follows, only one ballot necessary, Weaver being successful:
Alabama, Weaver, 43, Arkansas, Weaver, 12; Kyle, 20; California, Weaver, 25; Colorado, Weaver, 6; Kyle, 10; Connecticut, Weaver, 8; Kyle, 2; Delaware, Weaver, 1; Florida, Weaver, 16; Georgia, Weaver, 16; Kyle, 39; Idaho, Weaver, 12; Illinois, Weaver, 41; Kyle, 42; Indiana, Weaver 54; Kyle, 5; Norton, 1; Iowa, Weaver, 52; Kansas, Weaver, 40; Kentucky, Weaver, 40; Louisiana, Weaver, 32; Maine, Weaver, 6; Kyle, 3; Massachusetts, Weaver, 9; Kyle, 18; Page, 1; Michigan, Weaver, 56; Minnesota, Weaver, 27; Kyle, 9; Mississippi, Weaver, 17; Missouri, Weaver, 61: Kyle, 7; Montana, Kyle, 12; Nebraska, Weaver, 23; Kyle, 3; Nevada, Kyle, 7; New Jersey, Weaver, 4; New York, Weaver, 59; North Carolina, Weaver, 20; Kyle, 5; North Dakota, Weaver, 11; Kyle, 1; Ohio, Weaver, 30; Kyle, 22; Oregon, Weaver, 16; Pennsylvania, Weaver, 29; Stanford, 1; South Dakota, Weaver, 1; Kyle, 15; Tennessee, Weaver, 45; Texas, Weaver, 60; Virginia, Weaver, 48; Washington, Weaver, 15; West Virginia, Weaver, 17; Wisconsin, Weaver, 7; Kyle, 41; Wyoming, Weaver, 3; District of Columbia, Weaver, 8; Oklahoma, Weaver, 8. Total: Weaver, 995; Kyle, 265; Norton, 1; Page, 1; Stanford, 1.
Maryland, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Alaska, Arizona, Indian Territory, New Mexico and Utah are blank.
Norton moved to make the nomination unanimous, and Schilling, of Wisconsin, Washburn, of Massachusetts, and the delegates from South Dakota, Montana and Massachusetts seconded the motion. It was carried with a hurrah and loud cheering.
General James G. Field, of Virginia, and of the Confederate service, was nominated on the first ballot for Vice-President.
People’s Party Platform.
Preamble: Corruption dominates the ballot-box, the Legislatures, the Congress and touches even the ermine of the bench. The people are demoralized, most of the States have been compelled to isolate the voters at the polling places to prevent universal intimidation or bribery. The newspapers are largely subsidized or muzzled, public opinion silenced, business prostrated, our homes covered with mortgages, labor impoverished and the land concentrating in the hands of the capitalists.