Thirty-Six Ballots and a Party That Could Not Stop Fighting

After thirty-six ballots the Democratic county central committee re-elected John Collins chairman. The battle against Mr. Collins was stubbornly fought by his many enemies in the Democratic party in King county; but in the committee he and his friends had enough proxies from the country to carry the day. The election of Mr. Collins indicates that the campaign will be like that of two years ago, when the candidates ignored the central committee and organized an independent committee of their own. The two committees were at odds, and the campaign, so far as the Democrats were concerned, was a complete and unmitigated fiasco. There is much bitter feeling on both sides, and in view of the dissatisfaction with the state ticket the task of getting the two factions together will be an impossible one.

The committee made its first attempt to organize a week ago Monday. The constitution adopted by the committee makes it necessary for any man to have a two-thirds vote in order to be elected, and this rule has caused the long deadlock. The first session lasted from 2 o'clock in the afternoon until after 3 the next morning. John Collins, who was making desperate attempts to hold his old place as chairman, was then in the minority. Twenty-four ballots were taken, and on all but one of them either B. Bennett or W. U. Talbot had a majority of the votes, but Collins had enough to keep either from the necessary two-thirds.

The meeting of the committee yesterday was another display of the deep and abiding harmony in the Democratic ranks. The session began at 2 o'clock, but so many proxies from the country had been gathered in by both sides that a committee on credentials had to be appointed. This body did not finish its work and make a report until 5 o'clock. From eighty-five to ninety votes were represented, and on most of the ballots Collins had from forty-five to fifty and F. A. McDonald, of the Ninth ward, the rest. From time to time the members fell to bickering and there was a tendency to disorder, but fortunately J. T. Blakistone, the chairman of the meeting, was an excellent presiding officer, and Charles Esplin, jr., a quick and accurate secretary.

After half a dozen ballots Mr. B. F. De Bow appeared in the role of that New York Democratic congressman who introduced an unconstitutional bill and then asked: "What is the constitution between friends?" Mr. De Bow rose and blandly moved that the rule requiring a two-thirds vote be suspended and that a majority be declared sufficient to elect. Mr. De Bow pleaded that the Republicans were organized and in good fighting trim, so it was extremely necessary for the Democrats to stop squabbling and get to work. When Mr. De Bow had drawn a pathetic picture of the deplorable condition of the King county Democracy, Mr. Blakistone promptly ruled the motion to suspend the constitution out of order.

At the end of the eighth ballot John W. Considine, the leader of the Collins forces, proposed a compromise. He offered to allow the McDonald men to choose the secretary, treasurer and executive committee, if John Collins could be chairman. Several caucuses were held and the compromise was rejected. On the twelfth ballot Collins was elected, receiving exactly the two-thirds vote, 58 to 29 for McDonald. For secretary, John Y. Terry, A. A. Lane, Charles Esplin, jr., and James B. Harbin were put up.